Le Chapeau Melon

The cave à manger—a wine shop that moonlights as a small restaurant—is becoming almost as much of a Paris institution as the bistrot. Le Chapeau Melon, one of the first and finest examples of the genre, was opened by Olivier Camus in 2002, a steep trot up rue de Belleville in the 19th arrondissement. The shop window makes it very clear what you’re in for. “Spécialiste de vins naturels”, it proclaims, followed by a definition: “Wines from vines free of insecticides, chemical fertilizers or any other synthetic product, and produced without chemical correctors.”

Camus chose his words well, as they describe more than just the wines he serves. Imagine Le Chapeau Melon as the Belleville apartment of your bon vivant, epicurean artist uncle, and you might start to imagine the decor, ambiance and cuisine—generous, uninhibited and without artifice. A few examples from recent menus: salmon tartare with soy sauce, olive oil and green apple; linecaught jack mackerel, sashimi style, in three marinades; sardine tartelette with tomato confit and dill; cream of asparagus soup with mint; squab from Racan, near Tours, with girolle mushrooms and celeriac purée; and slow-braised Pyrenees lamb.

The hundreds of bottles lining the walls come from small, often obscure winemakers, but fear not, put yourself in the hands of uncle Camus. A glass of rosé as an aperitif? Why not Domaine Mouressipe’s Cuvée Galéjade, a mix of Grenache and Cinsault that’s hazy and… orange! Galéjade is a Provençal word for a mischievous tall tale, but any worries will quickly subside with one whiff of the Cuvée’s litchi, rose and mandarin bouquet. Would you like a light red to transition from fish to meat? You might try the biodynamic table wine by Domaine Le Briseau, made of 100% Pineau d’Aunis—a stunning Loire Valley varietal, here yielding a ruby-colored, surprisingly meaty wine redolent of black pepper and red cherries. Along with the fine food, this cave à manger will surely be enticing gourmets to go au naturel for years to come.

92 rue Rébeval,
19th arrondissement •Metro: Pyrénées

01.42.02.68.60.

Table d’hôte starting 8:30 pm Wed–Sun; four-course menu €34.
Wines are at shop prices plus €9 corkage fee.

 

 

Originally published in the February 2013 issue of France Today