Of all the foods in the world to deconstruct, the galette complète, that perfect all-in-one meal of egg, ham, and cheese in a hot buckwheat envelope, seems like an unlikely candidate, and yet that’s exactly what I was faced with at La Compagnie de Bretagne, the new upscale crêperie in the Sixth.
I might not have minded this nonsense so much if it had been any good, but this was a sorry specimen, possibly pre-made, without a crisp, lacy border, and with none of the deep golden nuttiness that decent galettes have.
Olivier Roellinger is a consultant here, and the menu is sprinkled with names of producers (Lepage ham, cheese by Marie Dubois). That’s wonderful, but to make great galettes requires skills and a well-seasoned griddle. Just ask the lady at Josselin, whose way with butter and a hot round of cast iron is rivaled only by the Jedi cooks pouring batter at Breizh Café.
I struggle to recommend addresses in this part of Paris, and La Compagnie de Bretagne hasn’t made it any easier. It’s a posh space that will flatter the sixième families who will probably fill the seats, and there was some redemption in the great list of Breton ciders (and beers and juices), and the excellent, vanilla-laden rhubarb compote that filled a dessert crêpe. But in all this attention to detail — from the pedigreed products to the maritime art on the walls and the Breton translations on the menu — the crêpe itself seems to have been forgotten.
La Compagnie de Bretagne 9 rue de l’École de Medicine, Paris 75006 +33 (0)1 43 29 39 00 open every day
Read more about La Compagnie de Bretagne on Paris by Mouth
See more photos on Flickr
ouch. non merci. and that ham up top, not lookin’ so appetizing either. thanks for the heads up. josselin and breizh (my usual), totally on my paris list for the fall. shall we ?
Ouch, that galette looks painful.
wtf..?!
So disappointing — passed by a couple of times in July/August and was really looking forward to trying this — big fan of Olivier Roellinger. That photo makes me want to cry. Who’s cooking there – a Nebraskan crepe maker? Sad!
As soon as you said “upscale” I knew it was all downhill from there. Sometimes a “don’t eat here” post is worth publishing, thank you for this one!
Sorry about that but thanks for sharing!
I just wrote about the best creperie of Paris:
http://www.sweet-paris.com/2011/09/breizh-cafe-les-meilleures-crepes-de.html
Maybe you’ve been there before. They are delicious!
Kerrin – I’d love to go for crèpes when you’re here!
Ptipois – ouch is right.
David L – You should see the one with a single whole link of sausage…
David B – You can see the cooks in the glassed-in kitchen, though there wasn’t much cooking happening the day I was there.
Lindsey – Yeah, “upscale” and “crêperie” don’t really go together, though the prices are surprisingly reasonable, only a touch higher than Breizh. The interior is by Pierre-Yves Rochon , by the way, who is known for top-end hotel work.
Deborah – I mention Breizh in the post. It’s a favorite.
Oh, what a shame. I loved Olivier Roellinger, too. Though he is from northern Brittany and galettte country is in the far west, nearer to Quimper, and I wonder if that’s part of the problem?
[...] Barbra Austin (2011) “This was a sorry specimen, possibly pre-made, without a crisp, lacy border, and with none of the deep golden nuttiness that decent galettes have… There was some redemption in the great list of Breton ciders (and beers and juices), and the excellent, vanilla-laden rhubarb compote that filled a dessert crêpe. But in all this attention to detail — from the pedigreed products to the maritime art on the walls and the Breton translations on the menu — the crêpe itself seems to have been forgotten.” [...]