Le Tambour

This bistrot, situated at 41 rue Montmartre, was introduced by my friend Maria, a music journalist. It's a regular haunt of hers as the bistro is popular with the musico types which her job demands her to talk to from time to time. It's a stone's throw from Les Halles, and the Sentier district which was once the centre of the Parisian rag trade.

Many restaurants in France are individual enterprises not belonging to chains; I particularly liked the inside the bistro, where there is an artistic decor including a collection of modified street furniture, and a recursive sculpture of its own bar in a display case. There were no musicians here that I was aware of, but it was lunchtime in mid week, so many of these types would be scarely out of bed, but there we go. Strangely, I never discovered it in the years I lived here, although I would certainly have gone past it. Paris is a bit like that – it's an agglomeration of villages and you often find such treasure through friends.

I am told that it takes on a different ambience at night. The restaurant has has been family owned for two generations (according to Maria), and has recently been sold because the owner had grown tired of the hard work running an establishment which is open 24-7. The new owner agreed not to change anything, to preserve its atmosphere. To that end, the entire staff have also been retained. Maria only found out it had been sold when she asked where the owner was. Anywhere else, the new owner will not resist asserting their ownership by making a few "improvements"; in Paris, this stands a better chance of remaining untouched.

The menu is pretty classic French bistro fare, and not expensive by Paris standards. All the perennial favourites are on it. There is, of course the Hamburger à cheval, which my wife took literally. In fact it's not horsemeat at all, but a minced steak with an egg (sunny side up, naturally) on top. I was very tempted by the croustillant de chevre (toasted goat's cheese), which looked the business. However, my carnivorous tendencies took over in the end, and I had the Magret de canard (duck fillet) for EUR14. For another EUR8, I opted for the Tarte Tatin – an apple pie cooked upside-down then flipped over so the pastry is no longer on top.