La Souris Verte

Just around the corner from Zen Zoo, on a quiet street in the 2nd, La Souris Verte is a cosy restaurant that looks like it's straight out of Strasbourg due to the faux half-timbered construction on the outside of the building. True to its name, this restaurant is full of green mice, big and small, stuffed in every nook and cranny!


I had been meaning to try their 15€ 3 course set menu for a while:but when I finally went I wasn't really that hungry and copped out and got one of their enormous salads instead. At 11€ you choose your own combination of four ingredients, listed here (on the left side of the top page): I picked goat cheese, lardons, eggs, and tomatoes, and I was not disappointed. Served in a massive mixing bowl on a bed of green salad, the goat cheese was melting perfectly over the tomatoes, and the lardons were hot out of the frying pan (by the way, they were the biggest lardons I have ever seen). This lasted through the entrée and main dish courses of my friends!

My friends opted for the 23€ menu, which offers a wider selection than the 15€ one, and includes an aperitif. Ultimately, though, for this price it would be better to go elsewhere since the food was just eh. My friends started with a pâté and a stuffed, grilled tomato with salad, and for their main courses had a steak and leg of lamb, served with green beans and roasted potatoes. The steak was good, but the lamb was disappointing since the meat was not of the greatest quality or freshness. They ordered a great bottle of red wine to go with it at 16€, and afterwards they agreed that this was the best part of the meal when considering the quality & price. For dessert they both got the lemon-lime sorbet, which was impeccable. Refreshing, with little bits of zest throughout, this was the perfect choice on a warm spring night.

I would go to the Souris Verte if you are in the mood for a good fresh salad, or even if you can limit yourself to the 15€ menu which isn't such a bad deal. But once you get to the 23€ price point, you're paying a bit too much for what you're getting - I'd opt for the Gallopin 2-course menu instead, at the same price. However, it remains a decent choice: cosy and intimate, with sufficient choices and service, and if you're on a budget it could work. Their website is very informative (and up-to-date!), so I would check it out if you're thinking about going there.

Afterwards we swung by Zen Zoo where I got a bubble tea as my dessert, and they had actually set up sidewalk seating since it was so nice out, which is something to keep in mind.

Restaurant La Souris Verte
52, Rue Sainte Anne
75002 Paris
01 40 20 03 70

tags: grub