Le Café des Abattoirs, temple of meat

Last year, the famous Rostang family opened a meat counter near the Place du Marché Saint Honoré. A place where you can eat divinely well in a chic bistro atmosphere.

Café des Abattoirs / Rostang

With leather frescoes on the walls and rough-hewn wooden tables, Café des Abattoirs’ decor is both modern and cosy. We take our seats facing the half-open kitchens. There’s no à la carte menu here, but rather 3 formulas offering seasonal hors d’oeuvres for the whole table, and a choice of meat and cheese or dessert. Each piece of meat is served in a cast-iron skillet, so that cuts can be shared.

The map / Copyright JulienTissot

Seasonal hors d’oeuvres are for sharing, with an emphasis on tradition: velouté du jour, onion tart, homemade terrine or roquette and pig’s ear salad… The ficelle-style bread is by Jean Luc Poujauran. The starters of the day are a success: mozzarella sticks or shrimps with guacamole. From where we sit, we can see the men in the kitchen. It’s a lovely ballet. The meal takes on the air of a play, and you watch your piece of meat come out with great relish.

The kitchens / Copyright Julien Tissot

For the main course, I choose Scottish Black Angus beef, with its delicately marbled flavor, as oven-grilled flank steak. I don’t regret my choice. It’s cooked just right. Next to me, two sturdy fellows choose the “Tomawak”, a huge rib of beef on the menu that day.

Le Café des Abattoirs’ take on flank steak / Copyright Julien Tissot

To accompany their dishes, Caroline & Sophie Rostang have also created their own homemade sauces, offering original condiments rich in flavor: Moutarde, made with mustard flour, white wine, vinegar and honey; BBQ with tomato, vinegar, smoked bacon and meat juice; Tomato Raifort, where tangy tomatoes combine with the power of Raifort; Estragon, with mayonnaise, mustard and blanched then chopped tarragon, spiced up with vinegar, white wine and shallots. A good idea!

Café des Abattoirs’ homemade sauces / DR

To be enjoyed with Suzy’s fresh French fries, cut and dried one by one, cooked in two baths to obtain that crunchy, very soft texture. The little pot de crème au chocolat, Michel Rostang’s undisputed favorite, accompanied by a delicious banana muffin.

Dessert / Copyright Julien Tissot

Café des Abattoirs is certainly a solid brasserie. A safe address. Meat eaters have found their den!

Le Café des Abattoirs
10 rue Gomboust
75001 Paris
Open 7 days a week.
01 76 21 77 60
Formulas at 32, 38 and 45 €.
www.cafedesabattoirs.com

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