“Tous,” the name of a new restaurant in the ninth arrondissement, could mean “everything,” but I think in this case it means “everyone,” as in “everyone feels welcome here.” The greetings are friendly from both the easygoing young couple who own the place and from the cheerful decor, all white with a wall of diagonal blue-and-white stripes, midnight-blue cushions on the banquettes, touches of red and a ceiling covered with rows of small lights.
The food was friendly, too, so to speak. My starter of veal tartare was big enough to be a main course, but I gobbled it all up. It was deliciously laced with mustard and mild onion
and topped with crispy fried onions. The other starter we tried was a rich and satisfying soup of ceps and champignons de Paris, not exactly
in season for the ceps but wonderful nonetheless.
The main courses were mostly enjoyable, but I found that the clams that came with the
crispy-skinned sea bream were slightly overcooked and too chewy, while the pork belly
was a bit dry. Otherwise they were both tasty, especially the vegetables that came with them: romanesco broccoli enlivened with an emulsion of squid ink and shellfish for the sea bream, and turnips and strangely wonderful carrots for the pork.
For dessert, we profited (and expanded our waistlines) from something I haven’t seen
in a long time: an all-you-can-eat dessert cart. Wow to the milk-chocolate cake with caramel sauce, the extra-chocolatey mousse and the flavorful baba au rhum, a dessert I usually find uninteresting but loved here.
Tous is a great new addition to the neighborhood, generous and likable, just right for everyone.
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