Good bets for soupe de poisson and bouillabaise

[JayP]

Will be in town in October and looking for some solid places for fish soup...doesn't have to be the greatest in the city etc, but just looking for a few places -- near the 6th wouldnt hurt -- that are solid bets for high quality.

Essentially building a list for breaks from high-end eating, though I surely won't object to high-end for the soup.

thanks much

[John Talbott]

Will be in town in October and looking for some solid places for fish soup...doesn't have to be the greatest in the city etc, but just looking for a few places -- near the 6th wouldnt hurt -- that are solid bets for high quality.

Essentially building a list for breaks from high-end eating, though I surely won't object to high-end for the soup.

thanks much

←

Funny you should ask. It just occurred to me that two places that were classic bouillabaise places have closed and I was wondering why? Is it no longer popular or was the rent too high? In any case the only place I can recommend is the Brasserie Lorraine aka La Lorraine in the 8th, which has a nice soup, sadly no longer a volonté since the Freres Blanc took over.

[VivreManger]

Several years ago there was a place I went to in the Thirteenth, not too far from the Mitterrand Library, near rue Tolbiac, which claimed to specialize in bouillabaise. At this point I cannot remember its name, largely because its bouillabaise was unmemorable. I would not recommend it.

However I am still eager for a good soupe de poisson, a likelier find in Paris than bouillabaise.

Edited June 22, 2007 by VivreManger (log)

[Ptipois]

Chez Quinson, near Balard, in the 15e, is known for their bouillabaisse, so the soupe de poisson should be OK, but I have no recent information about this place.

[pirate]

I had hoped for more inputs on fish soup places in Paris. The best I've ever had in all of France was a Marmite Dieppeoise at a one Michelin star restaurant near the Place Denfert-Rochereau many years ago which has long since disappeared. It was spectacular and I've never found its equal. Everything has to be very fresh and prepared to order, something very hard to find. Bouillabaisse has always disapponted. I would look for small restaurants with chef-proprietors from the Atlantic coast or Channel towns.

[Carlsbad]

Le Dome is said to have very good bouillabaise by Pudlo and some others I've recently read. Maybe there or the Bistrot du Dome?

[Ptipois]

Paris is just not the best place for fish soup.

[John Talbott]

Chez Quinson, near Balard,  in the 15e, is known for their bouillabaisse, so the soupe de poisson should be OK, but I have no recent information about this place.

←

I had it there two years ago - disappointing.

Maybe there or the Bistrot du Dome?

Never seen it on the menu at the BDD in my 17 years eating there.

[Laidback]

Paris doesn't seem to offer much in the way of Mediterranean food, especially bouillabaisse. You will cripple your wallet at Le Dome; I had it at Le Petit Niçois in the 7th about 4 yrs. ago and it was passable, but I have heard very tepid reports on the restaurant since then. You might also try Mediterranée across from the Odeon.

[John Whiting]

I had it at Le Petit Niçois in the 7th about 4 yrs. ago and it was passable, but I have heard very tepid reports on the restaurant since then.

My experience dates from several years ago, but Pudlo continues to give their bouillabaisse a respectable rating. Edited June 25, 2007 by John Whiting (log)

[VivreManger]

The restaurant I went to with the inferior bouillabaisse in the 13th was Chez Keryado, <La Bouillabaisse >, 32 rue Regnault. I had eaten there about 9 years. It got a positive review in the '97 Pudlo, but I have no idea how it has fared since. I do not have the current Pudlo handy so someone who does may wish to check this out.

However I did check

http://www.fra.webcity.fr/restaurants_pari..._4777/Avis-Lieu

which does list it with a positive write-up to boot for whatever that is worth:

Un lieu pour goûter à la bouillabaisse

Dans le 13ème arrondissement, la bouillabaisse est la vedette de ce sympathique bistrot de quartier. La déco manque cruellement de charme mais le client appréciera les délices de la carte. La simplicité et la convivialité sont les deux maîtres mots de cette adresse.

There are two patrons' comments, both of whom liked the fish, if not the decor, but they are out of date, from 2000.

If Webcity.fr is accurate, the place is still in business, but I don't know why.

The problem I have with bouillabaise in Paris, is that about forty years ago I had the real thing in Marseilles, at some nondescript I happened upon. It was excellent and remains difficult to match.

Edited June 27, 2007 by VivreManger (log)

[JayP]

Ah well, may have to settle for solid foods, and make the soup myself when I return to the US.

had a fish soup last year at kind of a place in the 6th that looked just a fraction too touristical to trust, and sure enough, it didn't sit well with me.

[Ptipois]

Some restaurants or brasseries may have fish soup one day or another as today's special, but where to find a good one on a regular basis is very tricky in Paris.

Some years ago Marie Naël, chef of Ecaille et Plume, made a fantastic bouillabaisse and fish soup, but the restaurant is closed. This was the only example of good fish soup I can remember in this city. Of course you may go to a special seafood place like Le Divellec but there you'll pay a high price for that popular dish.

For fish soup, nothing beats the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. If I want good fish soup in Paris I go to a well-stocked supermarket or gourmet store, find a can or a jar of fish soup from Brittany (La Belle-Iloise is a good brand), and heat it at home. And I can rub as much garlic on my croutons as I want to.