At 13 rue Chapon, Parcelles has everything you need to form some very bad habits: crisp white tablecloths, generous French cuisine, a stellar cellar, and a menu that changes just enough to justify a swift return. Sarah Michielsen dreamed of a restaurant where regulars would eventually speak of "their table" or "their dish." I was not about to disappoint her.
There comes a time in Parisian life when you stop searching for new places every Saturday and start returning, always, to the same one. You know the street, you know which table you prefer, and ideally, you barely need to open the menu.
I have a cantine in the Marais. Yes, I am that person.
This one is at 13 rue Chapon, and its story begins with a decision made almost as quickly as a last-minute booking. On February 27, 2020, Sarah Michielsen visited the former Taxi Jaune, a bistro housed in a spot where people have dined since the 1930s. Two hours later, she made an offer. Two weeks later, France went into lockdown. People advised her to walk away; she chose to go on.
Yet Sarah knew the industry's complications all too well. After twenty years in the business, including the Michelin-starred adventure of Itinéraires, she was not looking to open another showy restaurant with Parcelles. She wanted to return to something far more essential: the bistro, the dining room, the regulars, and a French cuisine that offers no apologies for butter or cream.
In fact, the lockdown forged a connection with the neighborhood in an unexpected way. Right across the street, at number 12, sits the Parcelles cave-épicerie. Originally meant to support the restaurant, the closures turned it into an outpost. Even before welcoming guests to a table, Parcelles began to exist through its bottles, its pantry, and the neighbors passing down rue Chapon.
Since then, the menu shifts with the seasons and arrivals: tête de veau sauce gribiche, sweetbreads in brown butter, gnocchi, or a chocolate tart with whipped cream have all made appearances. Not exactly the kind of food where you proudly announce you'll have "just something light."
Taste
Parisian cantine · Rue Chapon · Le Marais · White tablecloths · Comme d’habitude · French butter · Sauce gribiche · Ris de veau · Natural wine · Cave d’en face
