Mon Vieil Ami

Last night for dinner in Paris, we ate at another restaurant on L’Isle Saint Louis.  There is something about being able to walk to the restaurant down the block that screams Paris to me.  Mon Vieil Ami is new since we were here last and I hope it lasts.  It is intimate with community table style seating, not normally my favourite thing but with all the different languages flowing around the table I didn’t feel the lack of privacy.  The focus is here is all about the vegetables. Each dish is identified by the predominant vegetable and they even have a vegetarian tasting menu.  Heaven for me.  I had a chestnut soup with roasted chestnuts and chestnut chips, the soup was poured over top at table.  Delicious, rich and aromatic.  My main course was a mushroom fricassee with a soft poached egg, spinach and a creamy mushroom emulsion.  Great with rustic bread to clean the bowl.  I could only handle a bite of the apple tart but it was perfect; beautiful and delicious.  My mother in law makes the best apple pie in the world and she would have approved of this tart.  A glass of champagne to start and a bottle of white burgundy and I was strolling down the avenue with a happy smile to end the evening. 

David says his dinner was superb.  He had mixed greens with mackerel and radish with a crispy bread base.  Main course was scallops with bitter greens.  The scallop was perfect but I didn’t love the greens.  David on the other hand was happy.  He finished with a kind of pear crumble.  Also excellent. 

If you are in Paris near L’Isle Saint Louis and want to try something interesting I would recommend Mon Vieil Ami by Antoine Westerman.