The Colvert is the latest project from the talented team behind the nearby Christine. The place has been given a new look, and the dishes are something else!

Read our review…

The Colvert opened just after Christmas last year in the sweet neighbourhood of Saint-André des Arts, taking over the space previously known as ‘La Table des Arts’. On the ground floor it has a large main room, with a smaller one just behind it, while upstairs you’ll find yet another space, even cosier, with a lower ceiling.

Colvert means Mallard in French, which explains why there are images of ducks absolutely everywhere, together with kitsch wallpaper of forests and trees. Also, the colour of the wall is, let’s say, duck blue.

The night of our visit there was a group from a contact lens company clogging up the main room ? which made taking photos a little complicated. We did our best…

For the neighbourhood, the prices aren’t very high – the three-course fixed menu costs 35€ – and the staff are adorable. Manager Olivier Leroux talked to us about the restaurant with an obviously heartfelt passion, and our waiter Aurélien was a lot of fun, telling us how the chef’s grandmother suggested a special ingredient for one dish.

We felt at ease straight away, and started our night off with a, Italian beer, a glass of wine and some homemade tapenade served free as a taster.

For the first course, my companion ordered snails which she found to be astonishingly light, served with En entrée, ma convive commande des escargots qui sont étonnement légers, servis avec des shallots rather than the standard mix of parsley and garlic. Very good!

As for us, we went for the raw salmon marinaded in beetroot and served with more raw beetroot (with added sesame seeds), little dabs of bechamel topped with deliciously buttery biscuits, spots of mustard and other pronounced tastes. Wonderful stuff.

Next, we chose a black Angus noix d’entrecôte (rib eye?), homemade mashed potato, reduced onions and a sauce featuring Sarawak pepper. The meat was delicious and tender, and even the fat was appreciated!

Our second main was a vegetarian dish unlike any other we have ever been served in Paris, with sweet potato patties, vegetables cooked to perfection (especially the marvellous Brussels sprouts), and a smoked Jerusalem artichoke foam that was extraordinary!

After these delicious dishes, we couldn’t really refuse dessert.

My guest ordered Fontainebleau, which is a French classis similar to whipped cream, served with roasted pineapple and salted butter caramel. It turned out to be surprisingly light (sometimes these creamy desserts are simply too rich) and moreish. Quite the surprise.

I however wanted to test the Colvert’s take on profiteroles, the archetypal dessert that seems simple on paper (choux pastry balls filled with ice cream and served with a hot chocolate sauce) but is often brought to the table to cold, leaving it solid and near tasteless. Here though, it was lightly warmed, with a very chocolatey sauce and deliberately more neutral vanilla ice cream. Our meal had ended with another success!

What can we say? Our evening at Le Colvert was a total success. If they start out this strongly, just imagine where they’ll be in a year’s time! The space is comfy, the staff is lovely and the food is great. Try it out and you wont be disappointed!

The Colvert Bistrot (here) is open every day of the week from 10am to midnight

Online booking (sometime with 20% off the menus) here

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To check out all our photos of the Colvert, click here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu-whixl0B1/