Cavale — Restaurant in Paris

One million dreams could never recreate the sensations that broke through my stomach like a dam setting free.

I turned my faith upwards. Not like all the way high. Think like 4-5 steps below the Big man upstairs. We turn our attention to the real protagonist.. Alex. Dark let loose haired man just over 20. The real catch here was the cheek to cheek smile he greeted me with. I knew I was in safe hands.

Alex guided me to the maple duck. It had already caught my eye. Smooth. Fat. Sweet. Quack. All adjectives I was looking for at that dear evening June 14th 2025. Father’s Day. So far away from me at this moment but ringing true in my heart. Moments like these make his old company pulse with a little more sadness.

The duck arrived with such alacrity I assumed it would walk right off my plate. But No. Ordered rare just enough to not budge. The presentation reminded me of the hanging garden of Babylon. Rich with stark greens. The dark maple syrup neatly poured as lakes dot a lush city. The nuts and seeds, sprinkled so lightly they rested their heads on the pillow of leaves. The duck. Oh dear that duck. An even crisp on the outside, soft as a mother’s kiss on the inside. Together more than a meal was formed. A story was born.

Dessert time does come faster than expected. But doesn’t everything? Once again Alex fiercely commanded the space and layer before me the Comme une Tarte au fraise. What that means I do not know. But what it holds I know hold as well. A pentagon of power. Strawberries, light vanilla cream, crumble, raspberry sorbet.. and lastly. An ingredient so surprising I audibly held my breathe when I first layed eyes on it.. basil olive oil. A rare sight I took a moment to asses the situation I had found myself in.. I remembered my past and agreed to take the leap of faith once more and let the perfectly combined bite fall into my mouth. Need I say more my dear friends? Need I? I do not. We all know how this story ends.

With pain...

We went two times. Once around noon for a cocktail and a drink, and then also in the evening for dinner.

On our first visit, the lady serving us was lovely. Cocktails were nice, so was the coffee. Absolutely no complaints.

During our evening visit, things were a bit different. Some servers didn't even bother looking at us while giving us our orders, and I got a pretty unwelcoming vibe from some of them.

And yes, we said bonjour when we entered. And yes, we spoke French. I have no doubt they knew we weren't Parisians and I know about the famous Parisian waiter stereotype and usually don't mind it (I don't expect USA-style over the top waiters as I'm from Europe myself) but this was a bit much.

The food, then was okay, but pretty bland. I had a veggie lasagna that certainly wasn't unpleasant to eat, but lacked seasoning (for me personally) and also had a cocktail maison that I really liked. Not bad, but not as good as I expected based on the reviews.

Three stars thanks to the woman who served us at noon, otherwise I...

Excellent service and atmosphere. We went to this restaurant because of the fantastic reviews. We were lucky enough to get a table for 2 without a reservation on a Tuesday night (the restaurant was packed). We were originally given a table upstairs close to the closed smokers terrace. Unfortunately every time the door opened or closed to the terrace, the smell of smoke would enter the dining room. We mentioned this to the server and they automatically found us a table downstairs. Fantastic on their part. Normally I would have given this restaurant a 5 star review but my dish was unfortunately cold. I mentioned this to the server and he was happy to take it back. The same dish came back about 10 minutes later, very hot it yet insipid. It lacked flavour. The bean accompaniment was overpowering. I absolutely love legumes, but I couldn't even finish half of the...