A post for the foodies:

I’m pleased to say Semilla is one of my 6th arrondissement neighborhood restaurants! And, when I say, in my neighborhood, I am talking about a block away from my apartment!

There is a back-story to Semilla. My understanding is Juan Sanchez (an American) started out with Fish, a wine bar, now wine bar/eatery and, somewhat simultaneously, added a wine shop (La Derniere Goutte), and then moved on to Freddy’s, a tapas wine bar, co-owned with a New Zealand partner, Drew, who already had a successful sandwich/salad shop, Cosi, in full swing for years (just celebrated its 29 year anniversary!)–are you keeping this straight?? and then the two of them finalized their endeavors or just plain ran out of room to do more in this one block area of rue de Seine by adding Semilla a few years ago…whew!

All of Juan and Drew’s eatery/drinking establishments are a success….period. As owners, they are ‘hands on’. You can often see them dropping in any one of their mini-empire establishments, enjoying a meal themselves or visiting with friends and customers as well as communicating with staff. From what I have experienced and see, they are authentically warm and friendly with their clients.

Their staff is multi-national and most of them are fluent in English.  As I am seated for lunch the other day, I look at the small bar overlooking the open kitchen and ‘Look who’s come for dinner‘–whoops, I mean lunch!’  (or maybe just a good nap!)!

During the week, at lunch, they serve a fixed price menu. I decided on the Entree+Plat for 34 euros.

Because I am lactose intolerant, they modified my amuse bouche. This cold soup, which I had a spoonful or two before I remembered to photograph, I was told, was cucumber sorbet, sorrel, and tiny bits of green apple. Refreshing…I could have easily had this for my dessert! Rose wine is a common drink now in Paris and always has been in Provence and the Cote d’Azur, of course.  

My ‘springtime in Paris’ entree was salad de radis croquants, pesto de fanes sans (without) the chèvre. As sweet and delicate tasting as it looks. Notice that the stem of the radish was not trimmed off but rather intended for eating.  

As you can see, the bread came in handy to finish off the pesto! Typically French, and I have found my taste sensors have found it easy to guide me to make this a habit!How about my plat: squid (encornets grilles en persillade) with bits of squid inked fresh pasta (pates…) blended in with the chunky tomato sauce and fennel to top it off. Rich and filling, yet I wanted to keep eating!

 A casual, simple, yet sophisticated styled space. Flowers with their roots on the painted brick wall. Tables are now empty. I was late to come and late to finish!

The logo on the wine glass and the business card speak to their aesthetic.

 You can get the basic details, as well as book two weeks in advance, online, on their website: https://www.semillaparis.com/enere

Here is a review by ‘Paris by Mouth’, which, for me, is a dependable foodie review site that I tap into on a regular basis: https://parisbymouth.com/our-guide-to-paris-semilla/