David Leibovitz sums it up nicely: "not much changes at Chez Dumonet, which is sometimes still affectionately called Joséphine. For those who want a place that is carrying on the traditions of the Parisian bistro, you can’t do better than Chez Dumonet. The only concessions they’ve made to modern times (and waistlines) are offering half-portions of certain dishes..."

This restaurant has been one of my canteens since the late 70s and up until I moved to Australia, I was often tempted to go there for lunch on Wednesdays, as Monsieur Duranton, the previous owner of Josephine, used to come and carve the leg of lamb at your table!
Revisiting recently over a quick visit to Paris, I heard the sad news of his passing, as well as the passing of Mr Dumonet who bought the restaurant from him. There are still two people (at least...) that are still there, the executive chef who was an apprentice still over my last visit, and the florist, a lovely old North African man who still comes and organises the bouquet on the reception counter/bar!

I revisited in March 2020 with my daughter, and it was still as good as ever, just a little less crowded...
See a few images of our recent visit at the bottom of the page, and yes I did have the morilles again!

Freebie to start with - A glass of white wine with some rillettes and bread bien sur, so you have time to explore the menu and "la carte des vins"...

Now that we established the history of this classic establishment, it is time to talk about the food. And we are talking "La Grande Bouffe" style here, as foodgasms galore you will have...
I settled for the "morilles farcies" because these are my favourite mushrooms since a historic dinner in Lamastre as a child (search Lamastre on the blog for the story...) and the rack of lamb, as I couldn't make it on Wednesday to have the traditional leg of lamb mentioned earlier...

Morilles farçies...that sauce brune!

Chateau Brillette 2010, a perfect match for my lunch and one of the best Moulis en Médoc wines

Beautiful knife, a must for the main course...

Rack of lamb, straight out of the oven, just for me and myself...

Then carved and plated at your table and served with gorgeous "legumes de saison"

Chateau Briquette, back label and tasting notes.... Intense yet delicate nose indeed

You will have understood by now that I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch and I could not muster dessert but another Café Gourmand was on the cards...
By that time, I had made friends with the neighbouring tables, two American couples, one youngish involved in the film industry and on their way to the Cannes Film Festival, the other my age group on holidays in Paris for the nth time, both incredulous at not having found this place earlier and enchanted by my stories of yesteryear visits.
So much so that the Maitre d' decided to offer all of us a glass of pear liquor...and some madeleines!

Another Café Gourmand for only 6 euros!

By now, I was certainly on the tipsy side of things and was offered to meet the Chef in the kitchen, who was already there a number of decades ago when I was a regular...
This is still one of the best restaurants in Paris, probably a bit more expensive than a more middle of the road bistro, but well worth the difference because of the quality of the ingredients, preparation, presentation, attentive and knowledgeable service, plus all the little extras included for free.
There is a reason why this place made it to the list of the best 50 restaurants in Paris by The Guardian.
I have known this for the good part of four decades... You will need to book for dinner, you have been warned!

Monsieur Duranton, right, just when he sold the restaurant to Monsieur Dumonet (left), and one could think that the young lady is Joséphine

A recent revisit with my daughter in March 2020, just days before the lockdown...lucky us!

Les Fiefs de Lagrange 2014 - Chez Dumonet

I asked... but the only Ducru-Beaucaillou left was from 1932! I was not going to ask for the price...
So instead, we had another Saint-Julien from nearby Lagrange which belongs to same family. It was still out of my normal price range, but not breaking the bank either.
And it was worth every euro! My daughter never had a Saint-Julien and was suitably impressed.
It is a very masculine wine with great structure and tannins. Towards half our time dining, it started to open up and became absolutely sensational! And great pairing with our food too...

Les fameuses morilles! I shared one with my daughter... That sauce!

Chateaubriand Béarnaise, frites for ma daughter and pigeon two ways for me

And then we went crazy and ordered the souflé, with two spoons... "Une tuerie" , as my Parisian nephews would say