Comme Chez Maman a magnificent French restaurant owned by Chef Wim Van Gorp, a Belgium chef who trained under Chef Alain Ducasse and Jean – Georges Vongerichten.

We stumbled across this gem when we were looking for fine French dining in Batignolles. The reviews were outstanding and we were excited to try it!

Comme Chez Maman

The restaurant from the outside wasn’t anything spectacular however once we stepped inside there was an elegant red curtain that draped around entrance door – a contemporary interior with a white and yellow backdrop, wooden tables and chairs, mood lighting creating a whimsical ambience.

We were warmly greeted by Chloe and Catlin who served us that evening. Chloe showed us to our table, handed us the English menu and informed us the specials – there were a few, but the only dish that intrigued us the most was the partridge with mash potato and frois gras sauce.

After a couple of moments of decision making I had two choices in mind the Crunchy duck confit with smocked orange flavoured, braised celeriac and mashed potato. Or the Veal Blanquette with vanilla and lemongrass, with flavour fried rice. I thought I’d ask Chloe what she would recommend and she personally thought the veal was the best out of the two.

We decided to opt for a starter – Mussells (Bouchot, Mont St Michel) grilled on the plancha, our mains were the partridge and the veal.

We knew what we wanted to drink with our courses – red wine but wasn’t familiar with what was best! Chloe enthusiastically mimicked light and strong with her arms (all the restaurants had been doing the same throughout the weekend) Asiel wanted a light red and I wanted a stronger red, so Chloe picked out a couple of suggestions and bought the bottles to our table. We tried a fair few before we decided on our favourites – I chose their Philippe Viret Solstice bottle with notes of espresso, pomegranate, forest berries and earthy minerals.

We were delighted when our mussels arrived; served on a hot pan that sat on a china prop so it won’t burn the table. I’m glad we shared it because the portion size was huge! We both enjoyed it – fresh and juicy, we both highly rate it, best mussels we’ve ever had! Chloe had bought out wet hand towels that were neatly rolled in a small bowl with a wedge of lime.

For our mains Asiel’s dish came out first and was presented in a large black stoneware pot the portion size was humongous. The bird was laid on a bed of frois gras sauce that had soaked up the juices making the partridge extremely tasty! I have never tried partridge before it reminded me of chicken but a little bit tougher, the mash potato and cabbage came on a separate plate.

My veal came out straight after, also presented in a large red stoneware pot and small pot of fried rice -I had a whiff of the smell and it was divine! The veal was tender and it blended well with the velvety blanquette sauce. The rice was delicious, packed with a lot of flavour and was paired well with the veal.

We were happy and full but my beady eyes could not look away from the desserts – a delicious selection of sweet treats, we decided to share the homemade vanilla millefeuille – a light creamy vanilla taste with thin slices of pastry, incredible!

 

When we asked for the bill Chloe poured us a shot of Vieille prune Louis Roque Souillac (Plum Brandy), also known as the water of life. Asiel downed it in one, from his face expression it didn’t look pleasant but I thought I’d be polite and try it. I only had a little sip and I felt the alcohol evaporating from the roof of my mouth.

This drink is often drunk after dinners it is rich and well rounded, dark fruit notes with a strong oak-y spice. Personally it wasn’t a drink I’d have again, my favourite drinks are a lot sweeter. It was fascinating how Chloe knew so much about the alcohol and food she served us – she informed us about the spirits selection and was surprised that we had never heard or tried the Get 27 a well known drink in France. She came back with two florescent green shots that strongly smelt of mint. We downed the Get 27 which tasted of sweet peppermint, my kind of drink! It was a great finish to a wonderful evening.

 

We strongly recommend this restaurant the experience was phenomenal, it’s such a treat to find something we both love (quite rare to agree on food) so if you’re around Batignolles district I would recommend a visit! Chloe and Catlin were amazing and we cannot thank them enough for an insightful and enjoyable evening.

Comme Chez Maman opening times are Monday to Sunday from 12pm to 2.30pm and reopens at 7pm to 11pm.