Par Hervine Mahaud
Published on Jan 25, 24 at 6:50 p.m. See my news Follow Lille News
A little feel of Little Italy in Old Lille. Since the beginning of December, rue de Gand has taken on the appearance of the famous Italian district of New York thanks to the opening of Carmi. This café-bar inspired by New York delis offers a short menu, made from Italian but also local products. You can have your coffee there from 10 a.m., a generous panini at midday, a waffle for a snack, but also an aperitif in the evening. At Carmi, “there are no rules, we come whenever we want to eat or drink,” explain Mika and Naomi, who welcome us at the counter.
From morning to night
Before the inauguration of Carmi in Lille, there is another project: the opening of Tripletta, an Italian restaurant born in Paris in 2016. The brand has developed in other large cities in France: Bordeaux, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse. In March, a pizzeria will open at 43, rue de Gand (we will come back to this in a future article). But at number 50, Carmi already gives a taste of Italian flavors.
If the little sister of the Tripletta saw the light of day, it is quite simply because the two commercial premises (at 43 and 50 rue de Gand, therefore) were sold as an indivisible lot. “We didn’t really know what we wanted to do with it and then when we created the project, we simply thought about what we liked,” says Mika, associated with Valentin, founder of Tripletta.
Mika and Naomi are also accompanied by Mélodie to keep the café running throughout the day. ©Hervine Mahaud
Both are fans of coffee (filter!), New York and its delis, small grocery stores where you can eat at any time. “We thought of creating this little café where you can come and sit at the counter for a snack at lunchtime, or a drink in the evening. »
The name Carmi is a tribute to Mika’s Italian grandmother, Carmella. It’s also a nod to the series The Bears, “which made me want to cook again. This is the first name of the main character. »
Panini, pinsa, antipasti
At Carmi, we find a fairly short menu, constantly evolving, depending on the seasons and inspirations. Everything is prepared with high-quality Italian products, supplied by the Parisian grocery store Pastavino. But local producers are not left aside, far from it. “In Lille, we have a very rich breeding ground,” says Mika, who called on the Lille roaster Muda, the Cambier brewery, the Cave du Presentoir for natural wines and even the artisan baker Vianney Degruson.
On site or to take away, you can first whet your appetite with the antipasti: burratina, truffle mortadella, truffle gorgonzola for example.
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Mika, supported by Naomi and Mélodie, makes pinsas on demand. These kinds of mini pizzas have a dough prepared with a mixture of wheat and rice flours, which provides a crispy side, different from Neapolitan pizza. Allow €10 to €12 depending on the recipe.
Ham and mushroom pinsas, generously garnished. ©Hervine Mahaud
There are also paninis, which simply have nothing to do with those found in traditional bakeries. “In Italy, the panini is very gourmet, it’s an art of street food! » At Carmi, forget about bland white bread that has become flattened when it comes out of the toaster. Here, it is a semi-wholemeal flour bread, generously topped with noble ingredients.
The inside of the Comté ham panini. ©Hervine Mahaud
For example, the ham, Comté, whole-grain mustard and arugula panini. Or the one with pastrami, cheddar, honey mustard, in reference to New York delis. Prices vary between 12 and 14€.
For dessert or snack, we can only recommend the incredibly tender “lost” panettone. The candied fruits provide a subtle bitterness that counteracts the sugar and fat.
The incredible lost panettone. Absolutely a must-try! ©Hervine Mahaud
Also on the menu, the Nocciolata waffle, the lemon curd pannacotta. Or the affogato (coffee drink with a scoop of fior di latte ice cream) or the amaretto coffee.
Brunch and DJ sets on weekends
The Italian café-bar on rue de Gand is also a perfect address to discover on the weekend. Indeed, Saturday and Sunday, Carmi offers a special menu which can be compared to a brunch (no formula however). Egg muffin, avocado muffin, ricotta pancake, slice of grilled panettone, slice of crostata (traditional Italian tart)…
Finally, from the beginning of February, Carmi will switch to DJ set mode every Friday evening. Enough to stir up the rue de Gand, which never stops renewing itself.
Practical information: Carmi, 50 rue de Gand in Lille. Open Sunday to Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight. More information on the page Instagram.
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2024-01-25 17:50:01
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