We’ve rated Argile as GOOD with two stars * *
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Romain Lamon trained at two palace hotels - Le Bristol and the Ritz - before fleeing to open a neighborhood bistro on the backside of Montmartre. Polissons opened in 2018 and I heard it was great. I never went - let’s blame that global pandemic - and then it closed. But I heard that Lamon was back with another restaurant - this time in the 9th arrondissement - and I was thrilled for another chance to taste his food.
We visited for lunch, which is an absolute steal. The lunch formula runs €22 for two courses and €26 for three. There are some daily specials on offer, too. The dinner is fully à la carte with most mains between 30-40€.
THE FOOD
The meal opened with three oysters in a punchy dashi with toasted sesame oil and a dab of fermented black garlic (€9). This was my friend’s dish and she generously shared one oyster with me. I wanted five more.
White asparagus followed, served room temperature under a sabayon spiked with piment d'Espelette, scattered with trout eggs and walnuts, the black garlic reappearing (€16).
I sopped up some of that sabayon with their very good bread, served with a quenelle of lemon butter.
Roasted squid was another daily special, served with a carrot purée, preserved lemon, and a white wine sauce (€30). This single dish — while delicious —was more expensive than three courses on the set menu, and probably not worth the departure.
More successful (for this midwestern girl) was this dish with two cuts of deeply caramelized ham with pickled mustard seeds, smashed potatoes, and rich Parmesan sauce tying it together. Indulgent without being heavy.
Both of our desserts were part of the set lunch menu. Here’s their chocolate mousse with za'atar ice cream and caramelized hazelnuts. I wouldn’t have guessed za’atar with the ice cream - the flavors were herbaceous and hard to place - but it was tasty.
The riz au lait arrived with sorrel ice cream — a very timid dose of that herb — but the contrast between creamy rice and sticky granola was fun.
THE DRINKS
The wine list is Loire-forward and natural, compact and well-edited, with a handful of favored producers appearing across multiple categories (Château Carbonneau, Domaine Huards, Domaine Séverin). Bottles from 31€, with a macération section for the orange wine inclined. Non-drinkers are reasonably looked after: organic Jus de Rève juices, UMA limonade and ginger beer, a Brooklyn Brewery NA beer, and a Japanese Sencha green tea.
THE VIBE
The dining room on rue de Milan — red floors, blue brick, open kitchen, a wine barrel on the sidewalk — reads casual from the moment you arrive. Service is friendly and unhurried, two people working the floor without fuss. The crowd at Friday lunch was almost entirely French, which makes sense for this corner of the 9th: this is a neighborhood place with a regular clientele, and it feels like it.
THE VERDICT
The €22 lunch formula is a remarkable deal, and this visit left me hungry to return for dinner — Lamon's flavors and execution suggest it would be worth the trip. Argile is a ten-minute stroll downhill from the chaos of Pigalle — so if you're visiting Montmartre and want a memorable meal surrounded by locals instead of other tourists, this is a very good respite. Open Monday, and easy to book. Not a good bet for vegetarians.
ARGILE
4 Rue de Milan, 75009
Open Monday-Friday for lunch & dinner
Open Saturday for dinner only
Closed Sunday
Reservations online or at +33 6 46 63 57 50
COMING TO PARIS ?
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My wife and I took one of your food tours 10 years ago and we still talk about it. Hope to do it again sometime.
Not for fish allergies either.