The Humble Crepe Gets a Paris Makeover

The humble crepe has been enjoying a Paris makeover recently as stylish yet relaxed restaurants devoted to neo-griddlecakes topped with anything from yuzu and Japanese sugar to sautéed scallops have popped up in trendsetting neighborhoods throughout the city.

While traditional crepe restaurants (crêperies) and quick-snack crepe stands remain common in Paris, the crepe has been rising from comfort food status to a trend-conscious lunching and dining choice.

Basically, it’s a Cinderella story for the modest crepe which, at the basic level, is simply an undernourished pancake. Crepe batter lacks a rising agent, like baking soda, that makes the pancake comparatively thick and heavy in the belly.

Crêpes, which wear a circumflex hat in French (optional in English), have been associated with Brittany since the 12th century when buckwheat, newly introduced to the region, proved to be one of the few crops that flourished on the region’s hardscrabble terrain. (That historic Brittany connection explains the numerous traditional crêperies on and around Rue d’Odessa and Rue du Montparnasse, near the Montparnasse station, where trains arrive from that region.)

It’s the non-gluten quality of buckwheat—known as sarrasin or blé noir ­(black wheat) in France—that contributes to the crêpe’s popularity with the current generation of picky eaters. And it doesn’t hurt that crepes are relatively versatile, made-to-order and inexpensive, averaging 7 to 12 euros a piece in their savory form in Paris. Even in their fashion-conscious accessorized form they’re only a few euros pricier than their country cousins.

A savory buckwheat crepe is often referred to as a galette in French. Dessert crepes are generally fashioned from white flour, though sarrasin flour works perfectly with honey, fruit and Nutella and can be substituted on request.

Savory crepes are traditionally consumed with low-alcohol cider instead of wine since Brittany and Normandy, the historical homes for savory crepes, are short on vineyards and long on apple orchards.

The crepe’s stylish versatility is on display in the following five restaurants which represent some of the best of the current crop of trendsetting crêperies in Paris.

Brutus

Super-chic Brutus, combines two hot trends—designer crêpes and imaginative cocktails—in a wood-accented venue in the white-hot Batignolles quarter. No reservations, but that’s no problem since this is the only crêperie in Paris with an active bar scene. Order some tapas (the sardine rillettes are divine) while you wait for a table and sip a refreshing, gin-tinted cider cooler or a smooth cider sour with a fluffy froth of egg white. The crepes vary from classic cheese/egg/ham to chicken tajine. In a nod to the past, the crepes are named after the grandmothers of the three owners’ grandmothers: Paulette, Lucienne, Babette etc. Sample a novelty fruit potion—like the Scandinavian-style cidre des glaces made from frozen apples—for a digestif with an unusual kick.

Brutus. 99 rue des Dames, 17th arr. Metro Rome or Villiers. Tel: 09 86 53 44 00.

Odyssey

The soundtrack is “Best of Star Wars”; the menu is printed in Aurebash (Imperial Galactic Basic); and although diners are requested to check their light-sabers at the door, there’s a lot more to Odyssey than Skywalker/Solo nostalgia. Just a few blocks south of Notre Dame (and conveniently located on a block that’s rife with Sci-Fi boutiques), the capable kitchen honors the home-worlds of multiple alien cultures. The Gallifrey crêpe features Roquefort, Swiss cheese, bacon and walnuts and the utterly delectable Klendathu mixes minced leeks, chive and goat cheese. There’s even a nod to Remulak. If Princess Leia, currently working undercover as a Latin Quarter waitress, suggests a supplement of extra cheese on your Dagobah, go for it. She knows.

Odyssey. 6 rue Dante, 5th arr. Metro Cluny La Sorbonne or Maubert Mutualité. Tel: 01 77 12 06 70.

Crêperie Gigi

Crêperie Gigi pushes the metro-menu ingredient envelope with fillings like shitake mushrooms and truffled ham. Since this popular Upper Marais joint takes no reservations, you may have a lot of time on the sidewalk to ponder your esoteric order. On the other hand, as the proprietors of Gigi are in the process of buying up all the storefronts on this scenic street, you can do this in comfort at their cozy wine bar, Le Barav, a few doors away. (You might also take a minute to enquire about artisanal ciders like the Granny Smith-scented Domaine du Tertre from Gigi’s cellar.) Crêpes may be essentially Breton, but as neighboring Normandy also lays a claim to flat pancake fame, almost every crêperie offers a Norman-style apple-based dessert. Gigi’s version—topped with melt-in-the-mouth sautéed apples, vanilla ice cream and flamed with a splash of Calvados brandy—is one of the best.

Crêperie Gigi. 4 rue de la Corderie, 3rd Arr. Metro République, Temple, Oberkampf or Filles du Calvaire. Tel: 07 83 58 75 30.

Mona Kerbili Crêperie Bretonne

Mona Kerbili was a mythological Breton maiden whose tumultuous love affair with an underwater Merman Prince ended in Happy-Ever-After-Land… even as all the minor characters in the saga suffered major collateral damage. What better namesake setting for a pre- or post-Puccini nosh? Mona Kerbili Crêperie Bretonne, located a few arias away from the Bastille Opera, opened in October 2018 and – of all the pancake-houses heretofore mentioned – is the best venue for a Date Night. The dreamy sea-blue walls and sepia forest wallpaper evoke the surf’n’turf romance of Mona and her Mer-Macho lover that’s echoed in a surf’n’turf selection (salmon, sausage, sardines). Picky eaters can always choose the “build-your-own” option: ham? goat cheese or Swiss? tomatoes? sautéed mushrooms? spinach? Nice chardonnay by the glass if you’re tired of hard cider.

Mona Kerbili Crêperie Bretonne. 16 rue de la Roquette, 11th arr. Metro Bastille. Tel: 01 58 30 88 18.

Breizh Café

The Breizh Café franchise, is the closest French equivalent to America’s beloved IHOP (International House of Pancakes) chain. Its founder, Bertrand Larcher, took an exceptionally long detour on his way from Brittany to Paris, opening signature crêperies in Tokyo and Kyoto before inaugurating his first Paris outpost in the Marais. The granite/wood/slate decors are very sleek, and although it’s still possible to get a budget lunch at a BC, some of the specialty crêpes—like the vegan beet/avocado/tofu savory galette with sesame seed oil—are priced a bit higher than the norm in the restaurants cited previously.

Breizh Café has the following outlets in Paris:
Marais. 109, rue Vieille-du-Temple, 3rd arr. Metro: Filles du Calvaire. Tel: 01 42 72 13 77.
Odéon. 1, rue de l’Odéon, 6th arr. Metro: Odéon. Tel: 01 42 49 34 73.
Montorgueil. 14 bis, rue des Petits Carreaux, 2nd arr. Metro: Sentier. Tel: 01 42 33 97 78.
Batignolles. 31 rue des Batignolles, 17th arr. Metro Rome. Tel: 01 40 07 11 69.

© 2019, Corinne LaBalme.