where jess ate

We ended off our Paris trip with dinner at Chez Dumonet.  Located in the 6^th arrondissement, this restaurant serves up French bistro classics. While the food isn’t cheap, it’s definitely worth every penny.

The restaurant is open Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner and like most other restaurants in France, Chez Dumonet is closed on weekends. If you’re thinking of dropping by, reservations are a must – our server told us they were fully booked for the next 2 weeks.

Upon entering the restaurant for our 7pm reservation (early by Paris standards), we were seated at the very back of the restaurant by the kitchen and washroom. I had read reviews that they put all the English speakers back here so we weren’t surprised. Service wasn’t exactly the greatest either but if their food was as amazing as everyone says it is, then I didn’t mind putting up with a bit of poor service.

After being seated, we were brought a glass of complimentary house white wine. Obviously it wasn’t the greatest wine but it was a nice touch.

Soon after that, we were brought an amuse bouche which consisted of a small shooter of mushroom soup. It was tasty but it would’ve been more enjoyable had it been served hot and not lukewarm.

On the menu, you’ll find French bistro classics including steak tartare, mille-feuille de pigeon and cassoulet. They’re also known for their very large portions so if you’re not a big eater, some of the dishes are offered in half portions.

I started off with the half order of Foie Gras de Canard Frais Maison (18€ half/24€ full). It came with one thick slab which was more than enough. It was smooth and buttery in texture and when spread on some of the crusty bread they had given us, I couldn’t think of a better way to start off the meal.

Mike started off with a half order of the Terrine de Campagne Maison (8€ half/12€ full). A little chunky and flavoured to perfection, this was another hit. I’ve mentioned in previous France posts that we enjoyed all the terrines we ate in France and Chez Dumonet was no exception.

For my main, I ordered their famous Boeuf Bourguignon aux Tagliatelles (20€ half/29€ full). Since it was our last meal in Paris and Chez Dumonet’s beef bourguignon is supposed to be one of the best in the city, I got the full order.

It came in a pot consisting of a thick red wine sauce and a large piece of beef. The meat was so tender that a knife wasn’t required to cut through it. And the sauce, oh gosh, the sauce! The flavour was just incredible. I couldn’t help but douse my tagliatelle with heaping spoonfuls of it.

I thought tagliatelle was an odd choice but it got the job done! The beef bourguignon was so good, I actually finished the full-sized portion. I suppose my stomach had expanded quite a bit after eating my way through Paris…

If there are two things that Chez Dumonet is famous for, it’s definitely their beef bourguignon and the Confit de Canard Maison (24€) which Mike ordered. This dish only comes in one size.

This was, hands down, the best duck confit we’ve ever eaten. The skin was so crisp it was almost like crackling and the meat was wonderfully moist, tender, fatty and not overly salty. Even the side of duck-fat fried potatoes it came with were excellent.

For dessert we ordered the Mille-Feuille Jean-Louis (14€). It takes a while to prepare so it had to be ordered at the beginning of the meal. When it was time for dessert, we were each given a plate with a large mille-feuille on it. I quickly waved down our server because I thought he accidentally ordered 2 for us. Turns out, this dessert is meant to feed 2 people and they had already divided it into 2 portions for us.

Thank goodness since this dessert comes with a steep 14€ price tag (almost $20 Canadian). After having the mille-feuille at Jacques Genin, the bar for mille-feuilles had been set pretty high. The one here was quite good – flakey layers with a not-too-sweet cream filling. While it was a great way to end off the last meal of our trip, Jacques Genin’s mille-feuille has yet to be beat.

Needless to say, the food at Chez Dumonet lived up to all the hype. Sure, the service isn’t the greatest but I’d put up with some pretty bad service to eat the phenomenal duck confit and beef bourguignon again. This restaurant is not to be missed!

At a glance:
• Classic French bistro fare
• Reservations are a must – our server told us they were fully booked for the next 2 weeks
• Open Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner; closed on weekends
• They seat the English speakers at the back of the restaurant; service wasn’t great
• Food was amazing – the duck confit and beef bourguignon are must-orders

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 4.5 stars
• Service: 1 star
• Atmosphere: 2 stars