Something fishy in Paris

26 Novembre 2016

Clamato

I haven't mentioned how much Paris has changed in the 10 years since we'd been here last. We've only been here for 10 minutes and it was already obvious but also probably why I haven't mentioned it yet. Case in point new funky hipster restaurants like Clamato. So very welcoming, so very good.

Michelle is the official family researcher when it comes to finding the best food. She scours Michelin Guides, Timeout, blog posts, you name it, to find that something special. Clamato is special. Right after we dumped our bags at our apartment we jumped into a Taxi and headed for Clamato. We arrived at the address and we couldn't find it. The taxi driver was bewildered, I was refreshing Google maps like a mad man, and yet we couldn't see it. Because we were parked right outside. Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees. 

We couldn't have been welcomed more warmly. The waitresses made sure we were comfortable and we had drinks for the kids. The kids were so tired they didn't really take much further part in the meal though. Our waitress sat down with us and explained the menu and couldn't have been more lovely and helpful. Hey Clamato, you employ good staff. I wondered if we'd really got off the plane in Paris what with the reputation of Parisian rudeness that way it is. For the record we have barely encountered this mythical French rudeness. We've always been treated warmly, politely and graciously. You reap what you sow guess. We are extremely nice people after all.

There's only one thing better than great service at a restaurant. The great bathrooms? The decor? The bonhomie? That's French. Barely off the plane and I've gone native. No, the one thing better than service is the food. Oh my dear god, the food. I'm afraid Clamato may have set the bar too high for at least the Paris part of our trip. I'm guessing you may have realised with a name like Clamato, Clamato is heavily weighted to seafood. As an aside, does clamato juice actually sound... foul? Tomato juice and clam broth? Who knows, maybe Clamato means something else in French?

We had a few shareable plates of ceviche like dishes made up of various fishies. Light, full flavoured, fresh and delicious. A couple of verres de vin rouge (more French, I am becoming a regular Francophile) and une carafe d'eau (the pronunciation of which I will never get straight - carafe d'eau sil vous plait? Eh? Quelle? Ah water, you want water...) and we had a great evening.

For our first night in Paris, in Europe, for 10 years it couldn't have been better.

Clamato is part of the Septime group of restaurants. Septime is a Michelin starred place and almost impossible to get in to, especially at short notice. Whereas Clamato doesn't take reservations. I've heard you may have to wait up to an hour for a table, which we didn't by the way, but it would be well worth the wait. Septime and Clamato share the same Instagram and the pix are delicious.