Caïus

Follow Rue Carnot down from the Arc de Triomphe to the tiny Rue d’Armaillé in the 17th Arrondissement, and you’ll find Caïus.

Its inconspicuous grey exterior, marked with a large orange C, belies what you’ll find inside. Even the Paris Michelin Guide marks it as ‘creative’, although — spoiler alert — it’s not so creative that you should run a mile. 

The setting is Art Deco-inspired elegance, paneled walls, a subdued color scheme with very nice wine displays and a fully stocked bar.

You have a choice of banquettes by the mirror-studded wall, and also separate tables with chairs, for those who don’t like lolling around on couches while eating. There’s even a little secluded area at the back where you might miss the action within the main dining room, but instead get a great view of the action in the kitchen. 

There is chef/owner Jean-Marc Notelet busying himself in the kitchen, and while watching his concentrated, rugged expression, I couldn’t help thinking that he looked a little like Gordon Ramsay, and he even has the football (soccer) connection in common, initially opting for a sporting career before turning to cooking. 

But what he turns out of the kitchen is fabulous, so his change of career is fortuitous for us.

The menu is limited (the wine list is not) to a set menu for 55€, but within the menu, you have good choices of entrees, mains, and desserts.

I opted for the raw tuna salad with sesame seeds and rice vinegar, which was tender and very moreish, while my husband couldn’t resist the fois gras. He didn’t stop moaning contently until the last morsel was licked off his plate!

For mains, we went fishy with dorade à la plancha for my husband and dos de cabillaud roti for me. Both fish filets were cooked to perfection with the addition of crustacean butter for the dorade and, for me, the fancy peas and roquette offered creativity as well as an additional taste to bring out the best in the fish.

For dessert, he opted for the Comté cheese and I for the riz au lait, sharing each between us to get the best of both worlds.

When we finally rolled out of the restaurant, we had already made plans to return soon with friends in tow.