Les Jumeaux was named after the pair of twins who started the restaurant, almost a decade ago. If you're thinking that the two lovely people pictured at left don't look anything alike, you're right: They're the couple that bought the place from the original owners. But, as it happens, they have twin boys themselves. And so the natural order in the universe is maintained.

Alex, the chef, has been in the restaurant business for eleven years. It wasn't a stretch for him, since he comes from a family of Parisian restaurateurs. Helena takes care of waiting on customers, and is from Poland.

We did the interview bilingually: Alex's answers are in French and Helena's answers are in English.

What do you like about the neighborhood?

A: C'est un quartier qui a su rester populaire, et qui est proche du Marais. Du coup, l'endroit garde un peu cet esprit village, ouvert,
les gens se parlent.

What's the funniest thing that's happened to you in the restaurant?

H: Oh, when I first was learning French I wanted to tell some some customers that their coats would be frippés (crumpled) if they didn't hang them up, but instead I said their coats would be frappés (beaten)!

What's the hardest thing about owning a restaurant?

H: For me, it's this break in the middle between the lunch service and the dinner service. It's too much time to do nothing, but often it's not enough time to really do something productive.

A: C'est juste qu'il y a peu de temps libre. Mais au moins on est tous les deux. C'est vraiment nécessaire parce que sinon, on aurait des horaires décalés, et ça serait dur d'élever une famille dans ces conditions.

What's the best thing about owning a restaurant?

A: On a envie de faire partager la gastronomie.

H: The people. When I see people and they like what they are eating, and they like how they're being served, and they like the restaurant, they feel good, and that's great for us. We like to see them feel completely relaxed. I think it's about that.

Are there any regular customers that you especially like?

H: Yes, they all are so nice, and at the same time they know how to appreciate things, and they know how to ask for what they want. They come to our restaurant in part to spend time with us, and we love that.

Do you ever go out to eat for fun on your day off, or is that too much like work?

H: No, we love going out and eating for fun!

A: On y passe presque tout notre temps libre.

H: But we know what is good and we know what we like, and so we look for good food, and good service.

A: Et on sait à quoi s'attendre pour un prix donné. On n'est pas forcément très impressionnés par les restaurants étoilés qui sont vraiment hors de prix. Ce qui compte pour nous avant toute chose c'est l'acceuil. C'est pas si grave de faire quelques erreurs, une mauvaise cuisson, un vin bouchonné, un produit qui n'est pas aussi bon d'un jour sur l'autre. On peut comprendre ça! Mais dans ces cas là, la moindre des choses c'est de s'excuser et de sourire. Parce que ça coute rien, l'acceuil.

What's your favorite dish on the menu?

H: I love the loup de mer crumble. The fish melts in your mouth and the crumble is crunchy, so it's a great mix.

A: Comme je fais tous les plats moi-même, je vous laisse choisir...

Well, Parisist did have dinner there, and we can highly recommend the loup de mer (pictured at right) as well as the melt-in-your-mouth foie gras. A dish with steak and blue cheese that sounds over-the-top on paper is actually perfectly balanced, and comes with a scrumptious potato cake we could have eaten about five of. We weren't crazy about the lighter fish option on the menu, with lemon sauce and rice, but it did make a break from the richness of some of the other dishes. Entrée-plat-dessert with wine (from their substantial wine list) is 34€. And Alex and Helena tell us that if you mention Parisist, you'll get a free glass of champagne for everyone in your party. Such a deal!

Restaurant Les Jumeaux
73, rue Amelot 75011 Paris
restolesjumeaux (AT) yahoo.fr

Photos by Bridget.