Paris Insights - The Restaurant Review

Caluche

posted March 02, 2025

12, rue de Mirbel

75005 Paris

Phone: 01.45.87.89.40

Type of cuisine: Censier-Daubenton (Line 7)

Days & hours of operation: The establishment is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. Lunch and dinner are served noon - 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Credit card: Visa, Mastercard, American Express

Caluche is a wine bar and restaurant located within a five-minute walk of the popular Mouffetard market street.

I entered on Wednesday at noon without a reservation and was offered a table at the window overlooking rue de Mirbel and its intersection with rue des Patriarches.  From this vantage point I enjoyed a view of these quiet streets as well as the dining room and bar.

The menu
The restaurant offers a fixed-price lunchtime menu:  starter, main course, and dessert for 33€. The dishes can be selected from its carte, which is brief and to the point: seven starters priced at 9€, three main courses priced at 19€, and three desserts (including a cheese plate) priced at 9€.

The starter
For the starter, I ordered Bisque de crevette, fenouil mariné et croûtons.  I was served a deep bowl containing a dark-brown prawn-flavored broth in the center of which floated a tiny island of marinated fennel.  Dark-brown, crunchy croutons floated with thinly-sliced fennel in this wonderfully aromatic dish. 

The main course
For the main course, I requested Truite à l’unilatérale, endives braisées, purée de navet et sauce au raifort.  A fish cooked à l’unilatérale means that the fillet has been placed skin-side down in the saucepan and briefly fried.  During the frying, the skin becomes crisp, the lower portion of the fish gets lightly cooked, and the upper portion remains almost raw.  This process produced a marvelously delicate slice of trout, pink and tender.  The fish was served in a mild horseradish sauce with braised endives and puréed turnip.

The bread
Fresh country bread hand cut from a large loaf was served alongside in a breadbasket.

The beverage
For the beverage accompaniment, I ordered a 33cl can of 45 Days Organic Pilsner brewed in Denmark by a craft beer brewing company called To Øl.  The pale blond beer tasted lightly bitter with mild notes of white fruit.  I was quite satisfied with it and thought that it went well with the food.

The dessert
For dessert, I decided to try Poire pochée au sirop, sablé breton et crème diplomate.  The waiter brought a plate displaying a large poached pear atop a “Brittany” cookie resting next to a large dollop of “diplomat cream.”  The tender pear was dressed in sugar syrup and had a light nutmeg flavor.  Later, on researching “sablé Breton” on the Internet, I found out that this cookie is made with egg yolk and a raising agent.  All three elements (poached pear, cookie, and diplomat cream) formed a deliciously satisfying dessert.

The bill
The bill for one, including one 33cl can of beer and one three-course menu, came to 40.00€.

The service
The service was friendly and helpful. 

The ambiance
The dining room has a relaxing atmosphere with warm brown tones (wooden tables, wooden chairs, wood facing on the bar, and wainscotting).  The floor is made from tiny white, black, grey, maize, and brown tiles.

Ample natural light enters through wide and tall windows.  The dining room is also illuminated by wall sconces and industrial lamps.  Three vintage white milk glass lamps hang from the ceiling over the bar.

When I entered at noon, mellow jazz was playing over the sound system.  Later, the dining room became quite noisy with the sounds of loud conversation as new customers arrived for lunch.

I was served by two waiters, one of whom spoke to me in English.  The menu is in French.

During a previous meal at Caluche, the waiter told me that clients in wheelchairs can be accommodated.  He stated that a wheelchair would not be able to turn around in the WC.  Customers arriving in a wheelchair should note that there is a small step at the entrance to the restaurant. 

Travelers to Paris in search of appetizing fare served in an authentic French bistrot will find it here at Caluche.