After a delightful visit of the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, I decided to wander over to the Bois de Boulogne, mostly just to see how close I was. Very quickly I found myself on the shore of the Lac Inférieur, looking across at the lovely Chalet des Iles. On impulse I hopped on the next boat (small launches run continuously) and went to the island for lunch.

The Chalet des Iles is a lovely, calm spot on this small island in the middle of one of the lakes of the Bois de Boulogne. Sitting on the terrace under the shade of an umbrella and nearby trees and watching the water was a perfect setting for lunch after a busy museum morning.

I started my lunch with a Kir, or white wine with crème de cassis (black current liqueur). Cold and just slightly sweet, it was a delicious drink on a warm day.

I didn't want a multi-course meal, but I wanted something more than a salad. And I was feeling adverturous, so I decided to try the Courgette Fleurs Farcies au Saumon, Tapenade d'Olives. What was it? Zucchini flowers stuffed with salmon, garnished with a tapenade of black olives, olive oil, and capers. One of the more unusual looking dishes I've ever eaten, and very tasty. It needed only some crusty French bread to go with it, and I was set.

I finished off my meal in proper French fashion with an espresso, thus extending the time I spent enjoying the beautiful setting.

The Courgette was one of the more expensive of the first course offerings at 18€. It was also large enough to make an excellent lunch. With the Kir and coffee, my bill was 26€.

The Chalet also offers a formule, or fixed price menu for lunch. You can get two courses (appetizer and main, or main and dessert) for 25€ or all three for 31€.

Métro: Rue de la Pompe or Porte de la Muette
Bus: 63 to Porte de la Muette (terminus)
RER: Henri Martin
Note: Regardless of how you travel, you will still have a 10-15 minute walk to reach the Bois de Boulogne and the launch that takes you to the Chalet des Iles. Another option: do what I did and walk over after visiting the nearby Musée Marmottan Monet.

Chalet des Isles
Lac Inférieur du Bois de Boulogne
Porte de la Muette
75016 Paris, France
+33 1 42 88 04 69