Description: Au Dernier Metro is a small brasserie situated, as the name might suggest, right by the overhead metro line running down the length of Boulevard Grenelle. It has a gorgeous Art Nouveau styled frontage, with tables that spill out onto the pavement. Inside is atmospheric and welcoming - the theme continues, with dark wood work, mirrors, lots of old signs, chalk boards, and so on.
After a three year gap, we were a little cautious about going back to somewhere that we used to love, but we needn't have been, as it was still just as good as we'd remembered. We arrived as lunch service was starting, and were able to choose where to sit - picking a table inside on the left-hand side. However it rapidly filled up with a wide range of people, from tourists like us, to local business people clearly "doing lunch", to those just having "a verre" outside. It's definitely more a brasserie than restaurant, being both casual and laid back.
The extensive menu focuses on produce and recipes from the South West of France, and that week also the Basque region, which included some of the beer and wines. Specials are written on various chalk boards inside, as well as on either side of the entrance. The staff are friendly, and in the case of our waitress - chatty and funny too - even while very busy.
To aid with the decision-making process, hubby had a Leffe, and I had a basque beer - an Eki - which wasn't quite to my taste...but it was interesting to try something new. On to the food. Hubby had a "Planche Sud-ouest" - which is a wooden platter with a range of South West specialties, including confit de canard, rillettes, ham, cheese, and potato salad. I had the Salade Neptune which was a copious bowlful of nicely dressed salad with smoked salmon, tuna and prawns, with toast. We shared a small carafe of rosé, also Basque, but much nicer than the beer was.
For dessert we tried the chocolate mousse and the tarte du jour, which turned out to be lemon meringue pie. Both very nice, though I think the chocolate mousse won...just slightly. It was a lovely lunch, served at just the right speed. Portion sizes are fairly generous, so for lunch it's a good thing we didn't opt for three courses. They do have a set menu of the day which looked like good value. Our meal came to 47,10 Euros, which was a bargain. Being busy, but well managed, the place had a happy bustley buzz to it, and it all felt very French. They always say that if the locals choose to eat at a place, it must be good - and that certainly holds true here.
The brasserie is open from 6pm to 2am every day, and it's well worth the relatively short walk from the Eiffel Tower to get here. We love it, and are already planning on going back next time!
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