Sarah C.
Yelp
13 au Jardin is a hip restaurant located across from the Jardin du Luxembourg. The interior is luscious green, decorated with various potted plants and herbs. The tables are adorned with cute pepper plants and vines hang from the walls. Just as the restaurant itself is earthy and visually pleasing, its ingredients are locally-sourced, and its dishes masterfully plated.
The restaurant gives off low-key American country vibes: the menus and walls are scrawled with hospitable southern slang. Menu items include the French Toast and Not-Fried Chicken, the "Inconceivable!" Princess Bride Omelet, and Quinoa Porridge, in addition to an extensive drink menu--two pages of any tea, coffee, beer, or wine anyone could possibly want.
My friends and I ended up ordering the French toast/Not-Fried Chicken and the omelet, with each item costing a whopping €17. We had to wait quite a bit before the food came out for our group of three, perhaps since we stopped by rather early in the morning. Fortunately, there's a lot more substance to the food than meets the eye. Although we were initially disappointed by the seemingly tiny portion sizes, we were satisfied by the end of the meal. My omelet came with a side salad and a biscuit. I can't say the omelet was anything special, except maybe that it had a bountiful assortment of vegetables unlike the usual tomato/spinach/mushroom combination found in most omelets. The salad was topped with an interesting dried fruit and seed mix, but like the omelet, tasted like any generic salad.
The French toast was slightly better. Soft on the inside yet somewhat crunchy on the outside, it consisted of an intriguing juxtaposition of textures. The drizzle of honey gave it the perfect amount of sweetness, and the mango topping and sprinkle of dry nuts gave the dish a sweet and salty finish. The Not-Fried Chicken was alright but paled in comparison to the French toast.
Overall, I felt like it was a steep price to pay for mediocre food, although I appreciated the sustainability and aesthetic of the food.