Winner of the coveted best Parisian restaurant prize for 2013 (otherwise known as the Fooding de la meilleure table 2013), we were surprised to be able to get a table without too much trouble at Roseval. Some Parisian restaurants this size can be almost impossible to book.

Perhaps it’s the location, out of the centre in the 20th arrondissement, that makes some people think twice? Well tough luck for them – they’re fools, and Roseval has to be tasted to be believed…

If the main room at Roseval reminds you of another restaurant, you have a very good memory! We ate at La Bouche three and a half years ago, in July 2009, and the place has now become Roseval. New name, new staff… and new prices!

A three-course meal at La Bouche used to cost 28 euros. At Roseval it’s 40% more expensive at 40 euros (47 euros if you have cheese too, 65 ou 77 euros if you want a glass of wine selected to go with each dish). We ate really well for 28 euros at La Bouche. Was Roseval to be as good value?The interior hasn’t radically changed, although it’s less colourful than before. There’s still lots of bare brick (and, er, some strange metal tubing) and not much space (about twenty seats, but it doesn’t feel cramped).

We visited during the week of heavy snow that Paris experienced recently, and it has to be said that the restaurant’s single glazing and tiny fan heaters – the only heating apparently – were no match for the elements. We were cold throughout our meal, which marred things slightly (we’re sure that during normal weather it’s quite warm enough). Another thing – having not done our homeword (duh), we didn’t know that Roseval offers a different, unique meal each night. There’s no choosing from a menu, you take what they have prepared. As three vegetarians, we had a look at the menu with a feeling of horror, amplified by the look on the waiter’s face when we told him the problem.Basically, there was nothing before the cheese dish that we could eat. What were we to do? Slightly panicked, we first of all said that we were very sorry. The waiter said that we really should have told them in advance so they could have shopped specially for us! Not as shaken as we thought, he promised to ask the chefs to make something specially for us.

Usually, this means evil looks from the chef, followed by an omelette (if you’re lucky) or a hot goat’s cheese salad. Bah. The evening had not got off to a great start, so we decided to drown our sorrows in some rather potent Spanish wine.But everything was to change with the arrival of the first dish. It was an amazing creation built around some pain des amis (arguably the best bread you’ll find in Paris) with ricotta, sprigs of herbs and crushed hazelnut. What a success!

We were amazed that the chef had managed to invent something so lovely-looking and tasting when put on the spot by three annonying vegetarians. Rarely has a restaurant surprised us in such a great manner. Things were definitely looking up. The next course was equally as stunning – jerusalem artichoke soup with herb sprouts and burned aubergine (something new to us). Served with more pain des amis on the side, it was amazing! Then the main dish arrived. Several different types of cabbage, splodges of burrata and salad leaves, drizzled in delicious olive oil and surrounded by a scattering of breadcrumbs. Both crunchy and creamy, depending on your mouthful, the variety of tastes were often difficult to define, which is strangely satisfying, turning the meal into a sort of blind test. Up until now, everything had been delicious, a wonderful surprise. With the level set so high, we felt practically obliged to try the cheese plate. Once again served with some pain des amis, this is where things faltered – a meagre selection of just three fairly bland cheeses, served in doll-sized portions. For 7 euros, it wasn’t worth it at all. But let’s move swiftly on to better things – the dessert, or rather desserts. The first was presented as a pre-dessert and consisted of a citrus foam hiding a kind of panacotta. Then – noooo! -it was time for the last part of our meal – white chocolate cream, topped with a piece of oven-cooked pumpkin, itself carrying a scoop of fromage blanc ice cream. The mix of flavours was great, perhaps a little too sugary for some, but the colours, textures and tastes impressed us. As you may have gathered, we liked Roseval more than any restaurant we’ve tried in a fair while. They deserved their Fooding prize, and for the badly organised their Facebook page will often tell you if there are any tables left for the evening – handy if you’re incapable of planning ahead!

Le restaurant Roseval (ici) est ouvert tous les soirs du lundi au vendredi.

Tel. +33 (0)9 53 56 24 14 / contact@roseval.fr

Facebook page: facebook.com/roseval.fr

To check out all our photos of Roseval, click the play button on the slideshow below, then click the four little arrows bottom right to enter fullscreen mode (much more comfortable).