Just steps from the picturesque covered Saint-Martin market sits le Petit Chardon, a neo-bistro with a relatively inexpensive menu of slight twists on bistro classics.
Unfortunately, there were more misses than hits at this little restaurant, most of which had to do with the service. Our server spent most of the evening sitting at the bar staring at his phone, and every interaction with him was unpleasant, from the way he scraped and stacked our plates tableside to the sound of him hitting each one against the bin to discard any scraps. His colleague seemed lovely, but I’ll admit this left a bad taste in my mouth, and I’ll try not to punish the kitchen too harshly for it.
On the appetizer menu, charcuterie like country terrine (10) or cured sausage served with butter and cornichons (8) sit alongside more developed dishes like smoked duck breast with raspberry vinaigrette (12) or heirloom tomatoes with the ever-present burrata and pesto (13). A wasabi-infused mayonnaise adorned slightly overcooked but still tasty hard-boiled eggs in a twist on egg-mayo (8).
The tomato-strawberry gaspacho (9) was nice, with a touch of chile heat and just the right balance of sweetness.
On the mains, linguine alla vodka (16), was one of the tastier pastas I’ve tried at a French restaurant of late, topped with Parmesan and toasted nuts. The sauce was laced with ricotta, which also appeared in a quenelle alongside it. And while I might have liked this pasta to be a bit saucier, it was a nice (and the only) option for a vegetarian.
The cod filet (23) fell incredibly flat, however. The fish itself was overcooked and tasted as though it had been prepared from frozen, and the lime- and ginger-infused butter-cream sauce had split before the plate even landed on the table. To add insult to injury, the skin was soggy.
Undoubtedly the best thing we ate was the pork milanese (24), a copious, on-the-bone pork chop pounded thin and served on a bed of delicious rosemary tomato sauce.
Like the other mains like steak au poivre (19) or beef tartare (19), the fish and chop each came with a choice of mashed potatoes, fries, spinach, or green salad. The spinach still had a nice bite to it and was seasoned with just a touch of cream. The mashed potatoes were perfectly creamy and not over-the-top in their richness, and I loved that both were served in little copper pots.
Ultimately, this inexpensive restaurant is a good option if you want a classic ambiance and slight twists on French food, especially seeing as they’re open on a Monday. I just hope the service gets a bit better – and in future, I’ll steer well clear of the fish.
Le Petit Chardon – 34, rue du Château d’Eau 75010