PARIS — Upon a friend’s recommendation for good food in a casual setting, we paid a visit to Chez l’Ami Jean, a bistro serving Basque cuisine by chef Stephane Jego. It is a cozy and unassuming spot on Rue Malar, with a small number of tables and a tiny kitchen inside. We were immediately surprised by the confusing menu, which not only lacked an English version, but also contained exclamation marks everywhere (there was even a blank page with only exclamation marks). After the waiter rather impatiently translated the menu for us, we decided to start with a bone marrow dish and some parmesan soup.
Bone marrow cooked with tomatoes, peppers, and peas
The tomatoes and peppers were tangy and flavourful, but even then, they could not balance the heavy and fatty blobs of bone marrow. The bone marrow was way too fatty for me to enjoy.
Parmesan soup garnishes
Parmesan soup
I didn’t get to try the parmesan soup, but it looked quite delicious and was poured into a bowl of garnishes.
My marked plate
For my main course, an empty plate marked with a tasteless black substance was placed in front of me. I still have not figured out what this mark was for.
Lobster with herbs
Then, the lobster with herbs arrived. It smelled amazing.
The waiter served me and my sister, placing the lobster on the black marks on the plate (but surely the chef didn’t mark the centre of the plate to tell the waiter to put the food there?!).
The lobster was incredible. The meat was juicy and tasted of an amazing combination of herbs and salty broth that had a hint of seawater flavour. It was so good.
Mashed potatoes
The lobster came with a side of the creamiest, buttery mashed potatoes, which were almost liquid and very delicious.
Fish with paper-thin bacon
My mom ordered a fish (I’ve forgotten what kind) that came with strips of bacon that were as thin as paper. She said it was really well-made.
Their famous gigantic bowl of rice pudding with meringues, chopped fruit and nuts, and salted caramel cream
For dessert, we ordered their famous rice pudding, which came in an enormous bowl with a giant wooden spoon, a tin of meringues, chopped fruit and nuts, and a very salty caramel cream. They claim that this rice pudding is the best in the world; it was very good, but I wouldn’t say it’s the best. My friend Norris actually made better rice pudding once, with fat juicy raisins and sticks of cinnamon. Anyway, back to this particular rice pudding, I really enjoyed the crunchy chopped nuts and dried fruit accompaniment, and found the salty caramel cream interesting. The meringues were, unfortunately, way too sweet.
In all, with the exception of the bone marrow, it was an excellent meal, and I really enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere. I would definitely go back the next time I’m in Paris.
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Chez l’Ami Jean / 27,rue Malar, 75007 Paris, France / 01 47 05 86 89
Tags: Chez l'Ami Jean, lobster, Paris, Stephane Jego, world's best rice pudding
(but surely the chef didn’t mark the centre of the plate to tell the waiter to put the food there?!).
HAhaha i enjoyed this part
wait, the menu was in french or basque? yeah the bone marrow looks intense.
the menu was in french, but it was complicated!