We were hungry while roaming around Forum des Halles, so we decided to grab a quick bite of some good old burgers and fries.
This Big Fernand location was long and narrow. They have a few around the city with bigger front shops. The staffs were working hard and fast to churn out the endless orders. The staffs were not the most friendly, nor the least. I get that they need to do their job and have no time to engage in small talk, lol.
I had the Big Fernand. But first, I want to commend them for their tasty fries. I could eat their paprika spiced fries non-stop. Perfect seasoning, perfect thickness, and perfect crispiness. B always liked to supersize his fries, so we had 3 servings of fries. But we ended up being too full and decided to take one of them as late night snack. Except, I started snacking on it just 10 minutes later when we were strolling in the mall. And somehow, I managed to finish it, lol, with my already 100% full stomach.
Those were some dangerously addictive fries!
So my big Fernand had a juicy patty topped with parsley, dried tomatoes, artisanal raw milk cheese (Tomme de Savoie) and their homemade cocktail sauce. Not the typical burger toppings that you would expect in Canada, but they played out delectably and harmoniously.
B ordered the Bartholome with raw milk cheese (Alpine raclette), smoked pork belly, candied onions, chives, and Big Fernand barbecue sauce. It was so good that B did not even notice the onions, which he hated like a little kid.
This place reminded me of Five Guys. They both offer higher quality burgers compared to McDonald’s (no offence to McD’s lovers). The unique thing was they put a French spin on the food. Everything was just more sophisticated and elevated. And of course, that included the price too?.
Worth a try if you haven’t?, and if you don’t mind shelling out a decent chunk.
Big Fernand
55 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 75009 Paris, France
The Big Fernand combo (with a drink and fries) – 16 euro
The Bartholome combo (with big Effect – double cheese, double meat and double fries) – 20 euro