What I do, I do it with love. (Polo)
In Aix-en-Provence, it was 29°C on 29th October, added to the warmth of Le Bidule (= the thingy) restaurant, located Place des Cardeurs. Relaxed ambiance, vintage decoration, great reception, simple, cheap and quality dishes. Le Bidule, first of all, is a restaurant conceived by its boss, Polo. Native from the south of France, Polo went to Paris during 7 years to learn and improve its professional skills. Slowly he has elaborated what became later the brand concept of the Bidule today : not only a restaurant. Indeed, the place also features some crazy events (the last one was a sumo fight, which gathered around 400 people on a monday evening), concerts, dj sets. On sundays, there is the famous brunch, open from 10am.
On January 7th, Le Bibule will be 2 years old. « It worked well very fast » told us the chief. « What I do, I do it with heart and love. I want to take some pleasure and pleasure the people. It’s the job’s basics ». The boss has proudly inherited those values from his own father, also a restaurant professional.
We were very well welcomed, and we went for the burger of the moment : a splendid burger, tasty with its pure heart rumbstek meat, melted reblochon, a tomato slice and homemade samouraï sauce. Accompanied by homemade mayonnaise sauce and french fries. Price : 13€.
« We only work with fresh products, the menu evolves depending on the arrival. It keeps simple : meat, fish, etc. But someone who would come on monday and come back on wednesday wouldn’t eat the same dish. » Using fresh products is Polo’s motto. Here, everything is homemade, « except from the salad » : sauces, meat, etc. Le Bidule’s winning combination is « good, clean and well ».
I want to make the people enjoy
Duck magret burger with orange and cantal cheese, fish & ships, north-american 100% beef hot-dog. As Polo explains, « the US is a very cosmopolite nation, there are christians but also muslims, so, as opposed to common beliefs, the hot-dog, there, is made of beef meat ». The HP sauce is displayed on the table (which is very rare in France) : no doubt, we are in a qualitative brasserie.
Le Bidule’s spirit is « cool and trustworthy », with the idea to make the people enjoy. An eclectic and tolerant atmosphere reigns. « It’s all about the melting-pot…Gothics, rappeurs…We call it Le Bidule because there’s no judgment, we don’t categorize the place, we share, it’s like you’re at home ! It’s no brainer, just relaxed ».
What about the headgear ? It’s Polo’s thing too : he always has a « hat or a beret » on his head, but it « makes (him) crazy when someone tries to take it off (his) head during the parties ».
To conclude : « it’s simple ». Simple dishes, values, authenticity, a warm welcome, and you can even listen to Dizzee Rascal while eating. It’s the breath of air you need, and we’ll come back, for sure !
[fancygallery id=”1″ album=”22″]
