Au Soleil De La Butte, Paris - An unassuming restaurant serving great french food

Does anything say France more than a basket of bread and a plate full of various cheeses? We had been walking around Paris for most of the day and found ourselves up around the Montmarte area in the early evening. It must have been at least 2 or 3 hours since our last meal, so there was space to try some more delights that Paris had to offer....bring on the cheese!

With no dinner reservations booked we had the daunting challenge of finding somewhere to eat. This is only because there is simply so much choice in Paris - sometimes too much choice can be a scary thing! After wandering around the fringe of Montmarte for a while we stumbled across a cute little cafe that looked intriguing and inviting.

We were instantly greeted (at first in French and then quickly with English) by a young and enthusiastic waiter who, contrary to everything we had heard about Paris, seemed excited to have foreigners in the cafe and was eager to serve us. Despite committing a definite faux par of starting with cheese, we gladly sipped away on a not terrible glass of red wine while chowing down some pretty great cheeses. I love that no matter where you go in Paris, cheap and cheerful or refined and expensive, the cheese is always great!

We then opted for the combined menu option that so many cafes and restaurants offer in Paris - a entree, main and desert for 25 Euro - which we shared due to pigging out on cheese to begin with. The entree was deceptively simple looking - it presented as a layered wafer and prosciutto tower with some salad on the side. It wasn't until we cracked into the 'wafer' that we realised it was a toasted cheesey/Parmesan creation that offset the richness of the prosciutto so well. Interesting and delicious!

For main we ordered the veal knuckle that was served with a rich lemony gravy and the richest, creamiest baked potato I have ever eaten. I dread to think about the amount of cream that was in those potatoes, by my oh my, they were heaven! The veal was soft and fell away from the bone and was certainly big enough for the two of us to share.

But wait...there is more. For desert we ordered the Chocolate Charlotte - a French classic we were told. It came out looking quite simple not what we would expect from a "fine dining" menu. I expected a short crust pasty taste, filled in by some light chocolate mouse with a bit of custard on the side - perfectly pleasant, but nothing to write home about. I was wrong! What appeared to be chocolate mouse, was instead the most divine, rich (but not overpoweringly so), dense chocolate cream and was wrapped up in a light fluffy pastry. It was incredible. Despite the gigantic portion we were brought, every morsel was devoured with appreciation and groans of enthusiasm. Did i mention it was incredible? We tasted the same thing a couple of days later at another restaurant and it was probably only at that point that we realised just how special this recipe was. We were sent into a sugar high, but it was well worth it!

RECOMMENDED

So all up, I would recommend this place. I wouldn't suggest that you seek it out at all costs and that it will change your perception of French cuisine. However, each dish was interesting and tasty in its own right and we enjoyed it for everything that it was and for the over-the-top, pretentious cuisine that it wasn't trying to be. The staff were wonderfully friendly and it offered great people watching since it is also a popular student spot. I am sure there are many places that fit this description in Paris - but this is where we found ourselves one night, and we were happy we did.


The bill (for 2):
1 x cheese plate - 8 Euro
1 x entree/main/desert deal - 25 Euro
TOTAL: 33 Euro (Approx. US$43)

Restaurant address: 32 Rue Muller, Paris

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