Riddle of the day: what is cozy, friendly and makes your taste buds dance the flamenco? It’s Flor de Naranja, of course! This small Spanish restaurant already settled in rue Legendre two months ago and already conquered local inhabitants’ hearts.
Tony Castells and Aurélie Millon, best friends and now associates, came up with a friendly and generous address. Determined to make you (re)discover the Spanish cuisine, they wanted a place where it feels good to live and share. Here, no reason to deny yourself, most dishes on the menu costs under €10!
Well, here, no tapas. We’d rather serve a generous slice of the tortilla cooked by Tony Castells. Like the rest of the menu. Coming from a small village near Valencia, the manager worked family recipes to make you taste a hearty cooking delighting everyone’s heart. No frozen goods, not at all! Tony puts a point of honor in cooking with fresh ingredients and specialties coming directly from Spain only. More precisely, they come from small producers you can find in his birth village, and he knows everyone there.
This is how the restaurant offers dishes full of Spanish flavors. As starter, you can – for example – enjoy the Calamares, Mejillones y Pulpa, in other words a trio of quid, mussels with escabeche, and garlic octopus you can eat on your own or with your guest, the banderillas (small skewers with bell pepper, spring onions and Serrano ham) or the Pan con tomate (bread, garlic, black olive cream and sobrassada).
In terms of main courses, we’ve got the tortilla of course, plain or with chorizo, a Catalan salad served with potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes and Spanish charcuterie, or the Toastadas Españolas: three slices of farmhouse bread with Serrano ham, tomatoes, Manchega cheese and bell peppers.
And for dessert, Flor de Naranja offers two gourmet treats to end this meal on a sweet and flawless note. First, the Spanish madeleine flavored with orange blossom and likely reminding you of your sunniest childhood memories. The second main dessert of the restaurant is the Crema Catalana, a Spanish version of the French crème brûlée. We break the crispy and sweet crust to enjoy the vanilla and orange blossom cream Tony prepares every morning. Deliciously addictive.
You can also taste the Spanish cold meats board with the very coveted pata negra as well as serrano, lomo and of course chorizo, the whole sprinkled with Manchego slices. And while we’re at it, the cheese board is also likely to delight sweet-savory fans. It features Manchego and Tetilla served with a quince paste and fig bread slices.
The drink list will also please beer lovers because Flor de Naranja offers you beverages coming straight from Spain and that you won’t find anywhere else in Paris. Oenophiles are not left out, Tony prepared a thorough selection. Among others, we find a Bilbao from 2013 that meets a true success as well as Freixenet, a sparkling wine from the Barcelona region you must discover as soon as possible. Sangria is also on the list as well as squeezed orange juice and smoothies made with seasonal fruits!
When leaving, our eyes are attracted by the “Volver” movie poster decorating one of the walls. We make a promise: to come back.
Practical information:
Flor de Naranja
145 rue Legendre – 75017 Paris
Open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 6:45 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Sundays from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m;
Closed on Mondays
Location
Flor de Naranja
75017 Paris 17
Access
Metro Brochant (line 13), La Fourche (line 13), Guy Môquet (line 13)
Prices
Crema Catalana: €4.5
Tortilla Classica: €5.5
Calamares, Mejillones y Pulpa: €6.5
