La Table de Martine: the family-style restaurant in the 16th arrondissement

In the 16th arrondissement, La Table de Martine warms hearts with its authentic family cuisine and decor full of memories. A place to rediscover the comforting flavors of Sunday family meals...

In the middle of the 16th arrondissement 's beautiful neighborhoods, one restaurant stands out for its human warmth. La Table de Martine, with its friendly, old-school decor, gives pride of place to family cooking. For this mother of one, who has spent her whole life in front of the stove, it was only logical to give life to this establishment where each recipe tells a story, a memory with her loved ones, many of whom work alongside her.

In a warm alcove, a little wink amuses: a series of these little childhood books,"Martine". Warmly welcomed by the famous Martine, we settle into this cocoon bathed in luminosity, opening onto a small bar and a colorful pizza oven, with a small outdoor terrace for fine weather. With family recipes and beautiful vintage and antique crockery, you'll soon feel as if you'vecome to eat at your grandmother's on a Sunday, just like at home.

A genuine, heartfelt approach that can be felt in the dishes, homemade of course, using fresh organic produce or products from small-scale producers. For starters, we tried L'Aubergine Brûlée, whose smokiness is particularly noticeable in the first few bites. But sesame cream softens this toasted aspect, for a perfect balance of flavors, with delicately vinegared tomatoes and fresh herbs.

A generous start that delights gourmet stomachs, as does the starter of the day, homemade foie gras with orange jam. Seasoned with sauternes, it gives off strong aromas on the palate without being overpowering, with a welcome sweetness and saltiness that goes perfectly with the white wine chosen for the meal.

For the main course, it's time for my Mum's indisputable Poulet Fermier Rôti, which takes us back to our youthful memories, accompanied by a tasty tomato-garlic-onion sauce that avoids a dry dish, and crispy fries.

The Bouchées de Sole Épaisse from Arnaud (one of his sons) also caught our eye, with a lightly breaded fish enhanced by an excellent, lemony meunière sauce. Alongside its melt-in-the-mouth potatoes with cream sauce, this dish proved to be very digestible, yet generous and comforting.

To finish off this lovely, heart-warming lunch, we hesitated for a long time, with Le Gâteau au Chocolat Crapuleux or La Crème Caramel de mon Enfance looking simply delicious, but we finally opted for Paulette's Tarte au Citron, an autumnal delight with its homemade pastry, its little taste of cinnamon, melt-in-the-mouth and softly sweet, without bitterness, just like we used to eat at our grandmother's house years ago.