L' Éventail means two things in French. First of all it means a fan, the type you hold in your hand and use to stay cool. But it can also mean something else - the range, usually price range. So, cool and price range - something to consider when considering what may be one of my new favourite places to grab a bite to eat in Paris, L' Éventail Bar-Restaurant.
It is one of my favourite things, when you stumble upon a great new place by accident. You didn't read about it online, it wasn't recommended by a friend. You were walking around a quartier you've never been to before and suddenly felt that pull to go into this new place and - BAM- new favourite. I love that.
That is exactly what happened to me last weekend. I was looking at the areas of Paris I didn't know well enough and decided to go to Oberkampf Metro and have a walk around. I had arranged to meet with a friend, but she was running a little late, so I strolled around the area looking for somewhere we could grab coffee. As it turns out, I didn't have to look far. L' Éventail is right next to the Metro exit.
When you walk in to L' Éventail, you know this is not a traditional Parisian cafe. With exposed stone walls, painted plaster, mismatched chairs, restored industrial light fittings, and a grand piano being used as a table, it feels more like the latest hipster haunt in Brooklyn, or London's Shoreditch. This is part of Paris' new wave of restaurants and bistros, who aren't afraid to look internationally for inspiration and who are determined to dust off the image of the snooty and arrogant waiter judging your choice of wine.
The staff were really friendly and relaxed, especially the bartender who kept breaking out into some seriously sweet dance moves, including twerking to Nicki Minaj's Anaconda. The music was varied, including ska, punk, disco, pop - matching the pictures of the various famous musicians on the walls, all edited to be holding, you guessed it, fans. The atmosphere was so calm and relaxed, and the clientele really varied. Some people on a date, two friends catching up, a writer redrafting his work, a family enjoying a Saturday afternoon out.
The food was great too. There were a variety of formules available, and I went for the Formule du Midi choosing 'Entrée + Plat" for 14,50€. A very reasonable deal. The menu really does offer a range of foods and a great price - I guess that's where the name comes from. My entrée was a vegetable soup including carrot and sweet potato. It was absolutely divine. It may be Spring in Paris, but it is still cold and this soup warmed me down to my toes. So creamy. So perfectly seasoned. And look at the super-crunchy mini croutons!
My plat was an Italian twist on the French classic, steak tartare. The thing about steak tartare is that you can tell if it isn't fresh because prepared raw meat left sitting around for ages is going to start tasting a bit off. This was fresh. The Italian twist came from blending pesto with the meat. The pesto was very herby. It danced on the line of overpowering the meat, but was just about safe.
It came with an adorable mini frying basket of chips, which were thickly cut, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. No 'French" fries here! The salad leaves were crispy and, you guessed it, fresh and had a light mustard dressing. In short this was a good twist on the classic, and showed the restaurant's commitment to using fresh ingredients.
At night the atmosphere changes and the place hosts bands and DJs as well as an impressive range of cocktails printed on - fans of French puns get ready - a fan! Oh you funny french people. But there's nothing funny about the prices which are far more reasonable than you will find in other bars.
I haven't been there in the evening yet, but if its as good as my experience on Saturday afternoon, I'm sure it will be a great night. A great range of food, decent prices and a cool atmosphere? I'm a total 'fan'.
See, I can make puns too!
Details
L' Éventail Bar-Restaurant
28, Boulevard Voltaire
Paris
75011
Phone: 09 80 96 55 66
email: leventailparis@yahoo.fr
It is one of my favourite things, when you stumble upon a great new place by accident. You didn't read about it online, it wasn't recommended by a friend. You were walking around a quartier you've never been to before and suddenly felt that pull to go into this new place and - BAM- new favourite. I love that.
That is exactly what happened to me last weekend. I was looking at the areas of Paris I didn't know well enough and decided to go to Oberkampf Metro and have a walk around. I had arranged to meet with a friend, but she was running a little late, so I strolled around the area looking for somewhere we could grab coffee. As it turns out, I didn't have to look far. L' Éventail is right next to the Metro exit.
When you walk in to L' Éventail, you know this is not a traditional Parisian cafe. With exposed stone walls, painted plaster, mismatched chairs, restored industrial light fittings, and a grand piano being used as a table, it feels more like the latest hipster haunt in Brooklyn, or London's Shoreditch. This is part of Paris' new wave of restaurants and bistros, who aren't afraid to look internationally for inspiration and who are determined to dust off the image of the snooty and arrogant waiter judging your choice of wine.
The staff were really friendly and relaxed, especially the bartender who kept breaking out into some seriously sweet dance moves, including twerking to Nicki Minaj's Anaconda. The music was varied, including ska, punk, disco, pop - matching the pictures of the various famous musicians on the walls, all edited to be holding, you guessed it, fans. The atmosphere was so calm and relaxed, and the clientele really varied. Some people on a date, two friends catching up, a writer redrafting his work, a family enjoying a Saturday afternoon out.
The food was great too. There were a variety of formules available, and I went for the Formule du Midi choosing 'Entrée + Plat" for 14,50€. A very reasonable deal. The menu really does offer a range of foods and a great price - I guess that's where the name comes from. My entrée was a vegetable soup including carrot and sweet potato. It was absolutely divine. It may be Spring in Paris, but it is still cold and this soup warmed me down to my toes. So creamy. So perfectly seasoned. And look at the super-crunchy mini croutons!
My plat was an Italian twist on the French classic, steak tartare. The thing about steak tartare is that you can tell if it isn't fresh because prepared raw meat left sitting around for ages is going to start tasting a bit off. This was fresh. The Italian twist came from blending pesto with the meat. The pesto was very herby. It danced on the line of overpowering the meat, but was just about safe.
It came with an adorable mini frying basket of chips, which were thickly cut, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. No 'French" fries here! The salad leaves were crispy and, you guessed it, fresh and had a light mustard dressing. In short this was a good twist on the classic, and showed the restaurant's commitment to using fresh ingredients.
At night the atmosphere changes and the place hosts bands and DJs as well as an impressive range of cocktails printed on - fans of French puns get ready - a fan! Oh you funny french people. But there's nothing funny about the prices which are far more reasonable than you will find in other bars.
I haven't been there in the evening yet, but if its as good as my experience on Saturday afternoon, I'm sure it will be a great night. A great range of food, decent prices and a cool atmosphere? I'm a total 'fan'.
See, I can make puns too!
Details
L' Éventail Bar-Restaurant
28, Boulevard Voltaire
Paris
75011
Phone: 09 80 96 55 66
email: leventailparis@yahoo.fr
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