Paris - La Fontaine de Mars

La Fontaine du Mars
129 rue Saint-Dominique
Paris 75005 France



Within a stone's throw of the Tower, we had a booking at La Fontaine du Mars, a traditional Parisian restaurant recommended for its great food and friendly atmosphere.



Situated on a small street off the Champ du Mars, we initially passed the restaurant unawares, as we had walked under its canopy in the dark, and I was distracted by a very interesting butchery across the street, displaying whole plucked chickens with head and feet on, various cuts of beer and lamb, and poultry that we failed to identify, but suspected were guinea fowls.



Ushered up the stairs to our table and seated in a small room that oozed luxury, but unfortunately a little too snug with our neighbours, we gaze lovingly into each other's eyes and contemplated champagne and foie gras. It was Valentine's day, after all.

A note about the poor photography: because of the confined space and the quiet ambiance, we didn't feel that we should take flash photography: leading to the woefully underexposed images below. Our apologies.



As well as a full menu of luxuries such as Dover sole, it was good to see several reasonably priced rustic dishes that would appeal to the regular diners. Indeed, if we lived in Paris, we would definitely attempt to become regulars.

Our waiter was highly polished and professional, talking us through the daily specials in impeccable English and appearing mysteriously when required then fading into the background afterwards.



A sizable selection of reds, whites and roses.



And more wines.



A bottle of rose champagne (the second of the day!) was the special wine of the day; serving as a dry aperitif, but also complementing our eventual dinner selections.



After ordering, we were presented with a small plate of the thinnest, most ephemeral salami that danced on the tongue before melting, leaving a thin film of delicious porkiness.



Mmmm champagne in Paris on Valentine's: it has to be done at least once.



A pot of pickled gherkins was presented, and later whisked away. Presumably this is to serve as a palate cleanser after the salami, or to be had with the pate I had selected as my entree?



Pork pate. Rustic, simple, and incredibly flavourful. The pate was rich without betraying the amount of fat that I must have been consuming.



A selection of dark, crusty breads. The crunchy, chewy bread had hints of coffee and cocoa, dark and beguiling.



A chose the escargot. It's Paris, why not? Never having been a huge fan myself - I feel that all they taste of is garlic butter - these were earthy and herbal; not at all like the plasticky snails I'd previously had. A enjoyed her selection, and judging by a table near us - who had ordered a carafe of the house wine and their entrees and mains with the briefest of glances of the menu (they were obviously regulars) - the escargot is what locals would also eat: always a good thing when dining in a new place.



Having been dissuaded by our waiter away from the pot of offal - his exact words were "if you have not had this before, then this is not the right time to try it" - I ordered the daily special of rabbit, stewed with spring vegetables. The rabbit was probably actually sauteed, as it retained its springy texture and clean flavours. The vegetables were a little softer than I would like, but the rich and fullsome sauce bound the entire dish together.



A, much to the consternation of our vegan and PETA readers, ordered the pan fried foie gras served on black lentils and bacon. Dear lord, this was good. Easily the best thing we had eaten in Paris. Served very pink, the foie gras was soft and delicate, easily melting in the mouth. This is no exaggeration: we have finally found the food that we will live on once our teeth have long departed.



We ordered a glass of Sauternes, as this is the traditional thing to do. Neither of us had tried liver with sweet wine before, and neither of us knew what to expect.



With the flavour of the Sauternes lingering, the savoury taste of the fatty liver was somehow accentuated, rather than overwhelmed. The crisp glazed surface gave way in every bite to the texture of chocolate mousse. The flavours were intense and complex, blending a rich savoury meaty taste with the sweet glaze and soft mellow Sauternes. Even the lentils, which we had thought to be out of place, added an interesting texture contrast.



After plates were cleared, and then the plates cleared, our helpful waiter came to offer dessert: the usual menagerie of floating islands, rum baba et al. The daily special, however, caught our attention: a large macaron filled with cream and fresh raspberries served with pistachio cream and raspberry coulis.

This actually created some confusion at the table behind us, where the waiter had described the dessert as: "the special is a macaron, fresh cream and raspberries, pistachio cream and raspberry coulis". The confusion lies in the lack of connectives - and, or - and the table (who were not native English speakers) mistook this to mean that the macaron and the raspberries and cream, were separate options thus trying to order the raspberries and cream as a dessert. Not a mistake a native speaker would make, but understandable nevertheless. So why would a native speaker not make the same mistake?



The damage: €152 for a two. We did have a half bottle of champagne, an extra glass of a very nice Sauternes, and possibly the most expensive dish that they served: the foie gras. Much of their menu is very reasonably priced, and we look forward to returning and sampling more of it!