Romu Oudeyer is a private chef in Paris who cooks for the stars. Last week he put his home-cooking skills on display for us, before recording an episode of The Earful Tower. As far as home cooking goes, Romu set the bar higher than we’d ever seen, not least for a regular Tuesday afternoon.
You can read the full menu he created here, but as a taster, imagine this: home-made terrine, in-season mushrooms, rabbit karaage, and fresh Charente prawns. He explained it all and more in this week’s podcast episode.
You can even watch the episode below (and be sure to subscribe on YouTube for more like this). And please say hi to Romu on Instagram here – and find his website here.
Knowing that Romu has impeccable taste, we asked him to share his best foodie recommendations.
1) Marché d’Aligre
“This is my favourite place. I think I go there once a day, if I can.” Romu is as enamoured with the Marché d’Aligre as we are. If you’ve never heard of this iconic 200-year-old covered produce market, read all about our adventures there. Address: Place d’Aligre, 75012
2) Atsushi Tanaka
When asked to name a fancy restaurant he’s excited to eat in, Romu didn’t hesitate to recommend Atsushi Tanaka. It’s a Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant with French influences, located in the heart of the Latin Quarter. Address: 4 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 75005
3) Le Calbar cocktail bar
Romu’s go-to cocktail is a Margarita at Le Calbar cocktail bar in the 12th arrondissement. This place is famous for its boxer-wearing bartenders. Though the underwear might sound like a gimmick, Le Calbar serves devilishly delicious drinks. Address: 82 Rue de Charenton, 75012.
4) Earlybird Cafe
Romu is a big fan of the Early Bird Cafe inside the covered market of the Marché d’Aligre (le Marché Beauvau). You can often find Romu sitting outside the cafe on weekends, or chatting with the owner Joseph Loughney (pictured below), who was incidentally also a recent guest on The Earful Tower podcast.
5) Chateau Bouffément
And this is less of a foodie tip and more of a chateau tip, but recently Romu has been cooking at this beautiful castle located in the Val d’Oise, only 40 kilometres from Paris. Hire this place and you, too, can be the Lord of the Manor – maybe dining on Romu’s specialties too. Address: 8 Rue Léon Giraudeau, Bouffément
That’s all for now, folks.
Remember to say hi to Romu on Instagram here – and find his website here. That’s him, pictured above, on the right.
If you have the chance to enjoy any of these insider tips, go ahead and let us know. Keen to support this work? Buy one of our books here, or even better, become a Patreon member (or Substack member) and unlock loads of Paris bonus content, including regular PDF itinerary guides to the city.