Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [188]
Paul’s pad is a classic in Butte aux Cailles. Soak up the relaxed, chatty feel and indulge in Frencher-than-French dishes cooked to perfection. Despite its name gras double (double fat) is not fatty; rather, it’s belly pan-fried with garlic and parsley, as the friendly note on the menu thoughtfully explains.
LE TEMPS DES CÉRISES Map French €€
01 45 89 69 48; 18-20 rue de la Butte aux Cailles, 13e; starters €8-10, mains €10-21, menus lunch/dinner €14.50/22.50; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner to 11.30pm Mon-Fri, to midnight Sat; Corvisart or Place d’Italie
There’s no beating about the bush at ‘The Time of Cherries’ (ie ‘days of wine and roses’ to English speakers), an easygoing restaurant run by a workers’ cooperative for three decades. Switch off your mobile (lest there be hell to pay) before entering, plonk yourself down at a table and while away several hours munching on faithfully solid fare in a quintessentially Parisian atmosphere. Buy their coton-bio T-shirt upon departure.
RESTAURANT BIOART Map Organic €€
01 45 85 66 88; www.restaurantbioart.fr; 1 quai François Mauriac, 13e; starters €8, mains €18; lunch Mon, lunch & dinner to 11.30pm Tue-Fri, dinner to 11.30pm Sat; Bibliothèque
Split across two floors, this Seine-side eating space with neon lighting and glass windows is 100% bio. Less formal snacks, salads (€10) and bowls of pasta ‘ n’ risotto (€10) make up the ground-floor café menu, while the risotto au cognac à la crème is typical of the more formal fare served upstairs. Savouring ‘un plaisir naturel’ (a natural pleasure) is the hip but laidback mood here.
L’AVANT GOûT Map French, Bistro €€
01 53 80 24 00; www.lavantgout.com, in French; 26 rue Bobillot, 13e; starters €10, mains €16.50, menus lunch/dinner €14/31; lunch & dinner to 10.45pm Tue-Sat; Place d’Italie
A prototype of the Parisian ‘neo-bistro’, the ‘Foretaste’ has chef Christophe Beaufront serving some of the most inventive modern cuisine around. The place gets noisy, tables count little more than a dozen, and service is stern. But the food is different and divine. Advance reservations are vital but, should you not get in, its wine shop, Côte Cellier ( 01 45 81 14 06; 37 rue Bobillot, 13e; noon-8pm Tue-Fri, 10.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-8.30pm Sat), opposite, sells dishes to take away.
À LA DOUCEUR ANGEVINE Map French €€
01 45 83 32 30; 1 rue Xaintrailles, 13e; starters €8-10, mains €10-15; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Wed, 8.30am-4.30pm & 7.45-10.30pm Thu & Fri; Bibliothèque
A typical bistro de quartier, À la Douceur Angevine is the place in the 13e to jostle with locals. Its name, penned in a poem by 16th-century French poet Joachim du Bellay, celebrates the sweetness of gastronomy and viticulture from Anjou, land of kings, chateaux and Rabelais, west of Paris in the Loire Valley. In spring, when a dozen lucky diners can dine on the terrace outside, it bumps up its opening hours to three evenings a week. It closes for three weeks in August.
LA FLEUVE DE CHINE Map Chinese €€
01 45 82 06 88; 15 av de Choisy, 13e; starters €3.50-10, mains €7-15; lunch & dinner to 11pm Fri-Wed; Porte de Choisy
Here you’ll find the most authentic Cantonese and Hakka food in Paris and, as is typical, both the surroundings and the service are forgettable. Go for the superb dishes cooked in clay pots. La Fleuve de Chine can also be reached through the Tour Bergame housing estate at 130 blvd Masséna.
LA CHINE MASSÉNA Map Chinese €€
01 45 83 98 88; 18 av de Choisy, 13e; soups & starters €4.10-11, mains €6.50-14; lunch & dinner to 11pm daily; Porte de Choisy
This enormous restaurant specialising in Cantonese and Chiu Chow cuisine is a real favourite in Chinatown; to ensure it would have good joss for the coming year we fed the dragon lettuce at the last Lunar New Year celebrations. The dim sum here is especially good and women still go around the dining area with trolleys calling out their wares.
L’AUDIERNES Map French, Brasserie €€
01 44 24 86 23; 22 rue Louise Weiss, 13e; starters €4.30-11.50,