Tapas Delight

Marche St Germain has lots of interesting little restaurants, some of which we have had the pleasure of sampling (such as La Cremerie), others which are still on our hitlist. We've heard great things about J'Go and Le P'tit Ferdinand.



L'Arcade A Tapas is a very small takeout place with a few tables inside and a store selling imported produce that is also used in their dishes. It comes alive in the summer with tables spread outside under the alcoves of the market. We've passed this place many times on a warm evening and seen it packed out with diners picking on tapas dishes, sipping rose and watching the world pass. It's set on a small road that doesn't get too much traffic so unlike some Parisian terrace cafes which are ruined by the fumes of passing vehicles, you can still enjoy your food without the feeling that it's been marinated in engine oil.

We were fortunate to get a table pretty quickly during a hot Saturday lunchtime although service was relatively slow. Aside from tapas they also do main dishes but we decided to have something to pick on and a glass of white wine. The selection is also quite limited but what we had was very good.

The calamari is grilled on a hot plate, lightly salted and served on a bed of rucola. The meat was very tender and even when it cooled down didn't get chewy. Served with a couple of capers and picked garlic cloves on the side.

Pan con tomate was actually a tomato paste sprinkled sea salt and light drizzle of basilic olive oil. I typically prefer this with fresh diced tomatoes but this was good nonetheless.

The tinned sardines were incredibly simple. So simple in fact that they just had to open up a tin of sardines in olive oil! But they were great: soft, tasty and not too salty. They are from Pontevedra, along the western coast of Spain, just north of Portugal. Sardines from this region are apparently renouned for being meaty and tasting like tuna.

We were in two minds about getting either chorizo or cured hams but went with the owner recommendation of Sobresada. This is a spicy and slightly sweet sausage, softer than chorizo and not as dry. It was sliced, grilled and served on a slice of fresh bread: a little bit greasy but this soaks into the bread and makes it really tasty.

Despite the limited selection, this is a nice little place to snack at when it's warm outside. Not too expensive - about 30 Euros for all that plus wine and coffee - and a pleasant setting. They need to get more tapas dishes on the menu.