Lunch at Glou

Yes, I am still reviewing restaurants in France.

I'm going to tell you right off the bat that the problem with this review is that it is being written almost two months after the meal itself. Nevertheless, I thought it was important to post this, since I have pictures and the memories from the meal.

This is, however, not to say that the meal was astonishingly good. Nor was it horrendously terrible. It was an average meal in Paris. In fact, when I look at my journal entry for that day (June 10th to be precise), I wrote: “Lunch at Glou. Was okay.”

That's not what you want when you go out in Paris for a meal. There are far too many good places to eat for a meal to just be summarized as "Was okay." In fact, the averageness of the meal is what has made me procrastinate on reviewing it for so long. I just couldn't get excited about writing about it. Hence why I posted about meals that I had after this one before I could sit down and write about this one.

I went four family members, and we all ordered different things. We ordered one menu (meaning a fixed priced menu set), which included une entrée, un plat, un dessert, all for 20€! Then we ordered three other dishes.

To begin the meal, we ordered a pâté de campagne maison avec Calvados (part of the menu), to share. It was a rough, country pâté, but it didn't taste like it was just liver and fat; from the texture, I felt there must have also been some meat. I also remember that the seasoning was a little lacking. Also, for the size of the slice, the confit was a little lacking. The bread was decent, “country” style bread. Very hearty.

This dorade grillée (19€) was served in a thick, creamy sauce with various root vegetables, and honestly felt a little bit heavy for a summer dish, but it tasted good. Nothing remarkable.

This saumon polenta mesclun (part of the menu) was a bit dry due to the fact that it was slightly overcooked, but the polenta this came with was very good. It was one of the things in the meal that still stands out to me. It had great texture and was perfectly seasoned. Not too salty, not too bland. It was also not cheesy in taste, as some polentas can be (personally I find the cheesiness to be off-putting).

This lomo de cochon aux pieds noirs (21€) was the only salty dish. The meat, a specialty "black ham" was so salty, it absolutely required those fingerling potatoes to balance it. While the dish was different, and had a lot of character, the salt was just a bit much.

This terrine d’agneau (12€) looks almost exactly like the pâté, doesn’t it? And it was just as disappointing. It was texturally identical to the first, and pretty similar in taste too, thought this was supposed to be lamb. I was especially disappointed because it was not labeled as a country-style terrine on the menu, and so I had assumed that it would be a smoother terrine.

This thon blanc de l’ile d’Yeu crème fraîche (12€) was a smoked salmon dish that was quite good. I’m not really a smoked salmon person, but I enjoyed it.

This cherry clafoutis was the best part of the meal. The custard was sweet and light, and not at all too eggy (which can be the downfall of some clafoutis). The cherries were the perfect balance of sweet and tart. I really enjoyed the flavors and textures.

Overall, Glou is a casual to business casual type of restaurant. You wouldn't look out of place in shorts, a summer dress, or even a suit (though you'd probably want the jacket off). Tourists and Parisiens/Parisiennes alike. There was some seating outside available (three small tables, could seat two each), as well as a bar and an upstairs area that I did not get a chance to see. I believe Glou is actually supposed to be a wine house, which is a term I have just now made-up to describe a café/restaurant that focuses on wine pairings and carries many different wines. I do not believe we drank anything other than tap water.

The noise level of the restaurant was that of a typical cafe; no need to whisper, but definitely no shouting. I never felt that I could hear anyone else's conversation nor that they could hear ours, despite the fact that tables were pretty close to one another. The waiters were attentive in the very quick manner that is typical of Paris, and did not seem to mind our questions regarding the menus. Food was served fairly promptly.

Glou
101 Rue Vieille du Temple
75003 Paris, France
Tel: 01 42 74 44 32

Overall rating for the price: 4.5 out of 10
(come on, if you're in France and you can't serve a good pâté...)