06/05/2024
🔥BBQ Review - MELT Paris🔥
First impressions:
MELT is located in Paris France. From Copenhagen airport it´s a 2 hour flight to Charles de Gaulle airport. From there it’s a 40 min drive to MELT in the heart of Paris at 74 Rue de la Folie Méricourt, 75011. The traffic is horrible in Paris so you might be better of taking the B line train to Paris from the Airport. From there switch to the Metro. However, first impressions of MELT will not be affected by the journey in this review.
Rating 5/5
Decor:
The restaurant is built in an urban restaurant style. It´s not posh, but “nicer” than rustic. It´s small and can seat about 60 guests. Seating areas are made in a normal restaurant setup. The décor is a little bland for my taste and I would have preferred if they made the room a bit more interesting, perhaps by telling a story about MELT and its conception or the history of BBQ in France on the walls. Regardless, there is a wonderful smoke smell from the huge vault smoker in the restaurant and since BBQ is all about the Q, the decor will always be secondary to the Q.
Rating 4/5
Service:
Very friendly and professional staff. All actors are noticeably passionate about what they do. After ordering, it only took less than 10 minutes for our food to arrive and we paid by scanning a barcode at our table, allowing us the option to pay by google pay. Staff was not required for the payment, and it was efficient and easy.
Rating 5/5
Food:
Our order: Brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, smashed potatoes, salad, and some coleslaw. We also got some pickled peppers, onions, and cucumbers.
The Brisket was Texas style BBQ, but not heavy on the pepper. The meat was tender but not to tender and the flavour was good in a slightly understated way. I can’t get myself to downgrade BBQ for simplicity. My preference, as a pitmaster, is often “less is more". However, if you want the flavour to “pop” and stand out, you will consider adding a signature flavour profile. This was good brisket, but it did not stand out. Ribs, pulled pork and the sides was excellent too. Ribs tasted good and the meat was perfectly cooked. It did not fall of the bone but needed a slight tug, which is the way I prefer it. The PP was fatty and moist with no distinct flavour besides the pork and the smoke.
Sides were well made and the pickled items where home made and fresh. The BBQ sauce was vinegar based and not sweet. The acidity of such a sauce complements the fatty meats so I was happy but would have preferred a bit more heat to it. For such unpretentious, perfectly cooked BBQ I will have to give top rating regardless of personal preferences.
Rating 5/5
Price:
We paid about 80 Euro for everything, sharing a BBQ plate with enough food for 2 people + a kid. As always… knowing how much labor it takes to make real BBQ, it’s a total bargain. Coming from Denmark it it´s about 600 Dkr. That is not a lot of money for what you are getting.
Rating 5/5
Overall impression:
If you love BBQ and you are in Paris, then you need to go to MELT. The people behind this restaurant do a really good job on all levels. We were there in early spring, and the place was buzzing. In fact, it was the only restaurant of any kind, that had a long line of customers waiting outside the restaurant. It is extremely popular, and you can´t reserve a seat there. It´s first come first served so be prepared to wait for your food if necessary. Also, they run out of the main items during the end of serving hours… only high-level BBQ restaurants can get away with that!
Happy sticky fingers from Chubby Boys Barbecue
Pitmaster / Patrick