Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [157]
PARIS MAIN D’OR Map French, Corsican €€
01 44 68 04 68; 133 rue du Faubourg St-Antoine, 11e; starters €6.50-16.10, mains €13-19.50, menu €12; lunch & dinner to 11pm Mon-Sat; Ledru Rollin
The unprepossessing, cafélike ‘Paris Golden Hand’ serves authentic Corsican dishes – a surprisingly elusive cuisine in Paris. Sturza preti (spinach and fine brocciu cheese; €8) and traditional omelette with brocciu and jambon sec (dried ham, matured for two years) are some of the appetisers on the menu. For mains, favourites include the tian de veau aux olives (veal ragout) and the caprettu arrustini (roast kid). Pasta dishes come in at about €10.50.
LE GRAND MÉRICOURT Map French €€
01 43 38 94 04; 22 rue de la Folie Méricourt, 11e; starters €12, mains €19, menus €14 (lunch only), €17 & €35; lunch Tue-Fri, dinner to 10.30pm Mon-Sat; St-Ambroise
Young chef Gregory Merten Antonelli offers his version of ‘la cuisine créative’ (basically traditional French that is light on oils and fat and heavy on seasonal produce) in a very English, almost fussy (floral wallpaper, wooden floors, starched tablecloths and napkins) place just a stone’s throw from trendy rue Oberkampf. Try the sanglier en pâté à la liqueur d’orange (boar pâté flavoured with orange liqueur) and the joue de bœuf fondante au muscat (beef cheek with sweet wine).
LES CAVES ST-GILLES Map Spanish €€
01 48 87 22 62; 4 rue St-Gilles, 3e; tapas €5.30-22, mains €15.50-19; lunch & dinner to 11.30pm daily; Chemin Vert
This Spanish wine bar a short distance northeast of place des Vosges is the most authentic place on the Right Bank for tapas, paella (at the weekend only; €19), zarzuela (Spanish bouillabaisse; €16.50) and sangria (€28 for 1.4cL). If you don’t believe us, just ask the Spanish expats who arrive here in droves. We like the bowls of complimentary olives provided on tables and at the bar.
GUILLAUME Map Modern French €€
01 44 54 20 60; 32 rue de Picardie, 3e; starters €8-14.50, mains €15-19; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner to 11pm Mon-Sat daily; Temple or République
Some of the starters at this sophisticated venue near place de la République make an ideal light lunch – try the tomato Tatin and the samoussa d’escargots (samosa with snails) – and there’s a two-course formule (set menu) for €15.50. You can eat either in the front bar or in the spacious dinning room behind. There’s a lovely art gallery on the 1st floor and, if you’re a group (something unusual in Paris), there’s a huge round table available for seating at least a dozen people.
CAFÉ DE L’INDUSTRIE Map French, Café €€
01 47 00 13 53; 16 & 17 rue St-Sabin, 11e; starters €5.10-6.90, mains €8.90-19; 9.30am-2am daily; Bastille
This popular café-restaurant with neocolonial décor has two locations directly opposite one another. It’s a pleasant space and the perfect spot to meet a friend instead of at one of the crowded cafés or bars in Bastille. Food is competitively priced but not always up to scratch; to avoid disappointment stick with the simple entrées or just graze off the fabulous dessert table (€4 to €5.90).
CAFFÉ BOBOLI Map–9 Italian €€
01 42 77 89 27; www.caffeboboli.com; 13 rue du Roi de Sicile, 4e; starters €10-13, mains €14-18.50; lunch Tue-Sun, dinner to 11pm Mon-Sat; St-Paul
Affordable Italian fare in the heart of the Marais? Not as preposterous a notion as you might think with the advent of this small restaurant run by two young Florentines. The food is very wholesome and based on vegetables, cheese and charcuterie like Parma ham and beef carpaccio. On the walls are original paintings and photographs that are changed every three months.
LE PETIT PICARD Map French €€
01 42 78 54 03; 42 rue Ste-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 4e; starters €7-16, mains €12.50-18.50, menus €15 (lunch only), €18 & €29; lunch Tue-Fri, dinner to 11.30pm Tue-Sun; Hôtel de Ville
This