It was completely by chance, cycling through town, that we came upon Mon Square for the first time, and its interior design and vast terraces caught our eye. The neighbourhood is very Emily in Paris, with a small square opposite the restaurant and a church at one end that we had never been inside before.

This month’s restaurant review is thus a little out of the ordinary – first we’ll be visiting the square, and then Mon Square!

Welcome to an historic and typically Parisian part of town – the Square Samuel Rousseau (here) takes its name from a French composer who died in 1904, and the church on the south side is the Basilique Sainte-Clotilde which was finished in 1857. Separating the two is the Maurice-Druon square, named after a French writer, resistance member and politician who passed away in 2009.

The green space is on the small side, but has a play area for kids, and the church is pretty too, surrounded by a wide bed of flowers (but with no access for pedestrians). Typical Parisian buildings surround all this, and it’s an agreeable location for a quick walk, taking in the quiet ambience of this part of the city.

(And if you want to check out all our photos of the square and church, you’ll find them here)

Hopefully this quick walk has made you hungry! If so, you’re in luck – our table awaits us at Mon Square. The place is described as “a little piece of paradise in the heart of the 7th arrondissement” (although this quote is actually from the manager, and found on the restaurant’s website).

Whether you trust that partial point of view or not, the interior is rather lovely, with three main spaces – an L-shaped salon with large windows and a bar, a second room up five steps, and a third, intimate space (called the ‘kiss room’) with wall-to-wall mirrors that help make it feel a lot larger than it is. And of course, outside the restaurant is a long terrace along the main wall, and another just opposite, on the edge of the square.

Shades of green and foliage are running themes in the interior design, but there’s also a lot of pink (even on the menu – more about this later), touches of gold, and slightly kitsch ceramics. It’s both retro and modern, and tastefully done 🙂

You can tell that every tiny detail has been carefully chosen (by Florence Lopez), right down to the menu which includes rustic lettering and sweet handmade drawings (by Sacha Floch Poliakoff)…

Of course, this luxurious setting in one of the city’s chicest areas means that prices are going to be a little higher than elsewhere, and there’s not fixed price menu for lunch either – starters are around 20€, mains are between 30 and 40€, dessert will cost you 12-16€ and a glass of wine is 10€ minimum.

All that too cheap for you? Treat yourself to some caviar for only 80€ 🫤

We decide to drink sparkling water, skip the first course and head straight to the main dishes – a chanterelle mushroom risotto and porcini linguine.

The risotto comes in a generous portion with a creamy / silky sauce with fresh herbs and a little oil. The rice is perfectly cooked (very slightly crunchy) and the mushrooms have a taste that almost rises to the sinuses! Succulent.

As for the linguine, the porcini pieces are various sizes, changing the taste and feel of each bite, and the pasta is (once again) cooked to perfection. It’s a fairly oily dish but a real success.

Presentation is impeccable for both dishes, and the accompanying bread is incredibly fresh and crunchy.

Of course, even after those large servings we are still motivated to try dessert (you can always count on us 😜), so we order an île flottante with pink pralines, and an enigmatic ‘pinky tiramisu’ 🤔

The latter is very creamy, and the red fruit are obviously fresh. But is a tiramisu really a tiramisu if it doesn’t have any coffee in it at all? Well, we’ll let it slide this time…

As for the ‘floating island’ – soft meringue in a sea of custard – it is neither too hard nor too soft, the custard has a wonderfully strong vanilla taste and the drizzle of caramel is genius. Also, the pralines seem to taste of raspberry! Two great desserts!

We really enjoyed our authentic Parisian experience that started with greenery and a visit to a church and ended with a super meal of French cuisine, albeit a slightly pricey one.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was very relaxed, but with super friendly and efficient service, and it was good to have plenty of space between tables. We love the interior design too… Even the toilets are chic! We’ll be back…

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Mon Square (here) is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner

Online reservations here (scroll down)

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