36. Paris - Cafe le pas sage

We found a little cafe just up the road, with a clever name and a good reputation.  It is located at 1 passage du Grand Cerf, and is called "cafe le pas sage" (the wise step).  Clever!

So we set off up rue St Denis just before 8.00pm on a Saturday night.

We passed my hipster hairdresser.  

And joined two other early diners at 'le pas sage' where the gentleman behind the bar spent a year working in Melbourne, at Southbank. There are about 40 seats that we can see, but possibly more downstairs.

There are daytime tables in the passage as well as tables at the front.  It is now 8.30 and the staff are turning people away, saying they are fully booked. But there are only four people here.

The amuse bouche tasted great and presented better than the photograph shows.  It was a fennel flavoured panna cotta with creamy fresh tomato. Very rich for a starter.

My entree was sea snails with garlic aioli and fresh raw vegetables. A bit short on sea snails but the vegetables were lovely.

Paul's entree was prawns in a creamy foam made with seafood stock with pickled cucumber and a little samphire. He enjoyed it.

This second entree was the stand out dish of the evening.  Beef tartare and fresh herbs dressed with lobster oil and topped with a little too much shredded fois gras and a pine nut or two.  Very rich and very delicious.

The fish dish was crispy skinned turbot with white asparagus, sweetly tart little cumquats, nasturtium leaves and a light mousse for dipping.

The separate constituents of the main dish tasted fine, but the combination didn't quite come together.  A beautifully cooked rolled loin of lamb with a hint of bacon and rosemary.  This was topped with a crisp fried pea-pod together its fresh peas. Then there was a generous swirl of very smooth pea puree.  Instead of potato there was a deep fried triangle of crumbed cheese - strange. 

It was now 9.40pm and we had some fellow diners.

Dessert was a deconstructed strawberry flan which Paul liked but I thought was awful - too sweet, too much pastry and it looked a mess.

But they had good coffee which was enhanced by a reasonable port, but it would have been lovely to have had some elderberry wine.

By the time we left at 10.50 pm the diners outside were awaiting their first course. We are late diners compared to everyone we know, but dinner at 11.00 pm is much too late, even for me.

We walked home past the Boutique Love Hotel.  It boasts four floors of love including toys and games, poppers, pills and bachelorette love.  Open 24/7.  So, there you go!