It's a street called Rue du Nil with a couple entities by "Frenchie". The restaurant, the bar, the wine cellar and the "to go" place. Pastrami, lobster rolls, Reubens, hotdogs and pulled pork... This place seems to have five of my favorite sandwiches.
Pastrami in New York, Reuben in Chicago pulled pork in Beirut, Lobster in London, I've had some really good sandwiches lately and wasn't expecting to find them all in a single restaurant in Paris. Thanks to my friend Kamal, we were standing in line for a fine lunch.
I wanted to have the pastrami but they were out of stock that day, so why not have the Reuben and pulled pork? A small place, a low ceiling, lots of wood and a display fridge with some high tables and their stools, we had to take the sandwiches and leave because at 12:30 the place was already full.
While waiting, back to the street. A calm street with two lines of high buildings has an old cachet to it. The butcher, the vegetable market, the wineries and some restaurants of which one is "Frenchie On the Go".
Order and wait outside.
We ordered:
- Pulled pork sandwich €11: Gontran Cherrier bun stuffed with smoked pork with homemade barbecue sauce and red coleslaw.
- Reuben €12: Rye and grain bread filled with shorthorn smoked meat, English cheddar cheese and red coleslaw.
- The French fries were €4.
Eat and the your dreams fade out:
- The Rubens is way too salty, salty to the extent that you won't taste anything else. A crunchy bread generously filled with slices of tender beef and sweet coleslaw, but the salt! Deceiving. I've had better in Beirut.
- The pulled pork: In a chewy brioche is a little portion of pulled pork, too much cabbage and spice. Cumin that's overpowering and covers everything else. What a deceiving sandwich, to say the least. I've had way better in Lebanon, the sandwich I called WTF back home.
- Fries: Nothing to write home about.
Frenchie is not a place for your Rubens or pulled pork, they surely need to learn how they're done properly. Come on guys, you need a trip to the states. Overrated!
