When wandering in the St. Germain area of Paris, it’s so hard not to fall into a tourist trap restaurant. With street after street of “Classic French Bistros”, I was hungry for something different… There it was—Colorova Patisserie et Salon de Thé, what I would describe as a modern and chic café.
The Ambience
Photo by Helena Lin
With a beautiful balance between vintage and modern chic, Colorova is very different from your quintessential Parisian café. The interior is very well lit, with stools and sofas upholstered in crazy patterned clothes, modern wooden countertops and tables, as well as vibrant and abstract artwork.
Photo by Helena Lin
The café is small, with a friendly and homey vibe. As I entered the café I was greeted by a friendly waitress who upon hearing my broken french happily switched to English.
The Food
Photo by Helena Lin
For lunch, Colorova has a set menu or prix fixe menu, either €16 for an appetizer and main or main and dessert, or €20 for all three courses. Of course, I opted for all three. In turn, I ordered the ice tea of the day, which was a very interesting Japenese cherry blossom (Sakura) tea. The tea was extremely fragrant and unsweetened, which I prefer, and was the perfect refreshing drink to get my meal started.
Photo by Helena Lin
For my appetizer, I went with the sweet pea gazpacho and grilled eggplant with ricotta. This was my first time having a gazpacho of sweet pea and may I just say… Mind blown. The soup was ever so sweet with an extremely creamy and rich texture. The grilled eggplant was smokey and perfectly complimented with fresh ricotta.
Photo by Helena Lin
So people who know me, know that I absolutely love beef tartare, so much so that it was one of my first meals in Paris. At Colorova I almost didn’t order the tartare because I felt like I had already eaten tartare many times, but I am so glad I did.
Normally, I prefer to have my beef tartare diced instead of minced, but the clean flavours of this tartare changed my mind. With just a hint of mustard and perfectly seasoned, this tartare was flavourful without completely masking the flavour of the beef. Then pair the melt in your mouth tartare with perfectly buttery and crispy potatoes and finish it with the bite of some arugula and radishes? Heaven. I was probably full after half the tartare but had to chew through the pain because it was too delicious.
Photo by Helena Lin
After a much needed 20 minute break from eating, I asked the waiter to bring me the most unique dessert that Colorova makes, a signature if you will. A few minutes later the waiter presented me with this gorgeous pastry which features black and white sesame, lemon and lime.
I loved how the nuttiness of the sesame cream and the crispiness of the toasted sesame balanced out the tart lemon and lime curd. Hands down one of the more creative desserts I have seen in a while.
The Verdict
Everything I have to say about Colorova is fantastic, the decor is definitely unique and steers away from the traditional Parisian café. The food is what I would call French cuisine modernized. Lastly, the service was warm and friendly, and the wait staff happily spoke English with me, almost to my dismay. So if you are ever in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, be sure to drop by Colorova for an amazing meal.