Brutus, the Batignolles crêperie

Bringing a breath of fresh air and innovation to the world of crêperie: that's the ambition set by Maxence, Charles and Vincent, the three young Parisians of Breton and Normandy origin behind Brutus, the excellent crêperie in the Batignolles district of Paris.

If you hear the word crêperie in Paris, you'll answer rue du Montparnasse, in the ^14th arrondissement, where the street's many restaurants all boast the same decor inspired by Breton traditions, with wood, earthenware and boats...

Forget what you know, and discover a young concept based around crepes. The name? Brutus. Nestled since last spring in the Batignolles district of Paris, this restaurant aims to dust off traditional crêperies by bringing a breath of freshness and modernity with an effective motto: "crêpophile et cidrologue".

Maxence, Charles and Vincent, three young Parisians with origins in Brittany and Normandy, came up with this bright, blue crêperie for a touch of the sea.

Blending traditional childhood memories with astonishing creations, the short but effective menu offers 8 buckwheat pancakes and 10 crêpes, 4 of which are very well filled!

As for the galettes, they're all named after their respective grandmothers. These include the Lucienne ( gravlax salmon, chive crème fraîche and hummus), the Yvonne (white ham chiffonade, mirror egg and Beaufort) and the Jacqueline ( fresh goat's cheese, honey, walnuts, snow peas and pickled peppers).

You'll also be tempted by one of the house's flagship galettes, the excellent Galette Annette , made with truffled ham, pan-fried mushrooms and Beaufort cheese.

It's this one that gets my taste buds tingling, while my sidekick opts for the Jeanine , made with pan-fried Andouillette de Vire, Emmenthal, apple fruit, onion confit with cider and old-fashioned mustard.

The best part? The lightness of the crêpe dough, thanks to a very special technique used by the Chef, who is also from Brittany: he taps the dough with his full hand to stretch it and make it more airy.

As for the sweet crepes, there's no getting away from the unavoidable and very tasty homemade chocolate on one side and homemade salted butter caramel on the other.

Bigger appetites will be tempted by the Martine ( homemade apple compote, chestnut cream, fromage frais and speculoos chips) or the Eliane ( homemade chocolate sauce, pear carpaccio, toasted almonds and vanilla ice cream).

As well as offering succulent galettes and crêpes, Brutus is also dedicated to cider, becoming the first cider cellar in Paris. The venue boasts a fine selection of 21 different draught ciders, as well as a cocktail menu featuring cider and perry, and a number of original ciders such as chestnut cider, ginger perry and cider aged in calvados barrels.

The three friends have chosen to honor all their terroirs (Pays Basque, Normandy, Brittany) to offer different flavors: acidity, fruitiness, bitterness...

To make the most of these different references, Brutus also offers an Aperitif formula with a glass of cider of the day, such as Cornouaille PDO cider, and a board of 4 to 6 buckwheat tapas (salmon and yuzu rolls, vegetable samossas with honey sauce, sardine rillettes).

Thanks to its delicious, creative and gourmet galettes and crêpes, it didn't take long for Brutus to win over the taste buds of local residents, who no longer have to travel miles to enjoy a Breton immersion experience just the way we like it!