5 /5
Reseña
★
★
★
★
★
I am not nuts about desserts. My normal order is for an extra spoon or fork so I can sample a bit of whatever my dining companions are scarfing. The chocolate tart at Les Grandes Bouches was so ridiculously good I proposed marriage, in front of my wife and daughter no less, to the woman who had cooked it.She was called Caroline. She is not only the pastry chef but also runs, with great charm, the front of the house while her husband handles the rest of the cooking. He does it so well that I have no hesitation in ranking their establishment right up there with the other stars of the Batignolles- L'Envie du Jour, Gare au Gorille, Coretta and, a tiny notch below, Comme Chez Maman. The chocolate tart was rendered immortal by two unexpected ingredients - a smear of Jerusalem artichoke foam and a crust made with much couscous, plus, more predictably, hazelnut ice cream. As the Japanese say, mita koto ga arimasen (I've never seen that before) . It finished a first rate dinner, daurade tartare, a carpaccio de boeuf, two excellent fish courses, a truly tender beef stew, rather like a ragout, and a lemony mousse confection, which I could not sample owing to being in a state of ecstasy with the chocolate tart. But my daughter, also a Caroline and our guide to the delights of the Batignolles, where she lives, was not overly impressed with the cheesecake with a mango topping.The restaurant has a nice feel to it. We ate in the alcove next to the street window, an optimal spot, but there seemed to be plenty of elbow room throughout. Good wine list. Not cheap - the carte is 43 euros for three courses-but enormously worth it.