I don’t often give you top addresses in the Montparnasse neighborhood—not that it’s a place I avoid, but it’s clearly not the first area that comes to mind when I want to go to a restaurant. Today, however, I’m taking you on a tour of Avenue du Maine to push open the door of a true Parisian bistro, straight out of another era: Le Petit Sommelier.
Le Petit Sommelier is a family story, a French-style bistro with a true sense of hospitality, quick service, white tablecloths and fabric napkins, not to mention the imposing bar counter. Today, Pierre Vila Palleja has taken over the business from his parents to bring his own personal touch and his expertise as a top-tier sommelier. To do this, he has evolved the wine list, which now features 750 labels. He has also set up monthly tasting dinners with winemakers for enthusiasts.
To complement this renewal, he is joined by a new chef, Nicolas Bouillier, who allows him to offer a menu that lives up to the culinary pretensions of his wine selection. Beautiful products, daily and direct deliveries, and seasonal cuisine for a menu presented in two parts: Bistrot Side and Resto Side, covering everything from classic brasserie staples to more modern cuisine. For our part, it was the Resto Side menu that we discovered, a small preview of which you can see below.
Must-try:
- The sea bream tartare with candied lemon, cucumber milk, and beetroot emulsion (€9.50), a surprisingly fresh starter.
- The mushroom ravioli and Bellota ham, lettuce cream, and butternut chips (€9.50), a real treat!
- Also for a starter, the marinated mackerel, celery remoulade, Granny Smith apple emulsion, and arugula (€9.50), a very surprising combination—even though I’m not a fan of mackerel, I found it here to be totally melt-in-the-mouth and perfectly paired with the acidity of the accompaniment.
- As a generous and gourmet main course, the mallard and partridge Pithiviers, foie gras and mushrooms (€39 for a whole Pithiviers).
- The scallops seared with mashed Jerusalem artichokes and a chestnut and foie gras sauce (€22).
- The roasted wild sea bass, parsnip and white chocolate mousseline, enoki mushrooms and black sesame (€24).
- The crispy pork belly glazed with spices, Metzger Iberian pluma, sweet potato (€19), a dish a bit too fatty for me personally, but my favorite photographer had no trouble finishing it all by himself…
- For dessert, the Baba au rhum with amber agricultural rum and homemade whipped cream (€9.50), fresh and light, perfect for finishing a meal in my opinion.
- Another dessert option is the 66% dark chocolate melt-in-the-mouth tart, pure Caribbean, with a passion fruit and coffee coulis (€9.50), for real lovers of intense chocolate, I would say.
A quick note, however: since we tasted quite a few dishes to get a complete (or nearly complete) view of the Resto Side menu, most of the dishes in the photos are presented here in “tasting portions”, so they are obviously more substantial in normal circumstances.
My advice: end the meal with a small glass of Port bottled especially for the restaurant, which will help you digest this good meal divinely well.
Average price on the Resto Side menu: starter €9.50 / main €19 / dessert €9.50
Set menu price: €35 with starter / main / dessert, at lunch or dinnerDifferent wines by the glass: 25 (I advise you to let yourself be guided by the specialist; you will make some wonderful discoveries)
Wine prices: between €24 and €2500 per bottle, with a core range at €45
The good plan: Happy Hours from 3:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Tested in 2016 - Invitation
Le Petit Sommelier
49, avenue du Maine 75014 ParisOpen Monday to Saturday from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Find all my restaurant tests in Paris below:
⇒ All my restaurant tests in Paris
MAP OF MY FAVORITE FOOD SPOTS IN PARIS AND THE ILE-DE-FRANCE REGION
Restaurant 
Bar 
Pastry / Bakery 
Tea Room / Coffee Shop
Brunch 
Ice Cream Parlor
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos not royalty-free, photographer's authorization required before any use
