On the Place du Trocadéro, the Musée de l’Homme reminds us of our middle-school days. Passing in front of the Palais de Chaillot, a splendid Art Deco edifice, time flies by: first as a child, amazed by the australopithecine skeletons, then as a teenager, requisitioned to show the mummies of Peru to the English correspondent, and finally as a parent, amazed by the successful modernization of this 133-year-old museum that tells the story of our history and prehistory.
And then, with our funny brain vintage 2023, we zap from anthropology to the desire to go to dinner! Inside, there’s a restaurant with quite a terrace, isn’t there? Indeed, it’s called “Café de l’Homme”, and it’s got everything to give sapiens an excellent time.
Langoustines in kadaif vermicelli
The establishment is run by three partners, Christophe Bonnat, co-founder of Paris Eiffel Jumping, Jean Moueix, heir to Pétrus, and the sparkling Coco Coupérie-Eiffel, great-great-granddaughter of Gustave, whose most emblematic work provides diners with an exceptional show. But beyond the beauty of the place and its view, “Café de l’Homme” is a treat. On the liquids side, rare flasks and accessible bottles are available, it’s up to you. On the solid side, the menu oscillates between small Mediterranean-style dishes to share, and real bistro fare. Fadi Frem, the new Lebanese-born chef who trained at some of Paris’s top restaurants, is at the helm.
On the (sunny) day of our visit, the excellent vitello tonnato paved the way and whetted our appetites, with a clever twist of smoked eel. Not bad either, the langoustines in kadaïf vermicelli, a recipe dreamt up twenty years ago by Alain Senderens. Next up, a fine veal chop in sauce, giant prawns and risotto, or a generous vol-au-vent brimming with sauce and mushrooms – again, it’s up to you.
