Paris’ obsession with la street food had hit a fever pitch by the time I wrote an article on the trend for Saveur. While opinions proved varied, one thing nearly every expert I interviewed agreed on is that if street food historically doesn’t exist in France, it’s in large part because we have our own traditional working class cuisine – and one Parisians have long enjoyed sitting down.
Bouillons rose to popularity in the mid-19th century thanks to the founding, in 1854, of the very first by butcher Adolphe-Baptiste Duval. His establishment featured a cheap, simple offering of meat and broth, designed to be a fortifier for the forts des Halles – the “strong men” working at the local Halles market. Other bouillons followed, with décor influenced by the Art Nouveau trend. While menus became more varied, the restaurants remained known for their low prices and quick, no-nonsense, all-day service.
I’ve tried many bouillons in Paris, from the gorgeous, historic Bouillon Julien to the relative newcomer Bouillon Pigalle. My most recent foray into the category was Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond, a mainstay of the neighborhood around Les Halles since 1832 specializing in food from Normandy. And despite my worries that it might be a tourist trap, it proved fairly enjoyable… provided you’ve done a bit of research ahead of time.
Like its sisters, Le Petit Pharamond is open all day long from noon to midnight, and in keeping with tradition, it takes no reservations. Given the slightly smaller dining room and trademark low, low prices, it’s unsurprising that the lines here can get pretty unwieldy, especially around traditional lunch (noon to two) or dinner times (six to nine). We arrived at 6:20 and were quickly told to expect around a 30 minute wait, so be sure to plan ahead lest you end up hangry. Luckily, the pros at Pharamond seem to have come up with a system: invite prospective diners to grab an apéritif at the Irish bar next door until their table is ready in one of the gorgeous dining rooms.
We opted to hold our spot in the queue, affording us ample time to take in the beautiful exposed beams of the exterior and the painting of the Petite Normande who lent the restaurant its original name. Soon thereafter, we were ushered inside to our table.
Service here moves super quick, so I’d recommend perusing the offerings online in advance. While I’ve only eaten here once so far, my gut tells me that the more classic you go, the better off you’ll be: I saw tasty-looking portions of rabbit terrine (3.90) and bone marrow (6.90) on neighboring tables, and the roasted Camembert with honey (6.90) almost made its way to ours.
Instead, we ultimately settled on two delicious starters. First, a generous portion of sea trout gravlax (5.90) was served with a lovely red onion pickle and a puddle of herbed sour cream. Rich and flavorful without being overly salty, it was a lovely yet simple first course.
At 10.50, the house-made foie gras was one of the most expensive things on the menu, and yet it was worth the price tag. While far from the prettiest foie I’ve ever had, it was luxurious and full-flavored, spiked with Norman Calvados, an apple brandy that was echoed in the stewed apple compote served alongside it. The accompanying bread was unfortunately stale, as was much of the bread in the bread basket, one major misstep during our meal.
The other was one of two vegetarian entrées on offer, a pasta dish I’ve seen replicated countless times on Parisian menus of late: coquillettes with cheese, truffle cream, and scallion (8.50). This dish fell into the unfortunate French category of food for the toothless, a soft-on-soft textureless mass. The only nice thing I can say about it is that it was indeed truffly and cheesy.
I fared far better with tripes à la mode de Caen (11.90), which is to say stewed until they become a heady, gelatinous stew. I didn’t think I liked tripe, and I hemmed and hawed for a long time before finally giving in and ordering this dish, seeing as it’s the house specialty and has been since 1832. It’s no wonder. The long-cooked tripe could be eaten with a spoon, which I did happily, savoring every deeply savory mouthful. (If tripe isn’t your thing, I was also considering ordering the equally traditional chicken breast with vallée d’Auge cream sauce (10.90), which looked delightful.)
Sides are not included, but this house-made mashed potato (3.50) is a must to soak up all that tasty sauce, especially given the aforementioned bread woes.
A generous portion of frisée with zingy vinaigrette (3.50) was also a lovely more vegetal addition to the meal and one that I’d highly recommend.
When it comes to dessert, I have no notes. Rich chocolate mousse (3.90) came in a small glass topped with a lovely hazelnut crumble for a touch of crunch.
The portion – about the size of a French drinking glass – was just right given how luxurious and chocolatey it was.
So fluffy.
Tarte Tatin (4.90) had a slightly atypical texture, made with apple compote rather than whole apples, but the bright zing of the fruit was perfectly balanced by the sweetness offered by a judicious hand with sugar, and the quenelle of rich thickened cream drizzled with caramel was pure bliss.
I’d wanted a glass of Pommeau as Norman apéritif, but they were all out. Instead, I finished with some Calvados and savored not just the appley flavor but the fact that, despite the initial flurry of attention from servers who seemed hell-bent on getting our order in in five minutes or less, the dining experience felt leisurely, and at no point did I feel rushed. In fact, I even had time to wander upstairs to peer into the pocket dining rooms on the top floor, which can be rented out for private events – a peek I’d recommend any visitors to sneak on their visit.
Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond is far from the best French restaurant I’ve tried in Paris, but it can certainly hold its own as compared to other bouillons, and given the central location and criminally reasonable prices, it’s the perfect place, in my opinion, to head with out-of-town guests looking to keep spending down, especially if you’re dining out of regular mealtime hours.
Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond – 24, rue de la Grande Truanderie, 75001