Just like everyone else, I hate making mistakes… but at least you learn from them! I made a mistake last year when I went to Paris. I wanted to go to a halal restaurant but silly old me didn’t check the times at which it was open! I mean I just assumed it’d be open at 2pm for lunch, but I guess was wrong. And then in May I went to Paris again and I really wanted to visit another restaurant called Le 1818 (remember when I told you about this in my Paris travel guide?). I went at 2.30pm only to find out that their last orders finish at … wait for it … 2.30pm! I can’t tell you how devastated I was to not have been able to try halal food in Paris for the second time!!! So when I returned to Paris yesterday, I was fully prepared and super organised with a timetable in hand! Third time lucky, I finally got to try the food at Le 1818!
Le1818 is a halal French restaurant located in Victor Hugo; a beautiful area with pretty buildings and even a water fountain. Halal French food is something of a rarity in London, so I was super excited to try it!
THE FOOD AT LE 1818
BEEF ROSSINI (€26)
I had already checked the menu waaaay back in May when I initially wanted to go, so I knew exactly what I wanted! The beef fillet in a pool of white truffle oil beef jus, with potatoes and an unexpected layer of foie gras!
The presentation of this dish, as you can see, was great and I couldn’t wait to tuck in.
As I tried to cut the beef I really struggled as it was tough and very dense. I ordered it to be cooked medium but it seemed to be medium rare.
I found it to be incredibly chewy and the steak itself could have been seasoned better. However, the white truffle oil beef jus was delicious and I enjoyed dipping my potatoes into it! Overall I was really underwhelmed with this dish, and felt like it lacked oomph.
BREADED CHICKEN BALLOTINE (€16)
My friend Muneerah ordered this dish which consisted of breaded chicken, stuffed with beef, along with mashed sweet potato. A ballotine is usually stuffed with forcemeat therefore we didn’t expect it to come with beef bacon. The chicken was tasty, however we weren’t a fan of the beef bacon inside as it had a strange flavour.
The sweet potato mash was deliciously creamy, buttery and garlicky and my friend enjoyed it!
BLACK BURGER (€21)
Yes we came to Paris and ordered a burger! Having been disappointed with the previous two dishes ,we thought the burger was a wise choice. However, the bun was rock hard, patty was incredibly dry and it didn’t taste of anything. It came with beef bacon, which again had a strange flavour. It was also served with fries which were the best part of the meal!
I know I sound harsh but for €21 it was an incredibly poor burger.
After missing out on Le 1818 on my last trip, the food here was a bit of an anticlimax for me! It was nice getting to try French food, however I thought the quality of the food wasn’t great and it was not worth the money. If you know a good halal restaurant in Paris, do let me know and I’ll give it a try next time!
Other options that have been recommended to me are:
Le Crystal, Les Grands Enfants, Jumeyrah and L’echappee belle.
RATINGS
Website: le1818-restaurant.com
Britpakgirl says
What a disappointment!
My Big Fat Halal Blog says
I know!!
Anonymous says
Where are the other ‘Travel’ posts? Only see two places? Could be my browser