Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [155]
L’ALIVI Map French, Corsican €€€
01 48 87 90 20; www.restaurant-alivi.com, in French; 27 rue du Roi de Sicile, 4e; starters €9-16, mains €15-23, menus €17 & €23 (lunch only), €25 & €29; lunch & dinner to 11.30pm daily; St-Paul
The ingredients at this rather fashionable Corsican restaurant are always fresh and refined, with brocciu cheese, charcuterie and basil featuring strongly on the menu. Try starzapreti (brocciu and spinach quenelles) and the unrivalled cabri braisé au rosmarin (kid braised with rosemary) with a Leccia wine to fully experience the pleasures of what the French call l’île de beauté (the beautiful island).
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top picks
FOOD STREETS
Av de Choisy, av d’Ivry and rue Baudricourt have a plethora of Chinese and Southeast Asian eateries.
Blvd de Belleville is the place for Middle Eastern and Pakistani food and kosher couscous.
Passage Brady, a covered arcade, is the place for Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi dishes.
Rue Cadet, rue Richer and rue Geoffroy Marie all have restaurants serving Sephardic Jewish kosher food, including couscous.
Rue Montorgueil, a pedestrians-only market street, is one of the best places around for something quick to eat.
Rue Mouffetard is not just a food market but an excellent street to find ethnic and French restaurants in the budget category.
Rue Rosiers in the Marais is the best place to find Ashkenazic Jewish kosher food.
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LE TRUMILOU Map French, Bistro €€
01 42 77 63 98; 84 quai de l’Hôtel de Ville, 4e; starters €4.50-13, mains €15-22, menu €16.50 & €19.50; lunch & dinner to 11pm daily; Hôtel de Ville
This no-frills bistro just round the corner from the Hôtel de Ville and facing the posh Île de St-Louis square is a Parisian institution in situ for over a century. If you’re looking for an authentic menu from the early 20th century and prices (well, almost) to match, you won’t do better than this. The confit aux pruneaux (duck with prunes) and the ris de veau grand-mère (veal sweetbreads in mushroom cream sauce) are particularly good.
CHEZ PAUL Map French, Bistro €€
01 47 00 34 57; 13 rue de Charonne, 11e; starters €4.80-17.50, mains €14.50-22; lunch & dinner to 12.30am daily; Ledru Rollin
When they put up a ‘French restaurant’ film set in Hollywood, this ever-expanding bistro is what it must look like. An extremely popular bistro, it has traditional French main courses handwritten on a yellowing menu and brusque service – Paris in true form! Stick with the simplest of dishes – the steak or foie gras with lentils – and make sure you’ve booked ahead.
L’AMBASSADE D’AUVERGNE Map French, Auvergne €€
01 42 72 31 22; www.ambassade-auvergne.com; 22 rue du Grenier St-Lazare, 3e; starters €8-16, mains €14-22, menu €20 (lunch only) & €28; lunch & dinner to 10pm daily; Rambuteau
The ‘Auvergne Embassy’ is the place to head if you are a truly hungry carnivore. This century-old restaurant offers traditional dishes from the Auvergne such as salade tiède de lentilles vertes du Puy (warm salad of green Puy lentils; €9), a great lead-up to the house speciality: saucisse de Parlan à l’aligot (Auvergne-style pork sausage served with a potato and cheese purée; €14).
LE RÉCONFORT Map French €€
01 49 96 09 60; 37 rue de Poitou, 3e; starters €7-10, mains €17-21, menus €17 & €22 (lunch only); lunch Mon-Fri, dinner to 11pm daily; St-Sébastien Froissart
Unusual for a restaurant in the Marais, ‘The Comfort’ has generous space between tables and is quiet enough to chat without yelling. The kitchen produces very tasty and inventive dishes, including homemade foie gras. For mains, consider king prawns in an aromatic citrus and coconut sauce or souris d’agneau rotie (roast lamb shank). The plat du jour at lunch is €12.
LE SOUK Map