Sometimes the urge to get drunk on nothing is stronger than anything. Stronger than sunbathing, naked on Sardinian rocks. Stronger than a magnum from Fidèle, champagne from Vouette and Sorbée. Stronger than a speech by Jean Castex or a Japanese whiskey. Japan, it is precisely in question at Bambino Paris. In this place thought by Fabien Lombardi as one of those Tokyo bars where jazz enthusiasts indulge as much in music as in drink, the restaurateur, also at the origin of L’Entrée des Artistes and Faggio , did not skimp on the sound material.
Built by hand by William Menard, friend of Fabien Lombardi, director of research and development at Palladium Audio, assisted by a cabinetmaker, the stained birch speakers are topped with horns designed to reproduce the highs and mids with maximum warmth. and dynamism, the sine qua non for the festive atmosphere inherent in this place voted “best author’s bar” by Le Fooding in 2021.
Their monumental measurements (1.47 × 1.32 m) and their warm color also contribute to the sixties atmosphere, not to mention the musical selection between soul, jazz, hip-hop, Brazilian disco, afrobeat … vibrations distilled by this sound system, you have to go get your sando (Japanese sandwich) on the spot. And it’s worth the detour.
Breaded pork, ponzu vinaigrette and fried bread churros
Although the wait does not last, it leaves time to bathe for a moment in waves other than those of everyday life, teleworking, slippers, sleep. That day, the title Juicy fruit (Mtume, 1983) regales the eardrums. It gives the feeling of being in love even before having bite into the breaded pork sandwich whose bread (from Carré, rue Rambuteau) is made with Japanese wheat flour.
The sando maintains a balance that recalls that of the Bambino sound system, between soft, tender and crisp; salty, sweet, umami (thanks to the bread). The coleslaw crunches by delivering the delicacy of a vinaigrette with ponzu (vinegar made from Japanese citrus fruits) and roasted sesame. All to enjoy while listening to the Bambino Paris playlist on Spotify, even if the home speakers, connected, do not exceed 20 cm in height …
A sip of Genmaicha tea (a Japanese green tea with puffed rice) refreshes the palate. When Bambino reopens, Ethiopian coffee will be served there in cold brew in pretty cups (“It would be pointless to taste it in a cup that tastes like cardboard”, specifies Fabien Lombardi). Especially since it is his friends from Deep Coffee Roasters, in Marseille, who have been experimenting for weeks to obtain the fruity lightness that befits Bambino.
Bad Boys of Marseille (Akhenaton, 1995) rings out in the enclosure and creates a diversion in this aside. Three minutes and forty-five seconds later (you had to sing along with Akhenaton, Shurik’n and the Fonky Family), the fried and sweet bread churros are cold. Nothing worse. Too bad, we turn up the sound and we dance, even alone and sober, in front of his computer.
The address Bambino Paris, 25, rue Saint-Sébastien, Paris 11e. Open every day from noon to 2 p.m.
The service In “click and collect”, to appreciate the quality of the audio speakers while waiting for your order.
The essential The Tonkatsu Sando.
The bill 14 € per person.
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