We had planned on a visit to Ferdi from the time we thought of making Paris part of our annual vacation. Ferdi is a very (very) small restaurant that boasts a "friendly" atmosphere where you're encouraged to linger and be French about your leisurely dinner. The service was quite good, especially for Parisian standards. Our table was situated immediately adjacent the bar and cramped. Everyone who passed by, waiters and patrons squeezed by to get to their tables. Had either of us been claustrophobic we would have had a cow. Before I get to the details of the meal, I want to describe the ambiance. The bartender, nice looking gentlemen, literally four feet away from us was incessantly banging ice cubes with a wooden mallet. Makes me wonder if they sell crushed ice in Paris. The bar served also as a hostess station, cashier and everything else... Needless to say it was very busy and to us a bit annoying. Apparently though, the atmosphere is supposed this way. One can appreciate it if they were in Paris looking for some local color. The banging of ice and the small cramped spaces and the talking just made it such a loud experience. Hard to digest. My partner felt as though we were imposing on their space. I agree with him that we felt that we were intruding on an activity that would have been better off without us there. That's not the best feeling a patron to a business to have. Again, that being said, the waitresses were all very courteous and quick and efficient and had expert knowledge of the menu.
Now onto the food. For starters we had the cold 8-ingredient soup which was heavy in the coriander. Very earthy, indian like soup but extremely refreshing. One of the highlights of the dinner. I ordered the mix of croquettes. Chorizo, Cod and Cheese. The chorizo was my favorite and tasted exactly as it should. The Cod was too smelly and probably should be taken off the menu. The Cheese was not memorable.
For dinner we had the cheeseburger and the meatballs with small pasta. The cheeseburger that was hailed as the best burger ever by my yelper friend (you know who you are) was indeed good. My partner liked it more than I did. The meat was good, perfectly seasoned and cooked. The cheese was luscious and expertly melted. The sesame bun was okay. The quality of the ingredients were superb. I will however say this, an In-N-Out burger trumps this burger any day. So if you've read the other comments stating the same that this is the most exquisite burger in the world, those of us from California will know that it simply is not. The meatballs were very herbaceous. A mixture of greens made them taste especially Oriental and familiar to me. Like Kufte or lule kabobs. They were good.
The horror to the experience however came last. The deep fried churro was nothing like what it should be. It had no soft center and was clearly extruded through a pasta machine because it just was not thick enough to really be a churro. The worst part is that it was fried in the same oil as the croquettes and god knows what else. i know this because the smell of the savory items fried in that same oil could be smelled off of my desert. This is cooking 101. Don't use old oil. And don't use oils intended for things like frying croquettes for your deep fried desserts. The smell off the churro was truly offensive. The chocolate ganache or sauce served for dipping was absolutely perfect however. Dark and thick - really quite perfect.
Long story short, it was a good dining experience. Would I recommend it to anyone? Probably not. If I were to live in Paris, would I frequent it to hang out with friends? Probably not. There are plenty of places with less drama of getting a reservation that would facilitate good conversation and a satisfying meal. read more