"Babe, I am hungry".
"Okay, what are you in the mood for?"…read more"Something different".
Something different was certainly on the menu today - it started out partly with us trying to unravel a bit of a lie told to us by a Korean conglomerate. If you live in a city with a large Asian population you would have no doubt run into an "opening soon" poster for the Paris Baguette bakery chain, which is based in Seoul. We know that the poster features a Parisian street scene with a Paris Baguette shop in the foreground, we also know that it is bullcrap, a careful set of crops and photoshops of their flagship store in Paris mixed with a familiar street scene, slathered with the rotunda of the Institute Francais in the background. Was it a complete fabrication, or did they take an actual street scene from Paris and photoshop the storefront in? After walking for hours around the 6e, we conclude that it was a composite of Rue Mazarin. Of course, this being a romantic honeymoon-of-sorts between me and my wife, truth-punching a Korean bakery chain was just the cherry on the cake...the real payoff was to wander and get lost on the streets of 6e. That does work up a bit of an appetite.
Well, there are several things we can do - there are Rotisseries at the marche, walk back towards the Odeon for a Brasserie, there's a fondue place or two right here and hello what's this? A Portuguese/Brazilian joint...and it's next to the Taschen bookstore. The menu...looks pretty familiar - Picanha, Feijoada (they called it a Brazilian Cassoulet...cute), Bacalhau and Pasteis de Nata Belem are also present. The menu prices aren't bad (about 15 Euros) and presented on a trilingual menu? Went inside, sat down at a table, and the owner greeted us...in English. Okay, that makes things easier. We are a block away from the nearest Best Western hotel. We ordered 2 set lunches, which for me is the Caldo Verde (the classic Portuguese Kale soup with chourico and mostly pureed potatoes), the Bacalhau, and for the dessert, a pastille de nata. My lady went for the Brazilian side of things, with a bean salad, a steak (bife) and a slice of the classic Brazilian flan, or Pudim.
The Caldo Verde was a bit thinner than my own preference, but still pretty good - they didn't use too much of the vinho verde to kick up the flavor profile, but it was light on the palate and complements the chourico sausage well. The potatoes are barely there, so you taste more of the kale (which are cut into thin strips, like what you would do for complementing feijoada. The bean salad that my wife had was...okay. Nothing too distinctive.
The Bacalhau was more of an fritter with potatoes, onions and eggs and served on top of a small salad. It was actually quite satisfying. My wife's bife was, according to her, quite tasty. Not the best cut of beef, but sauced well, with an egg fried sunny side up, potatoes, rice on the side (seems redundant?) and a small salad. Of course, my wife likes her steak more well done than I do, so my opinions on the steak is tainted by the texture.
For dessert we decided to switch - I'll take the pudim, and she'll have the pastilles - of course, being a married couple, we are automatically doing halfsies. The pudim is good enough with a caramel sauce on top, and her pastilles has a crisp crust, the usually custardy interior, definitely very serviceable.
Overall, a very good experience - solid Portuguese and Brazilian food, pricing is okay, service is reasonably quick and courteous, and the location is next to Taschen St Germain de Pres, so you got something to check out after lunch. Pricing is good, the decor is modern yet cozy. It's close to the metro so it should not be a drag. I'll definitely come back in a heartbeat and give their Moqueca a try.
