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By Root 701 0

of rue du Faubourg Montmartre (neither of which are anywhere near the neighbourhood of Montmartre in the 18e, by the way) form one of the Right Bank’s most animated café and dining districts. This area also has a couple of French restaurants that could almost be declared national monuments. A short distance to the north there’s a large selection of Jewish and North African kosher restaurants along rue Richer, rue Cadet and rue Geoffroy Marie, 9e, south of metro Cadet.

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top picks

DINING ROOMS WITH A VIEW

Les Ombres

Café de l’Homme

Georges

Café Beaubourg

Café Marly

Le Grand Véfour

Ma Bourgogne

L’Esplanade

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JEAN Map French €€€

01 48 78 62 73; www.restaurantjean.fr; 8 rue St-Lazare, 9e; starters €16-21, mains €36-41, menu €37 (lunch only); lunch Mon-Fri, dinner to 10.30pm Mon-Sat; Notre Dame de Lorette

This stylish gourmet restaurant manages to balance just the right amounts of sophistication and genuine warmth. Dark-red banquette seats liven up the large, quiet dining room. A sample meal might include fricassée de langoustines (scampi) served with a julienne of vegetables, magret de canard rôti au miel et ses navets et échalotes confites (honey-roasted fillet of duck breast served with preserved turnips and shallots) and a modern version of profiteroles – a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two crunchy, chocolate-coated meringues. There are multicourse tasting menus available at €60 and €75.

CASA OLYMPE Map French €€€

01 42 85 26 01; 48 rue St-Georges, 9e; menus €31 (lunch only) & €40; lunch & dinner to 11pm Mon-Fri; St-Georges

This very smart (if somewhat sombre) restaurant run by Dominique Versini, the first female chef in France to be awarded a Michelin star, serves excellent and rather inventive dishes served in surprisingly ample sizes. We loved our pot of warming winter vegetables with bacon followed by a veal chop cooked with bay leaf and pleurotte mushrooms. The artwork on the walls was done by the chef-owner’s mother.

LA BOULE ROUGE Map Jewish, Kosher €€€

01 47 70 43 90; 1 rue de la Boule Rouge, 9e; starters €6-17.50, mains €16-28.50; menu €25 & €35; lunch & dinner to midnight Mon-Sat; Cadet or Grands Boulevards

Though this Tunisian stalwart has been in situ for three decades, ‘The Red Ball’ has been getting a lot of press – good, bad or otherwise – only since Monsieur Sarkozy was spotted dining here. It’s a lovely space, with a wonderful caravan mural on the ceiling and photos of politicians and celebs on the walls. Some of the couscous dishes served here – mince with okra, spinach, spicy chicken with corn – are unusual and the three-course menu includes an excellent array of kemia (vegetarian meze) plus a drink.

LES AILES Map Jewish, Kosher €€€

01 47 70 62 53; www.lesailes.fr, in French; 34 rue Richer, 9e; starters €10-18.50, mains €17-26; lunch & dinner to 11.30pm daily; Cadet

With a delicatessen and bakery attached, ‘Wings’ is a kosher North African (Sephardic) place that has superb couscous with meat or fish (€17 to €22) and grills as well as light meals of salad and pasta (€11 to €23). Don’t even consider a starter; you’ll be inundated with little plates of salad, olives etc before you can say shalom. Sabbath meals (pre-ordered and prepaid) are also available.

WALLY LE SAHARIEN Map North African €€€

01 42 85 51 90; 36 rue Rodier, 9e; starters €6.50-8.50, mains €17.50-23.50, menus €15 & €19 (lunch only), €39; lunch & dinner to 10.30pm Tue-Sat; St-Georges or Cadet

This is several cuts above most Maghreb restaurants in Paris, offering couscous in its pure Saharan form – without stock or vegetables, just a finely cooked grain served with a delicious sauce – and excellent tajines. It’s somewhat pricey for North African but you won’t walk away hungry.

LE ROI DU POT AU FEU Map French €€

01 47 42 37 10; 34 rue Vignon, 9e; starters €5-7, mains €17-20, menus €24 & €29; noon-10.30pm Mon-Sat; Havre Caumartin

The typical Parisian bistro atmosphere, ‘30s décor and checked tablecloths all add to the charm of ‘The King of Hotpots’, and we always go back when we’re in