Picturesque Montmartre is one of my favorite places to bring visitors to Paris, but while there are loads of delicious pastry shops to discover, restaurant-wise, great options are a bit thin on the ground. But among the tourist traps, Bobby is a bright light shining on the Lamarck side of the butte boasting a menu of house-made pasta and pizza sure to transport you to Italy. (You know, if that’s what you’re into.)
On a recent visit, we took full advantage of the nod to the omnipresence of Italian vino della casa with very reasonably priced glasses of house white and red at five euros a pop, each of which is made specially for Bobby at by a winemaker in Piedmont. The rest of the wine list is dotted with both conventional and natural options, including a few bottles from Valentina Passalacqua. (Sadly they were out of her orange, which they typically pour by the glass.)
We started with a super intriguing spring salad (11) with mâche, nutty asparagus tips, grapefruit, taleggio, and tahini dressing. I never would have paired these ingredients with one another, but somehow, it worked, the bitterness of the tahini and the grapefruit dancing with one another and counterbalanced with the rich luxuriousness of the cheese and the almost silky quality of the spring lettuce. The fruit lent the salad its acidity and the cheese its salt – if you didn’t unite all of the elements for each bite, you’d notice the lack. But this is a salad I’m definitely recreating at home.
The bread service was grainy and suspect for my buckwheat allergy, but the quick-thinking staff offered a basket of hot-out-of-the-oven pizza crust sprinkled with a touch of cheese and herbs, which was probably even more delicious than the bread would have been.
For mains, we split the house-made bucatini with Sicilian sundried tomato pesto, basil, almonds, ricotta, and lemon. It needed a tiny bit of salt and pepper, but once they were added, it was absolutely delicious, moreish and richly flavored without being heavy.
The pizza, however, was even more enticing. We opted for the simple margherita with smoked scamorza (11), and the generously topped pie was pretty much perfect. The richly flavored crust supported a thin but powerful layer of tomato sauce and a generous topping of scamorza. A few basil leaves and a touch of black pepper were the ideal finishing touches, though there was also a selection of dips on the menu, a fun nod at pizza chain offerings, though these ones were way more interesting: crushed roasted garlic, sundried tomato cream, or smoked ricotta.
We could have easily stopped there were it not for the presence of tiramisu (9) generously spiked with amaretto. Soft and homey, it was the ideal conclusion.
From the delicious food to the reasonable prices to the welcoming staff, I cannot recommend this spot more highly, especially for vegetarians or those who need a night off from French food. Plus it’s open both Sundays and Mondays!
Bobby – 29, rue Lambert, 75018