If I were living in the Passy area in Paris, this restaurant would have definitely been our family restaurant. No fuss, no ado, La petite tour is a cozy little restaurant with warm service at a reasonable price. The dishes are very well presented; there is no doubt the chef is talented and has the desire for using fresh products.
White walls, dark brown wood tables, and chairs, off-white color leather make the décor simple yet elegant. In the middle of the back wall, a Buddha painting on a burgundy background depicts well the atmosphere of the restaurant: calm and relaxed. It would’ve been even nicer if instead of the dark carpet, they had covered the floor with hardwood, but that’s just my personal opinion!
The restaurant is not very big but the tables are nicely spaced so diners can have some comfort and talk amongst each other without feeling like they are talking to the people sitting next to them. It’s not very common for this kind of restaurant in Paris, most of the places try to take advantage of each square centimeter and squeeze tables and chairs as much as possible. I sometimes feel I’m sharing my life with strangers, not that it ever bothers me.
La petite tour serves traditional French cuisine based on fresh and seasonal ingredients. Every day is another day, and Sebastien Massart’s menu changes accordingly – always varied enough to please the meat lovers and the pescatarians.
I had the duo of green and white asparagus with Mozzarella and pesto. The dish was very tasty and the mix of flavors was very balanced. For the main dish, I ordered the veal, it was very tender and felt like real veal – sometimes veal and pork can be so tasteless that they can be confused and create an awkward situation. It happened to me a long time ago at a friend’s house, I still don’t know what I ate.
I had the baba au rhum for dessert; it was well soaked and full of rum, as I like it.
The set menu of the day was crab cake for the appetizer followed by white fish steak and orange Panacotta and chocolate crumble for dessert. For €33 it was really flawless: delicious, generous portions served in an attractive presentation.
One of my fellow diners had the Italian burger – it was very juicy and prepared with all fresh vegetables – followed by the lemon tart with meringue: crispy crust, delicious lemon custard, and soft homemade meringue.
And finally the fourth of us was a carnivore; he ordered beef Carpaccio with pesto and Parmesan cheese and Argentinian Black Angus. He didn’t seem to regret it a bit!
I mentioned La petite tour as a family restaurant but in reality, it also suits business meals as well, as it is quiet and very professional.
La petite tour
11 Rue de la Tour, 75116 Paris, France
📞+33 01 45 20 09 31
Price: $$$
The average price for a two-course menu: €38
Closed Sunday
