Eating in a fishmonger's is a great way to be sure of eating fresh fish, shellfish and crustaceans. Grégory Areinx, the restaurant's founder, is aware of the lack of restaurants offering real, fresh, high-quality French fish, so he decided to launch this new concept of restaurant-bar-fishmonger-caterer, which he intends to see proliferate.
Eating seafood is great, but eating good French produce from sustainable fishing is even better. At La Reine Mer, fish and shellfish are selected from small French fishermen who advocate sustainable fishing. Just like Tom Saveurs, Poiscailles and Terroirs d'Avenir.
At the stall, we find Badr, who worked for 4 years at Terroirs d'Avenir. He knows a thing or two about fishing and seafood. He'll be happy to advise and guide you.
The restaurant is more like a counter. There are 2 dining areas. In front of the light-filled storefront, or off to one side. 12 seats on stainless steel tables to keep with the theme.
All the raw fish available for sale is cooked and prepared for consumption on the premises, for takeaway or delivery. In the kitchen, we find Salomé. A chef who cut her teeth with Jean François Piège, Eric Trochon and Thoumieux, and who knows seafood inside out, having worked at Terroirs d'Avenir.
The result is dishes that are healthy, simple yet refined. Tartars, ceviche, sea bream, octopus salad and soup, marinated mackerel and smoked salmon are all on the menu. La Reine Mer has a special menu for every day of the week. Tuesday is tataki, Wednesday is risotto, Thursday is land-sea marriage, Friday is aioli and Saturday is surprise!
On the day of our visit, we tried the excellent Banka trout tartare with soy, sesame and ginger. A fine, subtly spicy tartare.
For tataki day, we opted for the Bonito tataki and the Grilled squid with parsley. Barely sautéed, with fresh fennel on the side and a secret sauce, we couldn't agree more.
No time to relax? Forget the sandwiches and try the sandfish, a kind of giant spring roll with marinated vegetables and raw fish, a real treat.
For the moment, the place is only open for take-away on Sundays, but from mid-April onwards, a brunch will be available. La Reine Mer is also the ideal spot for an affordable Happy Oyster. At €9 for 6 good oysters accompanied by a glass of wine, this is a good deal to try every day from 12:30 to 7:00 pm.
In short, we've got ourselves an ultra-fresh, ultra-etic sea food spot Friends?
Location
La Reine Mer
1 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud
75011 Paris 11
Prices
Happy Oyster: €9
tartares: €12 - €14
plats: €18
Recommended age
For all
Official website
www.lareinemer.com
