Paris, France — It is one of the farther shores of Paris. Hilly and northerly is the city’s 20th arrondissement. It is home to one of the city’s most visited spots, by both tourists and Parisians alike, although for different reasons. Sprawling out over 106 acres (43 hectares) the Père-Lachaise cemetery is the largest cemetery in the city, filled with greenery, a benign army of feral cats, abundant birdlife, including owls, and foxes.  And there are the graves, often elaborate, of the rich, the famous and the not so famous and the not at all famous. It is a point of pilgrimage for fans of the late Jim Morrison who is buried there in what has become a shrine-like atmosphere. But the whole neighborhood became even more interesting with the arrival of a great new (and reasonably priced) restaurant just a short five minute walk from the cemetery. In a word play the celebrated French chef Guy Martin has called his latest establishment La Mère Lachaise and it has quickly attracted the demanding local clientele of native Parisians who have lived in this neighborhood for generations. And they generally make no mistake. The personalized service was as spot on as the food. 

Left creative cocktails. Right Reuilly white wine from the Loire Valley. Photos Sylvain Loire for The Gourmet Gazette

To start there is an extensive and highly creative cocktail menu both with and without alcohol and an extensive wine list including a hard to find Reuilly, an excellent Loire Valley wine.  Barman Kevin Papillon concocted for us a refreshing alcohol-free  Josephine — a blend of maple syrup, pineapple juice, apple juice and lemon juice. And a not-alcohol free Heartbeat made of Wessex gin, rhubarb, ginger, rose, lemon and a dashing dash of Perrier. The choice of Wessex gin was a fine touch. The family-run local craft distillery in Surrey is regarded as one of the finest gins in England. For our meal we ordered up the aforesaid white Reuilly and this, from the house of Matthieu et Renaud Mabillot, lived up to all of its expectations of the right balance between fruity and dry and it had the body to stand up to a meat dish. 

Left Sea bass with mushroom risotto. Right slow-cooked lamb with mashed potatoes. Photos Sylvain Loire for The Gourmet Gazette

The menu offered up fulfilling and flavorful dishes. Keep in mind that the menu changes with the seasons but a recent meal started off with a trio of satisfying salmon croquettes — the more gourmet French name is cromequis—which offered a generous portion of ground salmon, potatoes and a bouquet of garden herbs. The marinated sea bass appetizer was flavored with Timut pepper, a peppercorn berry that is native to Nepal, lime and a hint of Meaux mustard. The main courses were also perfectly executed. The precisely peppered fresh cod was served up with a mushroom risotto dignifiedly dusted with Parmesan. The knuckle of the leg of lamb, the cut of choice, was slow cooked, fork-tender simply served in its own jus with a mound of mashed potatoes.  The kitchen had a seasonal surprise on offer for us. They wanted us to sample their bûche, the Yule log cake. This was a creamy vanilla affair of dried fruits like apricots and raisins and roasted hazel nuts decorated with edible flowers. However we also indulged in the profiteroles smothered in the house’s hot chocolate sauce. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. La Mère Lachaise, a Guy Martin Restaurant, 78 Bd de Ménilmontant, 75020 Paris. Tel: + 33 (0)1 40 30 26 00. https://lamerelachaise.fr/