Here’s one you won’t find in the guide books – a restaurant only open one night a week! Admittedly, they do also do lunch. Some days. And a brunch. But only if you book. Oh, and and the restaurant’s in an independent designer clothes store. Oh, and it’s Italian vegetarian. And the owner is quite the character.

Intrigued? So were we. And then when we tasted the food, it was *ah-mazing*. Welcome to the colourful, tasty world of Carmen Ragosta!

The Canal Saint-Martin can hardly be called ‘up and coming’ any more. It’s the place to be in Paris at the moment. A huge spread in Bon Appétit magazine, endless fashion mag articles saying how hip it is, tons of new cafés, bars and designer shops…. This is where it’s happening at the moment.

But Carmen Ragosta didn’t wait for the recent hype to set up her fashion store. She’s been here for eleven years already, when the area was just a quiet spot by the canal waiting to happen. Initially she sewed in the back and sold her women’s clothes up front, then business started booming and she got some help with the sewing, and finally a few years ago she started serving food, initially in the basement, and now on the ground floor of her sweet shop.

It may not look like much from the outside, but you’re in for quite a surprise.

The interior is bare stone and vintage tiles, and old mirror here, accessories and clothes hanging there. Think of it as a sort of cabinet of curiosities, but with clothes.

Oh, and there are a few tables too. An odd setting to be sure, and quite in line with the character of Carmen herself – ebullient, spontaneous, always laughing and gesticulating, talking French with a think Italian accent (she also speak pretty good English). You’ll immediately feel at ease…The kitchen at the back has taken the place of the sewing workshop. From there, Carmen can prepare food while keeping a distant eye on what’s happening up front.Don’t expect fancy restaurant table decoration, but the effort Carmen makes has its own charm. It’s definitely unpretentious, and leaves ample room for her food to express itself…All Carmen’s food is both Italian and… vegetarian. She talks a lot more about it in our interview, explaining why she started cooking, how she became vegetarian, and why she wanted to prove to people that vegetarian food was as tasty as any other.

We decided to start with a nice bottle of Italian wine. Even vegetarians are allowed to drink!Friday is the only evening that Carmen makes dinner, and you should book ahead to make sure she has the necessary quantity of food. There’s one fixed menu, no choice  – First course, main course, dessert for 25€. Pretty  unbeatable value.

Everyone eats the same dishes, but the menu changes every week (and every day for lunch, which Carmen also serves from Wednesday to Sunday).

Our starter was a selection of vegetables – tomato with corn salad drizzled with olive oil, homemade bread with pickled onions in a sweet sauce, a small slice of homemade gorgonzola, carrot and courgette tart, and some fennel with apricots. Lovely stuff.The main course was pasta with grilled aubergines and parmigiano. The tomato sauce was really great, and the whole thing was seasoned to perfection. Fantastico !And just when we thought it couldn’t get much better, dessert arrived. Tiramisu.

Everyone has probably tasted a hundred tiramisus in their life, and its definition seems very vague, from very firm to completely sloppy, supposedly infused with coffee but often tasting of not very much at all.

This tiramisu was probably the best we’ve ever had – no kidding – almost definitely better than the amazing fresh tiramisu they serve at Caffè dei Cioppi. It wasn’t creamy slop, it was perfumed, firm, with cherries, and chocolate. Soft in your mouth, but with light crunchy touches, it was incredible. Only Italians can make food like this!If you go to have lunch at Carmen Ragosta, you may make the acquaintance of her adorable little friend Pippo. If he gets the feeling you like him, and there’s a seat spare at you table, he might even join you (although the chances are, he’ll be asleep within a few minutes). He’s another element that adds character to the place. he’s so sweet!So there you have it. A hybrid space with cool clothes and some excellent, reasonably-priced food. You won’t even notice that there was no meat included.

Don’t forget to watch our little interview with Carmen, where she explains her story. She’s really lovely!Carmen Ragosta (here) is open for lunch Wednesday to Sunday. Dinner Fridays only, booking obligatory  ( +33 (0)1 42 49 00 71 / +33 (0)6 30 36 73 38). Brunch on Sunday (booking essential too).

You can also privatise the place for 8-26 people, if you’d like to have a meal with friends.

Official site: www.carmenragosta.com

Facebook: here

To check out all our photos, click the play button on the slideshow below, then click the four little arrows bottom right to go into fullscreen mode.