Osteria del SestoParis

Birthday in Paris, ended up at Osteria del Sesto. Roman owners from Ostia, incredibly charming, they even bring you focaccia from the pizzeria next door that's absolutely killer.

Let's start with the best thing: the profiterole. Perfect. But then again, the French know how to make that.

We liked the lobster tartare with avocado, it was good. Then the pasta dishes arrived and, well... let's just say.

The biggest issue is the guanciale. The same in every dish: thin strips, generous amounts sure, but neither crispy nor tender. A halfway point that doesn't work. When you eat a gricia or amatriciana in Rome, the guanciale has to deliver that crunch. Not here.

The carbonara was bone dry. Little cream, little pecorino, little egg, zero pepper. Basically guancial and pasta. The pasta itself, by the way—thick, chunky rigatoni—was cooked past al dente. Maybe it's an 8 for Paris, but for Rome it doesn't cut it.

The amatriciana made with crushed cherry tomatoes instead of passata. Interesting choice. Except they were sour, so everything came out acidic and kind of chunky. I actually liked it, it had something going for it, but technically we're still in the same ballpark here.

The gricia worst of all: basically a cacio e pepe with guanciale thrown on top. The creamy pecorino layer was practically nonexistent.

Paris prices: carbonara 20 euros, other pastas 26. Fair enough for Paris, for what you get though, meh.

So if you're in Paris and want a plate of Italian pasta, go ahead, but don't expect Rome.