Before travelling to Paris, the only part of a pig I was aware of that was edible was the pork chop. That was before I visited Au Pied De Cochon and discovered that in fact the ears, cheeks, trotter, snout and other cuts were all edible! Never one to turn down different foods, of course I had to try it.
Au Pied De Cochon is located near Les Halles metro station but be careful – there’s about 6 different exits and the station is connected to a shopping centre so it is very easy to get lost. Once you manage to find the restaurant, it may look small from the outside but is in fact deceptively large spanning across three levels. The restaurant is very busy tonight for a weeknight and it fills quickly whilst we dine. The service is excellent with the staff attending to you as soon as you walk in, highly reminiscent of a 5-star hotel with superior service.
We start off the night with some complimentary pig pate. It is extremely fat, but we still lather it onto the bread because it is delicious and oils off our mouths to prepare us for some pork!
The famous grilled pigs trotter, bearnaise sauce, french fries – €18.60
Our first main of the night is their famous grilled pigs trotter. It is exactly that – a large fried trotter served on a plate. The dish seems to consist of quite a lot of fat and not that much meat. It’s definitely not the best cut of a pig if you’re looking for some hearty meat. And on that note, the meat was very salty and gamey, but otherwise there was not much flavouring other than the natural pork flavours.
“Mr Pig’s” head casserole, prepared like a calf’s head to a historic recipe dating 1947 – €23.70
This dish was a lot more interesting than the first. Served up in a hot pot were various cuts of pig meat and fat sitting in a boiling stock. The bits of meat and fat were extremely flavoursome and thanks to the stock, the carrots were also oozing with flavour. This was the first time I ate some unfamiliar cuts of a pigs head which I believe was the cheek and ear and perhaps the snout. Some cuts were a bit chewy and some were soft, just like bits of fat. Overall an extremely delicious dish that lets you sample new cuts of a pig!
At the end of the meal, they provide us with two meringues shaped as cute little pigs. Crunchy and sweet, it is a great way to end the night! Provided you don’t get lost on the way, Au Pied De Cochon is an interesting place to stop by if ever in Paris. But make sure to come here with an open mind to new foods as there is a high chance you will not have eaten these cuts of a pig before in Sydney.
Au Pied Du Cochon
6 Rue Coquillière, 75001 Paris
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week, all year
I love the cheeky piggy dessert at the end!