Since Jules discovered SoPi, or lower Pigalle as it is jauntily called these days, he has rediscovered the true taste of Paris that he loved as a child. The Paris where the streets were filled with Piaf tunes and the lingering scent of the women of Pigalle. This oh so very authentic Paris, styled with a beret and a baguette in hand.
On one of his walks, between Drouot and Grands Boulevards, Jules found his little corner of paradise.
It’s the restaurant Les Diables au Thym, giving off aromas that remind us of our grandmother’s kitchen, yet at the same time keeping us in a contemporary feel.
Photos credits:Amyitis FILIPPI
Eric Lassauce, a chef who, to be honest could not have a better surname, is a generous and genuine man. In the family Lassauce, one always ate well and cooked well. The great Eric remembers, with a little childish glimmer in his eyes, the wafting smell of warm nougatine and of his grandmother’s pastries when he came home from school. He admits (without shame) having always had a sweet tooth and even offers on his menu his grandmother’s waffle with a strawberry coulis, marmalade and homemade whipped cream. What a way to pay tribute to the one who taught him how to make plum pies and apple pastries for his friends.
What Jules likes to find, when he goes in this unpretentious restaurant, is the warm and discreet welcome. He is eagerly anticipating the delicacy of the dishes and his mouth already starts to water. The chef pays particular attention to the vegetables which he knows how to turn into something exceptional. The best seasonal produce, the traditional and the fashionable vegetables (morel mushrooms, chard, artichokes, baby carrots, white asparagus), cooked and cut just right which delight your taste buds with every bite. Each visit is a new discovery, because the menu changes like the seasons.
For a refreshing starter, Jules chooses a Carpaccio bar and mixed vegetables with turmeric seasoning. For the main dish, he hesitates: the langoustine tails seared over a bed of peas and morel mushrooms or ballotine chicken stuffed with lobster and bean stew? The furnaces are switched on. Everything is prepared to the minute at Diables au Thym.
When it comes to the dessert, the chef comes over with his signature waffle and sits down with Jules to have a chat. He recalls his classes in Strasbourg, his cooking formation, his teacher of “crus wines” who inspired him, his apprenticeship with Alain Senderens, holidays in Brittany and watercolors of the seashore. He likes things simple, the mountains, casseroles; he speaks of openness and being savvy. Lassauce is slightly wild but after all that is what Jules loves about his cooking!
Jules likes : homemade foie gras, grandmother’s waffles, bio and original wines
Jules likes least: the slightly austere entrance but which invites the curious to discover what’s inside.
Les Diables au Thym
35 rue Bergère
75 009 Paris
France
T.: +33.(0)1.47.70.77.09
