A French Restaurant in Montmartre: Le Basilic

(Last Update: 25.01.2025) Guest Writer: Devrim BAĞMAN

When a person is addicted to gourmet food, like me, he cannot feel comfortable without identifying his favorite corners of the city he lives in with an eating and drinking place that suits his taste. Wherever he likes to go, he finds either a patisserie whose desserts he admires, a restaurant where he enjoys eating, or a café where he feels at home; he cannot live any other way. Only those who value taste as much as the pleasure they get when listening to a beautiful composition or watching a magnificent oil painting can understand this; no one else can understand this in life.

Our eyes are constantly chasing places around us, we don't want to be left idle for two minutes, they either find us in front of a restaurant examining the menu or peeking our heads in through a half-open door. Even if we have just finished eating, we cannot help but stop at a dessert shop that appeals to us. What can we do? This is how we are :)

For a person of this character to live in a city like Paris, where the world's most delicious wines flow from the taps, where colorful desserts rather than models decorate the windows, and where food is placed on the plate like brushstrokes touching a canvas, is of course equivalent to falling into heaven without dying.

But on the other hand, if we consider that you are in one of the two or three most expensive cities in the world, we can see how this paradise can sometimes be a waste of time. to the torture house You can guess what it could turn into. In this city, the price-quality balance becomes as important as the aesthetics of the place, the beauty of the decoration, the quality of the service and the taste of the food. Unless, of course, we count the moments of fascination when willpower is insufficient :)

Montmartre Hill For me, it is one of the indispensable corners of Paris - no matter how touristic it is. During the ten years I lived in Paris, I always felt incomplete if I didn't go up that hill once or twice a month and get lost in its streets. It's so beautiful in spring, NoelFor me, it is beautiful in a different way, in the rain, and in a different way when the sun shines. There is no need to further ado, the owner of this blog is a veteran Paris fan. Montmartre Hill The article already has as much detail as you want.

Long ago I was Montmartre My only problem with my getaway was that I couldn't find a place to sit and have a pleasant meal when I got there. Or with its delicious desserts Montmartre HillTo drink brewed teas in a charming atmosphere with high ceilings, just below Halle Saint Pierre had already been discovered. The touristic atmosphere of the restaurants on the hill and the factory crowds of some of the small, cute restaurants nearby always repelled me. Then one Saturday afternoon the basilicWe encountered .

Champs ElyséesFrom the M2 metro coming with line Montmartre FunicularWe went down to go up the hill with AntwerpTwo stops from or the famous Paris sex center PigalleJust one stop before Wheat beerWhen you get off at ' and go up the steep hill, Le Basilic appears before you at a crossroads as if it was waiting for you at the beginning of the road. By the way Le Basilica (lö basilic) means "basil" in French.

If from above rather than from below Montmartre HillIf you're wondering how to get there while going down, it's a bit complicated. Of course, there are other shortcuts, but the way to find it easily without getting lost is as follows: Sacre Coeur BasilicaGo down from , either by funicular or on foot. When you reach the stop or carousel below, turn right and walk straight without deviating. After a while you will see Le Basilic.

It feels like you've gone too far and got lost, but actually DalidaYou're right in the back alley from 's grave, and you were just walking up the hill. Amelie movie was shot Cafe des Deux MoulinsYou passed by without realizing it. Even when you turn your head and look back, you see in the distance Abbesses SquareYou see , and its subway, you know ConcordYou say to yourself that if you came from , you would get off here and walk a little to get there. Be careful, when you get off at Abbesses station, do not go up the stairs, because they are endless, make sure to use the elevator :)

Anyway, without further ado, you need to climb the steps of Le Basilic that you see in the cover photo of the article and poke your head through the door. This time, the wood-dominated architectural style that captured my heart on the outside of the building reveals itself as a magnificent interior decoration reminiscent of the Middle Ages as soon as I enter. I always find wood warm, especially if it is a kind that is a hundred years old, has so much experience in it, and when I touch it, I feel as if I will suddenly return to those years, I won't be able to see the food or the service :)

When you poke your head in, the first scary question is "I wonder if a reservation is required?" Of course it happens. Many restaurants in Paris require reservations, especially for dinner and sometimes even for lunch. But it's a good thing that reservations are not required here at noon, otherwise it wouldn't be nice to be turned away from the door after being so mentally prepared :) 

Therefore, I think it would be better to go shortly after the lunch service, which opens at 11:45, or without delaying too much, because the 20 tables inside were suddenly filled for 45 minutes and an hour. 

The atmosphere at Le Basilic draws you in as soon as you sit at the table. First you look around lightly, then you fixate on the flowery bookcase on the wall at the bottom of the restaurant, you can't get enough of looking. Especially if, like me, you have your back to the window opposite the bar and center the restaurant, you can enjoy commanding the entire restaurant. Our old lady, sitting right in front of the bar, will soon be celebrating the marriage of one of her children with her family. He's ordering his champagne now.

He will continue with his white wine shortly. Her daughter, who will sit right next to her, will hold her mother's hand, which she accidentally extended while the waiter was serving, so that the service will not be hindered, and while pulling it away, she will put it to her mouth and kiss it, thus erasing my prejudices about the lack of love in this isolated society.

Anyway, back to the service; Paris is something you will get tired of hearing about before you come, but will agree with after you come and experience it. service shortage has. So much so that sometimes people feel heartbroken and want to walk away :) Life flows so slowly that people always delay everything as if they want to live that moment to the fullest. The waiters act very slowly, as if they are collaborating in this crime.

When you live in it, you embrace and assimilate this culture, but of course it can be annoying when you come for a holiday and rush around in a tight time. That's why a restaurant with fast service is important, and Le Basilic was such a restaurant. The menu arrived immediately and the orders were ready within 5-10 minutes.

But if you want to enjoy the waiting moments, you will order an aperitif before the meal and make this waiting time a pleasure that you do not want to end, as a typical French person always does in his daily life. The most traditional choice for an appetizer is “kir”.

This is an appetizing cocktail made with creme de cassis and wine and it is delicious. It is very special for the French and when you order, you immediately feel a rapport in the waiter's eyes. The version made with champagne instead of wine is “kir royal”. But it is more expensive and I personally find it unnecessary.

Le Basilic is a stylish and slightly expensive restaurant. To order a la carte, that is, by choosing from the menu, you must either have a budget that allows it or be celebrating something special that is worth it. But the reason we are in this restaurant this afternoon is because I forgot to mention it at the beginning. very affordable express lunch menu. Consisting of a choice of an entree and a main course or a main course and a dessert express lunch menu just 15,90€ Which is a really accurate number for this place. This menu is only valid for lunch services during the week. When I first wrote this article, it was also valid on Saturdays... You can access the current numbers and menu from the official web page link at the end of the article.

I ate a vegetable soup as an entree and an extremely delicious, melt-in-your-mouth duck as a main course. The slight bitterness in the sauce left a terrible taste on the palate. The potatoes accompanying it were mother cut, meaty and delicious. Then of course, as usual, I couldn't resist and ordered dessert :)

I'm trying to improve myself in wine, but I can't stop myself from drinking table wine. Since no wine I've ever drank has ever made me unhappy, it doesn't make much sense to go and open a bottle, except for special occasions, especially when you can drink a 25cl carafe of table wine at a more affordable price at a lunch like this.

in red Merlot or Syrah, on white Chardonnay There was, in pink Cinsault. I underline it again, except for special occasions and meaningful occasions :) Otherwise, if I'm going to drink white wine at a meal like this, Sancerreor ChablisFrankly, I wouldn't change it for anything.

Dessert options were quite rich, but as always, “gourmet coffee"I made a mistake this time by wanting to. Café gourmand is a special dessert menu that some restaurants offer where they serve a coffee along with a dessert plate that offers a few different types of desserts.

Most of the time, it's perfect for indecisive people like me who go crazy wondering whether to eat this or that 🙂 But this time, when an option with ice cream and fruit plate came, I couldn't tell you how much I had my eye on the creme caramel my old uncle at the next table was eating :) Anyway, next time.

What makes me feel special after the place is the friendly and attentive behavior of the waiters. It may be a bit of an exaggeration, but most of the time I go to a restaurant just for the waiter. For example, in my neighborhood Trattoria d'AngeloFor me, it is the most beautiful Italian restaurant in Paris, as I cannot experience the pleasure of being welcomed at the door anywhere else in Paris.

Le Basilic's waiters were also very friendly and intelligent. They were practical and quick. What more could there be?

Moreover, what I have in mind to try on the menu are the "bar" fish, which I used instead of blue fish in Paris, and the "bar" fish, which I tried so hard not to dip bread into while the couple sitting on my right side was eating it with appetite.snail” so there is still snail stew. I've never seen this before, I've always eaten snails baked on an iron grill with butter, parsley and garlic.

As a result, Le Basilic has become a restaurant where I feel good and go to whenever I have the opportunity.

Pariste.Net TV'also Alternative Montmartre Tour There is a nice section in the video where this restaurant is introduced, I recommend you to watch it too.

Never lose your taste...

Always with love...

Web address: lebasilic.fr/en

Address: 33 Rue Lepic, 75018 Paris