La Cagouille II (Paris)

I know, I know. I have posted about this restaurant already. However; we had to take friends to La Cagouille because we kept telling them how good it was.


The restaurant has a nautical theme to it but it is not overdone (not Disneyland or anything like that). You just know that the restaurant has something to do with the sea and seafood. The ambiance is easy going.


For our entrée we decided to share a mix of seafood starters for four persons. It was unbelievable. Deep fried calamari, white bate & rougé and long clams.


The next entrée we shared was scallop carpaccio. A very nice dish. The scallops sitting in a butter gelatin. However; the gelatin did not overwhelm the scallop taste, it just enhanced it.


The next entrée was squid carpaccio. I always liked this simple dish. Nothing to it really; fresh squid drizzle some olive oil, salt & pepper. It was simply tasty.


The wine we had to start our meat was a chablis. I did not know the wine, but we all liked it very much.


The first main dish was a norwegian fish with lots of steamed veggies. I really liked this dish. The norwegian fish had a nice firm texture to it. What I really like about La Cagouille is that the fish is the main star on the dish. No heavy sauces; nothing. The fish needs to stand out on its own from its taste and texture. The side dishes are taking a supporting role but a very important role.


The second main dish was a sea bass with steamed spinache. A good sea bass is one of the best dishes around. The meat of the sea bass was soft and tender. Cooked perfectly so that it was moist and flaky.


The third main dish was a sole. The sole stood out on its own. This fish has a lovely colour, texture and taste. The portion was huge; it did not even need a side dish to accompany it. However; some very tasty mashed potatoes came with it.


The service this evening was better than usual. The gentleman who was taking care of our table (I think he was also the restaurant manager) was very good and attentive. Friendly and had a good sense of humour. After our lovely meal, our friend wanted to sit outside in the terrace to smoke a cigar. The restaurant manager wanted to offer us a digestif of a 1983 Cognac (which was very thoughtful of him). We jokingly told him that we will take the bottle with us outside so we can continue to drink and smoke the cigar. He said of course you can take the bottle with you. How kind is that?


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