Restaurant Le Plomb du Cantal : the Auvergne institution where aligot and truffade are honored

When it comes to gastronomy, Paris is at the crossroads of flavors. Cuisines from all over the world can be found here, as well as French regional specialties. So, if you feel like rediscovering the charm of the mountains, there are those warm spots that bring the Auvergne to you. This is the case of the Plomb du Cantal, a real institution in Paris that awaits you in three addresses: one on the Grands Boulevards side, the other two in the Montparnasse district.

Here you will find both the charm of a typical Parisian café and the warmth of a mountain chalet. This old-fashioned spirit sounds like a return to the roots through the sure values of a good traditional cuisine. Here you are in this kind of address with generous plates and good value for money. On the menu:aligot and homemade truffade with a piece of meat of your choice or other specialties, such as cabbage stuffed with aveyronnaise or tripoux.

Perfect to counter the cold in the capital, the aligot is a specialty of Aubrac composed of mashed potatoes, fresh tome, cream and garlic, whose smooth and runny texture will entice lovers of melted cheese. As for the truffade, it comes from the Cantal mountains and has a more consistent texture than the aligot with potatoes sliced and browned and accompanied by a slightly ripened cheese(fresh tome, Cantal or Salers depending on the recipe).

• To be read
• Tips for the week of April 29 - May 5, 2024 in Paris: free or inexpensive outings
• What to do in Paris and the Ile-de-France region in April 2024? Our good plans and ideas to discover
• Where to eat out in Paris? Good addresses, discoveries and favorites by arrondissement

In both cases, these specialties are served at the minute, from the pan to accompany the piece of your choice. For our part, we will have cracked for the duck breast (400g) and the beef mitre (250g), with a successful bleeding cooking. We then witness the gourmet spectacle of serving the aligot, which drips from the copper pan to generously cover half of our plate, demonstrating as a preamble the silky texture that we are about to taste. We are ready for this traditional meal that makes us feel at home. One would almost expect to see through the window the mountains of Auvergne.

It's hard not to feel full after these copious dishes. And yet, motivated by greed, the call of the dessert could well be heeded. Just like the rest of the menu, here, traditional and homemade sweets are honored, including the floating island, which is less and less found on the menu of Parisian brasseries. But beware, here, we find this dessert in an XXL version with its snow-whipped eggs on top of the custard with some caramel grapes on top. You might have a hard time getting over it and yet, you'd better be prepared for it!