le Melac

Sam's off for the weekend so we took a stroll in the quartier last night to find a restaurant for a nice dinner. We stumbled in to le Melac close to metro Charonne, which turns out to be something of an institution in the area. The cuisine is Auvergnaise, the selection of cheeses and charcuterie formidable, and water is reserved for cooking potatos and washing up (this policy is even written on the waiters' t-shirts), which is fine as the selection of wine is enormous (the bottles are stacked all around the walls of the restaurant) and cheap (lots of choice for 20 EUR). I had a starter made from pancake batter, sausage and onions - an Auvergne speciality which I've forgotten the name of - followed by an incredible carré d'agneau (rack of lamb) with an anchovy, parsley and garlic sauce, and beautifully presented with red peppercorns and smooth mashed potato. Sam had a croustillant de poire followed by a pavé de truite, cooked with lardons and served with puy lentils. For dessert we had fresh pineapple and creme caramel. Everything was excellent, the bottle of Anjou provided a refreshing accompaniment, the atmosphere was convivial and the bill was very reasonable.