International restaurants in France
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A
L'Atelier de Joël Robouchon
It’s a mean feat to snag a seat at this celebrity-chef address, which accepts reservations from 11am to 12.30pm the day you want to dine out at precisely 6.30pm for dinner. Once in, you’ll realise what all the fuss is about. Diners are taken on a mind-blowing culinary tour of the finer things in French gastronomy, lobster, sardines, foie gras and milk-fed lamb included. And with accolades like ‘chef of the century’ and ‘world’s best restaurant’ under Joël Robuchon’s belt, you know it’ll be good. Dining is stool-style around a U-shaped black lacquer bar and the décor (bamboo in glass vases and the like) throws in a touch of Japan.
reviewed
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B
Le Loup Blanc
Some inventive and inexpensive dishes are on offer at ‘The White Wolf’: meat and fish marinated with herbs and spices (eg cardamom, star anise, marjoram) and then grilled. For accompaniments, you can choose from up to four vegetables and grains, according to your appetite and the season: red lentils, quinoa (a South American grain), creamed corn with peppers (a must) or carrots with cumin. We like the chicken with rosemary and savoury pork with tangerine and Macassar fillets of duck. It’s a popular place for brunch on Sunday (€19.50)
reviewed
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C
Café de l’Homme
You probably wouldn’t cross town for the food at the Café de l’Homme, the plush restaurant sharing the same wing of the Palais de Chaillot as the Musée de l’Homme and the Musée de la Marine; it’s overpriced and designed for the beautiful people who are flocking here at the moment. But you would travel for the view; virtually any spot at any table is a front-row seat before the Eiffel Tower. This is why you came to Paris.
reviewed
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D
Georges
Encased in aluminium sheeting with modular arctic-white seats, the Pompidou Centre’s hyperindustrial dining room offers pretty predictable and expensive Coste food – most people go for the tuna tartare or avocado and crab salad (€20 to €22) or the steak with the Asianesque name Le Tigre qui Pleure (The Crying Tiger). But this place is really all about the stunning views over Paris’ rooftops, especially from its terrace.
reviewed
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E
Restaurant Le Menestrel
The husband and wife team who have taken over the Menestrel offer a range of gastronomic delights. Meat and fish are of the freshest and all desserts are homemade. Peek at the guest book with its multilingual tributes to the quality of the cuisine and observe yourself in the giant overhead mirror as you tuck in. There's always a choice for vegetarians and menus are in both English and French.
reviewed
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Sorza
It’s all very trendy at this black-and-red cube where a buoyant crowd dines well any time of day. Its weekend brunches (€18) ooze health-conscious ingredients, as does its stylish Italianate cuisine. We ate an octopus salad, followed by foie gras risotto and French-baked panettone with caramelised pears. Should hunger not have struck yet, enjoy a drink at the flashy orange neon bar.
reviewed
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G
Restaurant du Palais Royal
The terrace of this stunner overlooking the Palais Royal has become one of the most coveted covers in fine weather in recent years. In colder months the redder-than-red dining room is both cosy and stylish and chef Bruno Hees turns out some award-wishing international dishes with an Italian spin, especially pasta and risotto (€18 to €30) ones and osso buco à la Milanese (€24).
reviewed
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H
Le Bouchon et L'Assiette
Refined cuisine indeed. Dishes are attractively presented and described sotto voce as they're slipped before you. For dessert, go for the blanc manger, a smooth, creamy confection of white chocolate beneath a bed of stewed berries and worlds away from the synthetic blancmange of childhood parties. Service can be slow so come with a thick book or a scintillating companion.
reviewed
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I
L'Ouest
With the emphasis at Ouest (meaning 'west') being island (any island) cuisine, chefs trained by legendary Lyon chef Paul Bocuse cook up everything from king-prawn spring rolls with fresh mint and saffron-spiced crab soup to wok-fried Asian cod in a state-of-the-art open kitchen. Décor is minimalist, avant garde and includes a deck overlooking the Saône.
reviewed
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J
Roule Ma Poule
Like most places in the area, it pulls in a mainly student crowd with its decent, uncomplicated fare. Happy-go-lucky and with rapid service, it has a large terrace that spills over the square and does a filling midday formule rapide (similar to a menu but allows choice of whichever two of three courses you want.
reviewed
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Macéo
From the people who brought us Willi’s Wine Bar comes this very upper-crust restaurant housed in a former brothel with Second Empire décor; it’s one of the most attractive dining rooms in Paris. The cuisine is innovative and there is a very sophisticated (and very unusual) vegetarian menu.
reviewed
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Le Viaduc Café
This New York–style café-bar with a terrace in one of the glassed-in arches of the Viaduc des Arts is an excellent spot to while away the early hours (though food is served noon to 11pm daily) and enjoy brunch (€22) from noon to 4pm on Sundays. The terrace is a great spot for people watching.
reviewed
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M
Centre Régional des Œuvres Universitaires et Scolaires Mazet
Branch of the Centre Régional des Œuvres Universitaires et Scolaires. It has variable hours that change according to university holiday schedules and weekend rotational agreements; check the schedule posted outside the branch or the CROUS website (www.crous-paris.fr) for current times.
reviewed
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N
Centre Régional des Œuvres Universitaires et Scolaires Mabillon
Branch of the Centre Régional des Œuvres Universitaires et Scolaires. It has variable hours that change according to university holiday schedules and weekend rotational agreements; check the schedule posted outside the branch or the CROUS website (www.crous-paris.fr) for current times.
reviewed
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O
Le Sporting
This is one of the more sophisticated café-restaurants along the Canal St-Martin and the minimalist décor – all browns and ash greys and bare wooden floors – suggests an up-to-the-moment bar or club in London. Brunch on Sunday (noon to 4pm) is when Le Sporting is at its busiest.
reviewed
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P
Ariadne Plage
With several imitators along this coastal strip, Ariadne Plage was the first of Ajaccio's paillotes; African rhythms playing, planks underfoot, a reed roof above and, below, a sandy beach with bright red umbrellas: blink and you could be beside the Caribbean. The cuisine is equally exotic.
reviewed
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Q
Karl
Simply the place in town for a morning after the night before brunch. These range from a light continental-style affair to the full works with salmon, cheeses, hams and eggs. It's just as good for a snack at any time of the day and is perpetually packed with a young crowd.
reviewed
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R
Scoop
This American-style ice-cream parlour has also been making quite a splash with its excellent wraps, burgers, tarts and soups and central, very fashionable location. The upstairs lounge is made for a tête-à-tête, and Sunday brunch (€18 to €25) includes pancakes with maple syrup.
reviewed
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S
Patati Patata
If you’re looking for something cheap and filling at almost any time of the day, visit this simple little caff with Formica tables that dispenses pommes de terre au four (baked or jacket potatoes) with toppings to the appreciative masses of Bastille.
reviewed
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Chez Paulo
There's always a crowd at Chez Paulo and for good reason. Visitors and locals alike watch life go by from its busy terrace and it has a good selection of fresh pasta and pizza. There's live Corsican music at the adjoining Le Son des Guitares.
reviewed
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La Mère Brazier
Watch out for La Mère Brazier to reopen near the opera house – at the time of writing, chef Mathieu Vianney was reinventing the mythical 1930s restaurant that earned Lyon its first trio of Michelin stars in 1933.
reviewed
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V
La Truye qui Filhe
Within the vaults of a restored 14th-century inn, this, the bargain of Nîmes, blends a self-service format with a homely atmosphere and does a superb-value menu (fixed-price meal with two or more courses) that changes daily.
reviewed
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W
Seiz'âmes by Garioud
Seiz'âmes flouts a baby-pink Smeg fridge in its entrance and a playful littering of shocking-pink feather dusters, toasters and other design gadgets throughout its dramatic pink interior. Cuisine is a mix 'n' match world affair.
reviewed
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X
Restaurant François Miura
This ultrastylish place has a strictly postmodern décor. It's one of the places to be seen in Petit Bayonne, where the food, such as tender pigeon stuffed with foie gras, is just as fashionable as the clientele.
reviewed
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Y
Criquettamu's
Searching out this chic little spot – hidden away in the Cité Médiévale – rewards with 'world platters' including Japanese, island (with banana curry) and Western (gourmet hamburgers), as well as local flavours.
reviewed
