I had read mixed reviews of La Rôtisserie d’Argent. Some spared no praise for the rotisserie linked to Michelin-starred La Tour d’Argent just across the way; others claimed the star of the menu – the roast chicken – was dry and flavorless. I love both the restaurant and the bakery they own, home to some of my favorite chaussons aux pommes and palmiers in Paris, so I decided I had to make up my own mind about whether the rôtisserie was worth a stop.
This restaurant has a lot going for it, and not just thanks to its links to the storied Tour d’Argent. It’s located on a corner in the 5th with a view of the river, and in summer, they set out tables almost on the Pont des Tournelles bridge, with views of the back of Notre-Dame. On our rainy visit, we sat instead in the dining room, which is homey and lovely, with its glass-paned front wall allowing the scant light of a grey autumn evening to illuminate the dark wood tables set with gingham napkins. The service here is warm, friendly, and anglophone; it’s worth mentioning that almost every client here was an English-speaker, and the servers were more than up to the task.
The menu is fairly short, with a handful of classic appetizers like escargots (15), duck terrine (13), and a Lyonnais wink in the form of pike quenelles (22). I’ll admit I don’t typically go for salad starters in restaurants, but seeing as this meal came as part of a marathon of dining out, we opted to share a mixed salad with seasonal heirloom tomatoes (11). I was pleasantly surprised by this dish, with top-quality tomatoes crowned with a ribbon of crisp cucumber and scattered with loads of fresh herbs.
The other appetizer, 2022’s World Champion egg-mayo (12), more than deserved the accolades. The jammy yolks of these perfectly-cooked eggs were topped with a veritable mountain of homemade mayonnaise and pickled mustard seeds. A base of potato salad was perfectly serviceable and helped justify the slightly eye-watering price tag.
But from here, things soured. Granted, we might not have given the restaurant the chance to put its best foot forward when we ordered a Caesar salad (26), but this combo of pre-fried chicken strips, ho-hum dressing, and uninteresting greens was no better than a version of the same you’d find at any corner café. In fact, I know many doing it better – and for far less.
We could have, instead, opted for duck confit (34), steak tartare (26), or spiced duck sausage (28), which feature as entrées alongside the true stars of the menu: anything cooked à la broche (on a spit). The rôtisserie section features a dry-aged beef rib steak for two (149) as well as a whole Challandais duck (98), also for two, which proved to be the most popular order among the other guests on the rainy night of my visit.
But I had my eye on the Label Rouge chicken with roasted garlic and mashed potatoes (32). And honestly… I was underwhelmed. The chicken itself was cooked nicely, though the skin could have been crispier and the whole dish was wanting for salt. While I’m usually a dark meat girl, there was something gamey about the thigh that had me, in this case, preferring the breast. I will concede that these mashed potatoes are delicious, and the gravy is excellent. But good gravy does not a good chicken make, and I also feel that if you’re mentioning roasted garlic as part of a dish on the menu, you should get more than one clove.
I wanted so badly to like this restaurant. Its location and menu of French bistro classics, not to mention the fact that it’s open seven days a week, would have made it the perfect gem, particularly for visitors. But ultimately, it was underwhelming; in future, I’ll be sticking to the bakery next door to get my d’Argent fix.
La Rôtisserie d’Argent – 19, Quai De La Tournelle, 75005