Scallops, veal sweetbreads and young chicory
Les Foodies is neo-bistro, international dining concept. That’s a lot going on in one place, but Les Foodies has managed to successfully pull it off. Don’t let the pretentiousness of the term neo-bistro turn you off. Contrary to what it sounds like, neo-bistro means “without” pretense. It is a way for describing a dining experience that is high quality with an emphasis on fresh ingredients, and relaxed, friendly service. It’s the middle ground between casual bistro and fine dining.
Watch out for those balloon glasses!
You can literally say that the chef, Davide Galloni is a man of the world. He grew up in Italy and now lives in Paris where he trained at Le Cordon Bleu. He has Thai and Italian roots, and has lived and studied cooking in Mongolia, Australia, Italy and Spain.
Alex Kovac and Chef Davide Galloni
Galloni met co-founder of Les Foodies, Alex Kogan, at Le Cordon Bleu. Kogan is responsible for the operations of the restaurant. He hails originally from Russia and spent many years in United States. This two person team could give the United Nations a run for the money in regards to international representation, and the guys have taken their world experience and infused it into the concept of the restaurant.
You can see how much Galloni loves creating new dishes as he explains that they use ingredients bought fresh from the local market and switch up the menu every month. Then a big grin spreads across his face as he adds, “it’s more fun that way”.
Balloon glasses
The dishes are a tasty combination of Asian flavours, Mediterranean ingredients, and French and Italian cooking techniques. The presentation is refined but doesn’t look like it’s been plated with tweezers, like haute-cuisine often does. The portions are substantial and it’s reasonably priced for what you get.
As a former potter, I enjoyed inspecting the plates for each course. Many of them are textured and a have a restrained playfulness. Watch out for those balloon glasses though. They are so light and so tall that I am embarrassed to say I almost dropped my glass of wine twice. I never thought I would have the opportunity to say that I need to practice drinking more wine. (I may have just been a klutz that night, but I’d rather go with the lack of practice excuse so I can use it to drink more wine.)
Les Foodies is located in a busy district of the Marais, but you’d easily miss it even though it’s just a few steps from a busy street. It’s not easy to spot from the main street so you won’t notice it when passing.
Open barely a year, customers at Flavors of Paris have been finding it, and Les Foodies is quickly making its way into the food scene in Paris.
Price for dinner with appetizer, main dish and dessert, 50 euros, not including wine.
Check out our Marais Tour if you wanna explore Marais
6/8 square Sainte-Croix de la bretonnerie, 75004 Paris.
Open Tuesday - Saturday 12-14:30 and 19:30-23
Sunday brunch 12-16
Closed Monday
