La Tete de Goinfre - La Cave du Cochon

16 Rue Jacquemont -18- 75017 Paris.

F really wanted to take me to this place he had visited in the past when a friend of his had lived next door. It was small, charmingly decorated with everything 'pig' (cochon) and housing rustic wooden tables topped with red check cloths. The menu was traditional French with the specials chalked on a black board hoisted up on the wall.

Being a huge fan of remoulade [that's the French salad 'remoulade' made from celeriac (UK), or celery root (as it is known in the US), mixed with a mustardy mayonnaise], I chose that particular 'special' as my appetizer. Sadly, this version was bland with the crispy vegetables slipping towards a soggy demise in the overly plentiful excess of mayonnaise. Even after adding lashings of the delicious spicy mustard condiment I found on the table, the salad was not elevated to a level where I felt it was worth eating.

F's fromage de chevre chaud (warm goat cheese) was sharp and fresh tasting with a well-dressed sharp salad providing the perfect contrast to the creamy cheese.

We both chose veau Normandie for our main course. This was a veal steak luxuriating in a wickedly creamy mushroom sauce served with deliciously crispy potatoes most certainly cooked in duck or some other animal fat. [Get those scales away from me!]

A plateful of sinful chocolate eclairs sitting on the countertop were trying hard to call my name, flirting with my sweet tooth by offering promises of oozing cream and a sugary chocolate fondant topping. My stomach was having none of it and a settled on a less dangerous espresso instead.

La Tete de Goinfre - La Cave du Cochon