When my friend Monsieur Bénard opened the original Galopin on the place Sainte-Marthe back in 1994, the kitchen was downstairs (today it is upstairs) and his lunch and dinner menus were a whopping 50 francs – the equivalent of 8 euros today.
Since then it has gone through a series of owner and name changes – until recently when Ze Kitchen Galerie alum and Top Chef winner Romain Tischenko won 100,000 euros and reopened Le Galopin as a casual, welcoming and affordable modern restaurant for lunch, dinner or glasses of wine at the bar.
Much like Julien Deboué at Dans les Landes and Philippe Damas over at Restaurant Philou, Romain’s family stepped in to assist with the décor – helping him stretch his cash prize euros.
With its minimalist retro furnishings: bare wooden tables, tile floors and funky handmade artwork on the side of the zinc bar – coupled with inexpensive plate/glass/silverware, handwritten paper menus and an off the beaten path location (lower rent)… Le Galopin is thankfully using this on target formula to pass the low-cost menu savings on to the diners.
The split level corner restaurant has 20 seats upstairs, each with a view of the open kitchen while the downstairs seats another 14 in an intimate fun wine cave ambiance. (Note to self, remember to book the cave for a private evening with friends!)
Le Galopin is an interesting name with an equally interesting history. As Mr. B tells it, “Most people know it as a 25 cl glass of beer that is thrown back quickly but back in the day…a galopin was the midnight rider you dispatched to rush a sealed letter in his coat pocket to your secret lover or, if a restaurant needed more bread or butter etc. all they had to do was step out onto the street and call over the nearest boy (galopin) to race off and get it, with the promise of extra money if he returned swiftly.”
These days and to our benefit, Romain and Max are in the kitchen continuing the tradition of a bargain lunch and dinner menu – pairing creativity with pristine ingredients, Jean-Luc Poujauran bread and natural wines.
During my recent lunch, it was remarkable that Le Galopin was packed with every age imaginable enjoying themselves – grandparents, parents and teenagers – sitting around the same table, especially when the staff are all under 30 years old sporting unshavened faces and cool shaggy haircuts while rocking a 60’s-90’s retro playlist on the iPod.
The place has a playful feel – hip without being trendy, retro without feeling dated, bustling without being loud, fun without pretention – good times all around.
Romain says the press and local support has been tremendous. Mais bien sur, young-talented chefs drawing comparisons to Restaurants Spring and Septime for the pared-down low carb-style of cooking is appealing not just for foodies but for other chefs and food industry folk that have been in house and in full force since his opening.
Our table neighbors included one of Paris’ best butchers, Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec, who joined us in sampling our way through the wine list followed by a Harry Met Sally dessert moment, but more on that later.
The wine list is short but focused, offering glasses (avg 4 euros), pots (avg 17 euros) and bottles (23-52 euros) of interesting notable small producers in Alsace (Binner Pinot Noir), Loire (Domain du Moulin Cheverny, Philippe Gilbert Menetou-Salon), Burgundy, Rhone and Languedoc etc.
The menu changes daily for lunch (Entrée + Plat + Dessert: 24 euros) and a seven-course tasting menu for dinner (42 euros). All choices are simply listed as ingredients, ex: sardine + red onion + beet.
We ordered one of everything and loved the white Richaud Cairanne Rhone with starters of Jewish artichokes + hazelnuts + duck followed by the egg + lard + cortecce.
The egg was a winner with its happy sun yellow yolk topped with bits of white mushroom, crispy ham and cortecce pasta (if you haven’t seen it, it resembles half of a pea pod) – which I’m a big fan of because the shape and underside catches a good amount of the sauce on the plate.
A bottle of Foillard Morgon (a staple of a natural wine list!) was the perfect backdrop to Sebaste (rockfish) + fennel + radish and poitrine of veal + carottes.
The color of the Japanese radish was radiant against the delicate white fish with crispy skin and sweet caramelized fennel. Although the overall dish was delicious, the heavy-handed fronds was a bit much, like chewing a clump of damp Spanish moss – with such a gorgeous ensemble I’m not sure it was needed.
For dessert, they brought apple + chestnut + walnut and which tasted like autumn …
… but the citrus + piquillo + meringue was our moan out loud moment.
This little piquillo pepper is being harvested right now in Lodosa Spain and roasted over embers – and their distinctive sweet and spicy flavor was a refreshing surprise with the bright citrus. I’m not even a fan of anything fruity but I picked up the bowl and drank the juice after devouring the fruit and meringue. Both tables gave this simple dish two thumbs up and it was a perfect palate cleanser for the end of our meal.
If there had not been a four hour gap between finishing our lunch and the start of the dinner hour – we’d have happily stayed to see what Romain and co. would do next.
Unfortunately, there is a seedy side to the area which Romain shrugs off, “But this is the 10th, the real tenth.” I agree – don’t let it scare you off from giving this new place a try, it is simply delightful. Even Frenchie started out on a dark alley!
Le Galopin just goes to show you that great things really do come in small packages.
Le Galopin
What to Expect: Off the usual tourist path location,vegetarian friendly, informal, busy, market-driven, natural & organic wines, price-friendly, exceptional food and wine.
What Not to Expect: A quiet or intimate date night, pretension, stick to your ribs comfort classics.
Address and Metro: 34 rue Sainte-Marthe, 10th arrondissement, Metros: Goncourt and Colonel Fabien.
Télephone: 01 42 06 05 03
Hours and Prices: Closed Sunday and Monday, open for lunch and dinner Tues-Sat, Lunch: Plat + Dessert: 19, Entrée + Plat: 21, Entrée + Plat + Dessert : 24. Dinner is 42 for a seven-course tasting menu.
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Great write up Wendy. I just had lunch there as well and it exceeded my expectations. I absolutely loved it. I live just a stone’s throw from here and while the neighborhood is certainly safe, it is not the Paris that a lot of tourists know and could be considered seedy. I love the Place Sainte Marthe though and the gritty atmosphere only contributes to its charm.
Merci Phyllis! Well said… even Frenchie started out on a dark alley*)
I can not wait to taste Romain’s cooking. Thanks for this very appetizing report. But I can’t help being little shocked by reading “there is a seedy side to the area which Romain shrugs off”. The 10th-19th districts are marvellous neighborhoods to spend time in, far from these too many posh places which are wrongly seen as representative of the “typical Paris”…
I agree Anne-Laure (and Romain!), I only made mention of it for people who don’t live in Paris…Some might find it charming while others might not.