Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Paris -- Le Hide ("Koba's Bistro")

Talk about screaming bargains! I dined tonight at Le Hide, a small restaurant near the Etoile that is Pudlo's Rapport Qualité-Prix de l'Année for 2009. The food is excellent and at 29 euros for the three-course menu (or 22 for the two-course formule) is one of the best deals in Paris.

The chef-owner, Hide Kobayashi, trained with Jean-Pierre Vigato (Apicius), Dominique Bouchet, Joel Robuchon and at Taillevent, and this shows in his cooking. There is nothing Japanese about the well-prepared cuisine, which is French French French.


I tried to stay light -- everything is relative -- so went with the white asparagus starter and roasted chicken breast on risotto finished with truffled olive oil. Both were perfectly cooked, although the accompanying risotto evinced the normal lack of understanding of the Italian technique that bedevils even good French chefs. For dessert I had the "
café gourmand," coffee served with a mini-crème brûlée, a mini-chocolate pot de crème and a little ball of caramel ice cream. There is a small but nice list of wines served by the glass or in 50 or 75 cl. carafes; I had the Chinon recommended by Pudlo and was not disappointed.

My neighbors had the very tempting f
oie gras poelé sur haricots verts and the rack of lamb and were very happy. I saw and heard oohs and ahs for the more substantial desserts. And a number of tables were filled with regulars who were greeted with kisses at the door. From all this, I am pretty sure that my own good experience is typical and therefore am comfortable recommending le Hide based on just one visit.

Le Hide, 10, rue du Général Lanrezac, 75017 Paris (Métro Etoile), 01 45 74 15 81.

Bobby Jay

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bobby J.:

At your suggestion, my wife and I had lunch at Le Hide today and we loved it! Her salade des Crevettes was delicious and generous while my Salade de Lentilles et Saucisse de Lyon was perfect. For our second course my wife had Lotte Fricassee and I the Boeuf Bourguignon, both a triumph. At Euros 19.50/pp getting "l'addition" caused us no pain. We will go back soon...and bring friends. Thanks so much for the recommendation.

Andy G.

mimi said...

Andy G and I just finished a fabulous lunch at Le Hide. It was without a doubt the best rapport qualite/prix I have encountered in many many years of Paris dining. But apart from the great value, the food on its own is absolutely sensational..and the portions are more than generous. A fantastic find. Merci!!