A surprisingly imposing red Citroën truck greets us at the entrance to TUB, thenew restaurant on rue de Beaujolais, in Palais Royal. The owner is no stranger to food trucks, having criss-crossed the streets of Paris with his own for several years. So, in a nod to the past, he decided to reverse the trend and put a truck inside a restaurant.
The kitchen, open for all to see, promises good, quick and simple dishes, such as flammenkuches (a specialty of Alsace and also a TUB specialty : a thin pastry covered with crème fraiche, raw onions and lardons, for the classic recipe); but also rectangular pizzas, hamburgers and salads.
We let ourselves be guided by the owner, an Alsatian by birth, and choose a nice flammenkuche with munster cheese (15€) and a Bacon BBQ hamburger (18€). It's easy to see why the flammenkuche is the pride and joy of the owner: the dough, made by an Alsatian artisan baker, is crisp and the whole thing drips with munster cheese.
As for the hamburger, made with organic sesame bread, it's simple but effective, and comes with a nice bowl of fries. For dessert, try the astonishing sweet flammenkuche (12€): the same pastry as the savoury version, but topped with thin slices of apple and a dash of cinnamon, perfect to round off this meal with the flavours of Alsace.
Conveniently located behind the magnificent Théâtre du Palais-Royal, with its calm, sunny terrace, TUB is always busy, offering non-stop service from midday to midnight. The food here is fast, good and efficient, and the prices are very reasonable for the area. The perfect place to come with friends and share a plank, a pizza or a tarte flambée (the other name for flammenkuche), without worrying about maxing out your credit card.
Rumour has it that the upstairs will soon be fitted out to welcome even more gourmands, and that a hidden bar will soon be opening in the basement. But shh, we didn't tell you!
Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.
