Figata: our test of the new Italian grocery that smells good the sun of the 18th district

Do you miss the vacations in the sun? Why not find them on your plate at Figata, an Italian-Sardinian delicatessen in the 18th arrondissement offering a whole range of products straight from this beautiful sunny country (almost all year round, depending on where you go), but also revisited sandwiches for lunch and a Mediterranean aperitivo in the evening. A shop imagined by Charlotte and Flora, two Franco-Sardinian twin sisters, for a unique culinary journey!

What can you find in this grocery store? Sardinian specialties, of course, such as pane guttiau, a kind of very thin bread that looks like a pancake, but also mini Selargino capers from Marco Maxia, a selection of mountain pecorinos (a cooked sheep's cheese) as well as more than 20 references of pasta - among which the Cellino brand, that you can't find anywhere else in France - and a 100% Sardinian wine and liquor cellar. And of course, the great classics, such as buffalo mozzarella, gorgonzola by the spoonful, taggiasche olives by the ladle or a small mortadella straight from Bologna.

At Figata, you don't just shop... We also eat! At lunchtime, Charlotte and Flora offer you"focadwiches", sandwiches made with focaccia bread whose recipes come from the brilliant brain of Mattia, chef of La Riposte, in the 9th district. And in the evening, it's time for anaperitivo! On the drink side, glasses of wine and Ichnusa - a Sardinian beer - will delight the palates of connoisseurs, and on the dish side, crispy breads, pecorino romano maturo and other stuffed peppers will make your taste buds travel!

A menu that we were able to test... We were tempted by the dish of the day, gnocchi with pecorino cream and its beautiful burrata, as well as by a "focadwiches" with coppa. Two homemade creations to fall off the chair, so gourmet and tasty are they! The gnocchi are just perfect, and the "focadwich" is absolutely divine. The quality-price ratio is also really interesting. Count 9 euros for the plate of gnocchi and 10 euros for the two focadwiches and its bread chips.

For dessert, we opted for the home-made tiramisu... A dinguery! A beautiful airy and ultra tasty proposal, to finish well the meal. And to make all this go down? Chinoto (a kind of bitter Italian cola) and a Limonata, straight from southern Italy. Note that the grocery store is rather well supplied (we succumbed to hazelnut wafers, powerful in taste), and that a privatizable room for events, for a dozen people, is also put at the disposal on occasion.

• To be read
• Italian restaurants in Paris, our best addresses
• The best delicatessens in Paris
• Rusidda, the Republic's Sicilian grocery store

In short, a great address that would be stupid to miss, especially if you are in the area... So, are you in the mood for some good Italian food, friends?