Le Malakoff Café-Brasserie near the Eiffel Tower, Paris.

Paris isn't expensive. Before our trip there we had all sorts of people telling us how expensive it is to holiday in major cities in Europe; but we found that all things considered, it's actually quite reasonable.

Case in point: We had this three-course dinner at Le Malakoff Café-Brasserie for a very inexpensive €16 per person. This isn't some run-down restaurant in the middle of nowhere, either - it's on the Place du Trocadéro roundabout barely 5 minutes from the foot of the Eiffel Tower.


Drinks, however, are expensive, because Parisians love ordering a drink and sitting around chatting and people watching for hours, thus restaurants price their drinks accordingly. Our café crema cost €4.80!


We both go for the same choice of starter - the Hard Boiled Egg with Mayonnaise. It looks and sounds a little ordinary, but it wasn't too bad. Sort of like a fancy egg mayo salad.


For mains, we also choose the same Beef Steak with Maitre d'Hotel Butter and a ridiculously large serving of fries. We're not sure what cut of meat this is, but it was definitely one of the cheaper parts of the cow (flank steak, perhaps). Taste-wise, pretty decent for this price range.


Desserts wise, the Crème_caramel was solid but not special, and the Ice Cream (we chose Pistachio and Chocolate Mint) was likewise rather par for the course.


So nothing particularly grand or gourmet here, but for €16 I do think it was pretty good value for money. Prices in France are Prix Service Compris (service charge already included), so large tips are not normally given or expected.


Le Malakoff is on the "side" of the Eiffel Tower across the River Seine - walk slightly further away from that platform that everyone stands on to take photos of the Tower, and you'll see it nestled among the 4 or so restaurants along the roundabout. Waiters speak English and there's an English menu, so no worries if your French isn't up to par. Non-halal.