Chéri Bibi: Where the Parisians Go

Chéri Bibi, before the crowd came in

The time has come: the end of my reviews from my trip to France. And why not end on a high note? This restaurant is certainly one of the highest. I heard about Chéri Bibi from a Parisian friend who lives in Montmartre and recommended this somewhat hidden venue for dinner. Since I happen to love Montmartre, I could not turn down the offer to check this place out. Tucked away on a quiet street not far from the Sacre-Coeur, this restaurant seemed the place to be for young, bohemian Parisians.

Scrawled on a blackboard were the day’s specials. Diners can either enjoy a two-course prix fixe (the French really do love their prix fixes!) or all three courses at a fairly reasonable price. There is also a selection of cocktails and wines that, in addition to the food, draw a huge crowd on what I  imagine is a regular basis. After some deliberation I decided to do the two-course prix fixe, choosing a leek risotto with poached egg to start and roasted lamb with potatoes as my main course. The risotto was, to put it simply, magnifique. I am not normally a fan of poached egg but the combination of the yolk and risotto was so great, as the yolk melted into the risotto and altered the taste of the dish. Overall a fantastic start.

Leek Risotto with Poached Egg

Next came the roasted lamb and potatoes, which I realize is basically the same thing I had in Nice at Chez Palmyre but I just cannot resist some lamb and potatoes. This ended up looking and tasting like a different but equally amazing dish. If I had to pick a winner, I would say that Chez Palmyre won for the lamb but Chéri Bibi won for the potatoes. Not that there is a loser in this competition of amazingness.

Roasted Lamb

Roasted Potatoes

Beyond the food, the vibe of this place is so fun; full of young locals and a few tourists who either heard about the venue from a local or did really thorough research. If I lived in Paris, this would certainly be a regular haunt of mine but I’ll just have to settle for visiting Chéri Bibi every time I make it to the City of Lights.

Rating: Love

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