Restaurant Reviews: Fichon in Paris

Montmartre may be one of the most charming neighbourhoods in Paris, but it’s not always an easy place to find a good, affordable meal, especially around the tourist-heavy Place du Tertre. Walk a few blocks away from the crowds, however, and you’ll find some terrific local tables, including the delightful Fichon, a new seafood restaurant with a talented Japanese chef, Katsuhiko Sato.

The reasonable prices at this triangular restaurant occupying the former premises of a hardware store help to explain why you’ll have to book in advance to join the ever-growing ranks of local regulars. The chalkboard menu in the dining room with exposed stone walls changes with regularity, but runs exceptionally fresh crudos and carpaccios, shellfish, and splendid dishes like tuna tartare with garnishes of Granny Smith apple cut into matchsticks, steamed cockles and squid’s ink mayonnaise and steamed skate wing with chorizo, Brussels sprouts and a Xérès-spiked ricotta cream.

Fichon is a great address for oenophiles, too, since Matthieu, the proprietor, used to ply his trade in the wine business and the knowledge he gleaned from that has helped him put together an original and gently priced list, on which two stand-out bottles include a 2013 Krauthaker Grasevina Korija (€25), a lively white from Croatia, and a lush red biodynamic 2014 Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence from Domaine La Coste, the spectacular wine estate with a world-class collection of contemporary art.

98 rue Marcadet, Paris 18th. Tel: +33(0)9 70 94 52 14. Average three-course meal €30. Website: www.fichon.fr

From France Today magazine