Small plates restaurants like Frenchie Bar à Vins, Au Passage, and Marie Celeste have taken over the Paris dining scene. I love this way of eating, because it means that I get to try as many things on the menu as possible. However, with popularity comes long lines, which I absolutely hate.
Martin Boire et Manger is one address I love where the lines tend to be doable – and the food is particularly incredible.
Martin Boire et Manger was opened by Peter Orr, one of the founding members of the team behind Au Passage. With an ever-changing market-driven menu, a good wine list (with punny descriptions of the wines that are a real treat if you’re 1. Francophone and 2. A bit of a nerd), and a record-breaking selection of gin-and-tonics (gins-and-tonic?), Martin has become one of my favorite places for a casual (but usually mind-blowing) dining experience.
Because the menu changes constantly, it’s tough to make recommendations, but the mussels up above were sublime: served with ramps and homemade breadcrumbs, they were savory, fresh, and well-balanced.
The same goes for the pork belly, which was served with an endive and pickled apple salad. The tangy and bitter notes in the salad were the perfect foil for the fatty pork.
Salsify is not a common vegetable to find in the States, but in France, we eat it fairly often. Also known as oyster plant, salsify has a slightly briny flavor and the texture of asparagus. In this dish, it was coated in a light beer batter and fried, then served with a caper mayonnaise.
This mullet was a suggestion from our waiter, who said that the fish was ultra-fresh and a must-try. It was simply prepared with butter and sea salt and served with a frisée, dill, and olive salad. It was a great example of my sister’s general rule to always ask the waiter what they think about the menu.
We opted not to end the meal with dessert, instead choosing this fresh goat cheese with olive oil, salt, and a mind-blowing wine-must-infused mustard that was so good, we went out and bought some for use at home. Seriously, this was the perfect ending to the meal.
I can’t recommend this little restaurant enough, but if you’re not yet convinced, there is one more thing you should know: the prices for each dish range from about five to ten euro, with a handful of more expensive dishes (like a 14 euro cheese plate or a 23 euro pork rib the night we visited). There is perhaps nowhere else in Paris where you’ll get quality like this for such a low price point.
Martin Boire et Manger – 24, boulevard du Temple, 75011