Bistro des Poèmes — Restaurant in Paris

I had a fantastic time at this establishment! ✨

What strikes you when you walk in are a few things:

The warmth and politeness of the hostesses! 😍 I was welcomed by Marion! I came without a reservation: upstairs was packed, so naturally I didn't mind sitting downstairs. After a while Marion came back to get me: she was so thoughtful that she arranged for a table upstairs facing the piano player. King treatment! 👑 The music too: you are serenaded by an amazing live piano player, at least on the evening I visited 🎹 The light and how it interacts with interior: they are a combination of soft moon-like feeling lights and candles. You'd think the place would feel dark, but no, it feels very bright. The dark marble shiny tables definitely help! ✨

Overall, the place has an unassuming elegance to it, a confidence that does not scream at you. In fact most of the people dining were dressed casually.

I had the foie gras maison: so buttery, not too strong smell-wise but strong enough, with black pepper, salt and red pepper flakes: this is one of the best I've had anywhere. 🤤

I'm a sucker for cauliflower, so I followed things up with the velouté de chou-fleur, a foamy and velvety soup with a hint of bechamel (truffle or nutmeg?)... croutons, cheese and chives. 🍲

For the coup de grâce, I had the aile de raie (Skate wing) with capers, croutons and parsley. Wow! The fish is sprinkled with rock salt and tastes so buttery... 🐟

Dig this. It's not called Bistro des Poèmes for no reason. At the end, they asked me if I wanted to write a poem that could be picked for display. I obliged. 📝

The service here is on another scale: in addition to how I was welcomed, Julia who took my order was so patient as I spent (my apologies Julia) ages making up my mind 🙄, which is so unlike me (tells you how great the menu looks). Also, I overheard Marion addressing the table next to me, one of the guests of which did not really enjoy their plate: both were so thoughtful and she addressed it by letting the chef know (she came back to tell them) and offered redress.

Overall, this place is run by very thoughtful young ladies—shout out to Marion, Maylisse, Bambou and Julia—who are griinnddiingg, grinding: come...

It wasn’t the evening we were hoping for. Something went wrong from the very beginning. As soon as we arrived, we were seated downstairs, where there was no air conditioning, the heat was unbearable, and a few fans weren’t enough to make the dinner enjoyable. Finishing the meal was truly difficult because of the stifling atmosphere. As for the food, nothing to complain about, excellent, and really the only reason we decided to stay and finish the dinner. The real disappointment, however, was the appetizer. We had chosen the onion soup, but the waitress, and I should point out it was only 8:00 p.m, told us it was no longer available because a large group had ordered all of them. We accepted the explanation, though with some disappointment. The problem arose shortly after, once we left, during a walk nearby, we passed by the restaurant again and saw at least ten onion soups on the pass, ready to be served. We felt deceived. On top of that, the service was not up to the standard of the kitchen, the staff, very young and somewhat inexperienced. In conclusion: the food is truly excellent, but the service and organization spoil the...

Like others before me, I really don't understand the 4.8 overall rating. The food is bland, tasteless and based on experience is very clearly microwaved.

The starters were poor. As others have noted before, the foie gras was tasteless. My wife's French Onion soup was cold, despite the bowl being hot (a classic sign of something being heated in a microwave). It was sent back and a new one produced. Although now hot, it was badly lacking in flavour.

The main courses were no better. I had the skate wing, my wife had the beef cheek. Both arrived barely warm and also had to be sent back. A couple of minutes later, they were re-served after being put in the microwave for a second time. Whilst my skate wing was now passably hot, the beef cheek was still barely warm and the gravy/sauce, was still luke-warm, cloudy and truly unappetising.

At this stage we gave up and left the restaurant and thankfully they had the good grace not to charge us. However, as we were leaving, we could see food being put in the microwave in the open kitchen.

It was, without doubt, the worst meal we have ever had in Paris, and we have lived in Paris...