It’s rare that I come across the sort of café I once assumed I’d find on every street corner in Paris, with down-home comfort food served by a married couple exuding equal parts chic, charm, and scorn. But that’s exactly what’s on offer at Bar Fleuri, an understated café in Belleville that’s become known for its cheap-as-chips roast chicken and fries, at just 6.86 per portion.
Yes, you read that right.
The café itself is bustling come lunchtime, which is no surprise. We took a seat to peruse the short menu posted hither and thither on the wall beneath racks of paper tablecloths printed with red gingham. Prices were reasonable, from the terrine de campagne (5.95) to the crab-avocado salad (9.50) to the andouillette with mustard sauce and potatoes (20.95). There was also a dish of the day – lasagna (13.50) – which looked both delicious and copious when delivered to other tables. But the outlier, a the aforementioned roast chicken, was impossible to resist.
The chicken’s price dates back several decades, to when the previous owners were selling it for 45 francs. When current owners Joëlle and Martial Moro took over 20 years ago, they maintained the price – and the quality. The farm-raised chicken comes from Normandy and is served with a generous pile of house-made, golden frites.
We began, nevertheless, with some starters. Our server, who seemed to also be the proprietor, joked with us that the oeuf dur – hard (-boiled) eggs – were indeed hard. It turns out he wasn’t joking.
These eggs unfortunately bore the grey ring that shows they’ve been boiled too long, and the dressing had a slight sweetness to it I didn’t love. The accompanying tomatoes were exactly of the ilk as you’d expect in February. The mayo was good though, especially when mopped up with the ordinary baguette I never buy but, as I admitted to my friend, have a bit of a soft spot for in all of its pillowy, cottony consistency.
The herring with potatoes (6.95) was more successful, in my opinion, with a perfectly marinated herring fillet settled over four quarters of sweet boiled potatoes. The onion and carrot were raw, and while I loved the former, I would have preferred the latter be steamed, or at least marinated a bit. As it was, its crunchiness seemed to distract from the tenderness of the fish and potato. All in all, however, this was a good bistro dish.
The appetizers nevertheless paled in comparison to the beauty of the roast chicken that followed.
You don’t get a choice of which piece you want, but I was happy with a nearly fork-tender breast accompanied by a rich, fatty wing and its crispy, golden skin. And the generous lashing of jus was delightful for dragging one’s fries through.
Unfortunately for me, I’d also already noticed the lemon meringue pie in the window, and in trying to save some room for dessert, I created a problem. When I’d eaten my fill of fries, I left the rest behind, only for Martial to scold me, informing me I wouldn’t be allowed to leave them behind. Honesly, I kind of love being scolded in old-school places like this – as I was at Au Moulin à Vent – and my friend managed some coaxing with her silver tongue to get me out of cleaning my plate.
I’m forever grateful to her, given the delicious pie (7) I did manage to save room for. A thick, buttery pastry was topped with a layer of almond sponge. The lemon filling was sweeter than most but still maintained some zing, and the marshmallowy Italian meringue was so decadent and delicious I kept on eating forkfuls of it long after I was done. (Luckily, Martial took pity on me and offered me a takeaway box for the rest.)
The chocolate cake (6), by comparison, was fine – it tasted like a home-baked cake. But that’s part of the charm of this place: the homey quality, the rusticity, the old-school approach.
I wouldn’t recommend Bar Fleuri to just anyone. It’s noisy and a bit brash; lunch here is anything but leisurely. But for someone looking for a tasty plate of food at a pittance – or someone who likes the kind of vibe where the server nearly knocks you out reaching for a paper tablecloth and barely apologizes – please, do come for the chicken, and stay for the pie and the vibes.
Bar Fleuri – 1, rue du Plateau, 75019