Situated in the cour des Petites Ecuries, this corner tapas restaurant has a chic vibe and a decent menu, the question is whether the food and service justify the premium prices.
I've been to Farago twice now, the first was with a group of guys where we shared plates and the second a more formal dinner where four of us each participated in a menu, one at 22 and one at 32 euros.
First I have to come out and say that I'm a fan of both the location and the decor of this place. The restaurant is situated close to Chateau D'eau metro and if you know the area, it's got a definite edge to it, but! The cour des Petites Ecuries is isolated from the main street and this isolation adds to the charm as there's several other restaurants around and lots of people on the street. Second the decor has been done up in such a way that it's quasi industrial and yet comfortable and warm.
Starting with the staff, the people are great, very helpful on the menu but very much unhelpful for the wine. The last time I was there we took a bottle of Montsant wine which comes from the Catalan region in Spain, I know this wine and region and love it. I have never had a bad bottle and it's somewhat my fault for not being the tester of the wine, it was far too young and the price was far too high. I cannot fault the restaurant for my selection but when we asked about the wine, the server (who checked with everyone in the restaurant) was unable to give us any advice.
Food-wise I can tell you that the majority of the food (from the menu's) is stuff that requires not much effort, examples: Cured meats and cheese, poached egg with truffle shavings, croquetas...There was however one dish which did stand out and that's the duck breast (magret canard), it is truly something special and I remember this from the first time I went.
Our total bill for the evening which included 4 people eating menus (2 x Decouvert and 2 x Hit-Eat) plus two bottles of wine and 2 beers came to a little over 200€: Was it worth it? No, absolutely not. While I will not go here again, what I do advise is that if you go, do it on a sunny day so you can sit outside. Also do NOT order a menu, this is a complete waste of money, also avoid the Montsant wine, it's too young, waaaaay too young. read more