Sometimes life doesn’t turn out the way you planned it. Sometimes, you grow up, land the 9 to 5 job like you’re supposed to and realize you’re nowhere you wanted to be. Or maybe you like what you do, but you find yourself daydreaming of giving it all up and opening up your own restaurant in Paris. It takes balls to do something like that.

And in the case of former métro-boulot-dodoers turned Parisian restauranteurs Salomée Vidal and Jérémie Kanza, they’re the kind of balls you eat.

What usually gets thrown into a bed of spaghetti noodles or threaded onto Yakitori skewers at your local Jap is now a stand-alone commodity at the first of its kind, self-named restaurant Balls on rue Saint-Maur.

The all-balls menu (or if you’re on the prude side, the politically correct word in French is ‘boulette’) is dedicated to 5 different recipes, four of which are meat-based (beef, lamb and pork of French origin or chicken from Belgium) and one vegetarian (eggplant and chickpeas).

Salomée and Jérémie, who each grew up with a mutual affinity for boulettes, devised the menu themselves, using traditional family recipes and tested out new ones, highlighting international flavors.

The balls come in servings of 5, nestled in a bed of the homemade sauce of your choice (tomato- or yogurt-based). Melded together with bread crumbs and egg, the grilled meatballs are firm on the outside, soft and moist on the inside and properly seasoned and spiced.

Perfect for group feasts, order one of each flavor to share, and raid the varied collection of sides, including lentilles with feta and courgette, mashed sweet potatoes, mushroom risotto, creamy polenta or a crunchy salad of endives and citrus fruits.

The beef version livened up with flat-leaf parsley and onions was dignified of its bestseller status, particularly when enrobed in the tomato sauce, which we sopped up dry with the accompanying crusty baguette slices. A side of the mashed sweet potatoes made for more dipping pleasure.

We also tested the tasty lamb balls, laced with cilantro and pine nuts and more suited to the creamy yogurt herb sauce. The mushroom risotto was just right as a rich, filling complement.

The drink menu is short and sweet, composed of natural wines, craft beers and original ‘Balls’ cocktails.

Stop in for the economical lunch menu at 13,50 euros which includes a bowl of balls, sauce, a side and soft drink, or opt for the 8-euro meatball sammy made with tomato sauce, herbed butter and roquette.

The place is already packed for dinner, so be sure to call ahead and reserve. If not, get your balls to go.

And in what might be a surprisingly bonne nouvelle for the dudes in Paris, it turns out chicks dig balls, or at least that’s the impression you get when surveying the compact resto filled with tables of cute girls, happily indulging in the round delicacy (while probably comparing them to yours).

So go on, grow a pair and give Balls a try. At the very least, we can credit the place with giving a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘Eat my balls’ — pun intended.

Balls
47 rue Saint-Maur
75011 Paris
Métro : Rue Saint-Maur, Saint-Ambroise, Père Lachaise
Open from 12 pm to 2 pm and 8 pm to 11 pm Tuesday through Friday, and 8 pm to 11 pm Saturdays
Phone : 09 51 38 74 89
Website : http://www.ballsrestaurant.com

Article: Stéphanie Holmes