Rue Mouffetard

In the 5th arrondisement, one of the oldest and most lively streets in Paris runs up a little hill from Rue Descartes and back down again to the square at Rue Censier. Rue Mouffetard dates back to Roman times and today it attracts locals and tourists alike with its wide array of dishes from different French regions as well as international cuisine: Greek, Japanese, Polish, Italian, Turkish, Egyptian, Argentinian. Undoubtedly some of these are the typical tourist traps which can be found on Rue De La Harpe and Rue Gregoire De Tours just North of here in the 6th, with owners touting for business outside the restaurants offering free aperitifs or starters. However, as I haven’t tried most of them, I won’t pass judgement just yet. For sure there are to be some gems amongst these, and even if they are popular with tourists, it doesn’t make them bad at all.

One that I have tried is Cracovia, the best Polish restaurant I have tried in Paris. There aren’t exactly many to choose from but I went with my wife and a group of Polish people who were all pleased with how authentic it was. They have a range of traditional Polish dishes such as Roasted Duck with Apples, Goloka (pig’s trotters cooked in beer and cabbage) and my personal favourite, Bigos. This is a heavy stew which is perfect for a cold winter’s day. In olden times, the wealthy land owners would take the left over meats from their banquets such as pheasant, bacon, piglets, beef steaks etc and stew them with cabbage and porcini. Tasty and filling. The most well-known Polish dish is probably Pierogi (boiled or fried dumplings) filled with an assortment of meats, potatoes and vegetables. Some even have sweet dessert fillings. They were as good as any I’ve had in Poland, although don’t expect to pay Polish prices! A dish of dumplings at Cracovia will set you back almost 15 Euros. The restaurant itself is clean and well decorated, and the service was very good. We had a full night of it, ending with vodka shots and singing traditional Polish songs.

Another one at this top end of the street which could be worth trying is Quartier Latin, which offers a pretty reasonable buffet brunch for 19 Euros: pancakes, breads, French pastries, fruit salads, yoghurts, cereals, scrambled eggs, bacon, paninis, pasta, mixed meats and cheeses, hot and cold drinks. For Paris, 19 Euros is a decent price for a buffet brunch. I’ve not tried it yet but it’s one on the list to check out.

Between Place De La Contrescarpe and Rue De L’Arbalete, you’ll find the wide variety of International and regional French restaurants such as raclette and fondue specialty places from Savoie. Along there is the lively Rue Du Pot de Fer which even if you’re not eating, is fun to pass along.

Dotted in between these are a wide array of boucheries, boulangeries, fromageries, poissonieres, chocolatiers, ice cream palours, wine shops, pasta shops, and one of personal favourites: Oliviers & Co, a chain of specialty stores from the South of France with a wide range of flavoured olive oils, olives, tapenades, sauces, spreads and seasonings. They always have plenty of tasting dishes out for people to try and the stores are always full.

Every day except Monday, you’ll be able to enjoy the lively market at the Southern end near Rue Censier and the Saint Medard Church. It’s a beautiful setting with a great atmosphere. The fruit and vegetable stalls have a good variety of fresh, seasonal produce and at reasonable prices. We picked up three punnets of rasberries for 5 euros, not bad considering they usually cost about 3 euros for one punnet in our area.

 Check out the green tomatoes!

Opposite the church there’s an Italian traiteur with a variety of fresh hand-made pastas, marinated and pickled meats, seafoods and vegetables, as well as olive oils, vinegars and wines from Italy. We decided to pick up some pickled squid stuffed with seafood and vegetables, and also some peppers stuffed with goat’s cheese. 100g of each cost about 6 euros in total. Washed it down with a nice chilled bottle of white wine.

Featured in this blog entry:
Cracovia, 35 Rue Descartes, 75006. www.restocracovia.fr
Quartier Latin, 1 Rue Mouffetard, 75006.
Oliviers & Co. www.oliviersandco.com/