Restaurants in France
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A
L'As de Felafel
This favourite restaurant does deep-fried balls of chickpeas and herbs (€5). It’s always packed, particularly at weekday lunch.
reviewed
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B
Aux Trois Éléphants
In a street where each restaurant is more original than the next, ‘At the Three Elephants’ takes the tart. Customers – a very mixed bag – are plunged into a highly exotic world where the extravagant ‘hostesses’ are equal to the dishes on offer. The subtle flavours of the yum plameuk (squid salad) and the homok pla (steamed fish served in a banana leaf; €10) are both excellent choices.
reviewed
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C
Pozzetto
Urban myth tells us that this gelato maker opened up when a group of friends from northern Italy couldn’t find their favourite ice cream here in Paris so they imported the ingredients to create it from scratch. Flavours – spatula’d, not scooped – include gianduia torinese (hazelnut chocolate from Turin) and zabaione, made from egg yolks, sugar and sweet Marsala wine, along with the more usual peach, pistachio and poire William.
reviewed
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D
Berthillon
Berthillon is to ice cream what Château Lafite Rothschild is to wine. While the fruit flavours (eg cassis) produced by this celebrated glacier (ice-cream maker) are justifiably renowned, the chocolate, coffee, marrons glacés (candied chestnuts), Agenaise (Armagnac and prunes), noisette (hazelnut) and nougat au miel (honey nougat) are even richer. Choose from among 70 flavours.
reviewed
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E
Brasserie La Cigale
No visit to Nantes is complete without joining the old ladies with perfectly manicured hair for a coffee and cake or an all-out feast at 1890s Brasserie La Cigale. Several salons of original gilded tilework and frescoed ceilings are attended by white-aproned waiters.
reviewed
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F
L'Impossible
Impossibly irresistible, the Impossible is a barn dating back to 1754 near the Aiguille du Midi cable car that has been transformed into a rustic but modern eating space - lots of wood, wicker, warm lighting, gilded gold frames and glass chandeliers. Quail stuffed with foie gras, garlic butter-oozing snails or pineapple carpaccio with ginger and mango sorbet are quintessential French dishes cooked with a twist at this ode to Sylvain Saudan (b 1936), extreme-skiing pioneer and self-proclaimed 'skier of the impossible'.
reviewed
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G
Blue Elephant
This is Paris’ most famous upmarket Thai restaurant and part of an international chain, with a dozen branches in cities round the world from Brussels to Beirut. Although it has become a little too successful for its own good (it also sells its own branded knick-knacks and gift items), the indoor tropical rainforest and well-prepared spicy dishes (look for the one, two or three elephant symbols on the menu) are still worth the inflated prices. Sunday buffet (noon to 3pm) is good value at €39.
reviewed
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H
Crèmerie Restaurant Polidor
A meal at this quintessentially Parisian crèmerie-restaurant is like a trip to Victor Hugo’s Paris: the restaurant and its décor date from 1845 and everyone knows about it (read: touristy). Still, menus of tasty, family-style French cuisine ensure a never-ending stream of punters eager to sample bœuf bourguignon, blanquette de veau à l’ancienne (veal in white sauce) and the most famous tarte Tatin in Paris! Expect to wait. No credit cards.
reviewed
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I
Pink Flamingo
This is not just another pizza place. Mais non, chérie! Once the weather warms up, the Flamingo unveils its secret weapon – pink helium balloons that the delivery guy uses to locate you and your perfect canal-side picnic spot (no GPS required). Nip into the canal-side pizzeria to order Paris’ most inventive pizza (duck, apple and chèvre perhaps or what about gorgonzola, figs and cured ham?), grab a balloon, and stroll off along the canal to your perfect picnic spot.
reviewed
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J
Cuisine du Dimanche
Spitfire chef Marie shops every morning at Les Halles to find the freshest ingredients for her earthy flavour-packed cooking, and takes no culinary short cuts. The market-driven menu changes daily, but specialities include scallops and a simple roast chicken with pan gravy. The narrow stone-walled dining room is a mishmash of textures, from contemporary resin chairs to antique crystal goblets, befitting the chef’s eclecticism. Make reservations.
reviewed
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K
Breakfast in America
This American-style diner, complete with red banquettes and Formica surfaces, is as authentic as you’ll find outside the US of A. Breakfast, served all day and with free coffee refills, starts at just under €7, and there are generous burgers, chicken wings and fish and chips (€8.50 to €11.50). There’s also a Latin Quarter branch ([tel] 01 43 54 50 28; 17 rue des Écoles, 5e; [metro] Cardinal Lemoine) that opens the same hours.
reviewed
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L
Hôtel du Nord
The setting for the eponymous 1938 film starring Louis Jouvet and Arletty, the dining room and bar at this vintage venue by the Canal St-Martin feel as if they were stuck in a time warp with their Art Deco posters, zinc counter and old piano. The food is correct if not mind-blowing; stick with basics like the jumbo hamburger (€16) and its trimmings and you’ll be fine. The plat du jour is usually €10.
reviewed
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M
Tashi Delek
Gourmet it might not be; cheap, tasty and inexpensive, it is. Tickle the tastebuds with a tsampa (vegetable and barley soup), followed by delicious daril seu (meatballs with garlic, ginger and rice) or tselmok (cheese and vegetable ravioli). Then wash the whole lot down with traditional or salted-butter tea. Don’t forget to say ‘tashi delek’ upon entering – it means ‘bonjour’ in Tibetan.
reviewed
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N
Grand Appétit
Set back from Bastille in a small, quiet street, this place offers light fare such as miso soup and cereals plus strength-building bols garnis (bowls of rice and mixed vegetables) and assiettes (platters) for those with a grand appétit (big appetite). The menu features delicious, filling dishes served with 100% organic cereals, raw and cooked vegetables and seaweed.
reviewed
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O
Chartier
Chartier started life as a bouillon (soup kitchen) in 1896 and is a real gem because of its justifiably famous, 330-seat belle époque dining room. It’s no longer the deal as it once was, but for a taste of old-fashioned Paris, it’s unbeatable. Reservations are not accepted and some customers have been turned away at the last minute on busy nights – if there’s a long queue, head elsewhere.
reviewed
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P
Pho 67 Restaurant Vietnam
Tuck into Vietnamese dishes such as fried boned eel, crusty lacquered duck, rare tender goat with ginger, sweetened pork and North Vietnamese soup amid the burgundy walls and suspended rattan lamps of this unpretentious gem. Pho's hidden in a little backstreet of the Latin Quarter, but is fortunately away from the over-touristy little maze of restaurants surrounding rue de la Huchette.
reviewed
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Q
L'Echappée Belle
For flavours of cumin, saffron and ginger infusing regional produce; or for homemade pastry and tea, Avignon's new restaurant/salon de thé (tearoom) is a treat. Named after the Nicolas Bouvier novel of the same name (which translates as The Beautiful Escape), L'Echappée Belle is a chic yet relaxed spot amid Avignon's architectural and artistic highlights.
reviewed
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R
Les Dix Vins
This tiny restaurant, on the far side of Montparnasse, is so popular that you will probably have to wait at the bar even if you've booked. Not such a bad thing, of course, in a temple devoted to Bacchus, as you'll be able to sample one of the carefully chosen wines while you wait. Excellent value, good service and stylish decor combine to form a true winner.
reviewed
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S
Au Pied de Fouet
This busy address with Bordeaux facade, tightly packed tables and devout crowd of regulars is an authentic bistro choice. Its classic dishes are astonishingly good value. Finish with a quintessential tarte tatin (upside-down apple pie), wine-soaked prunes or a simple bowl of fromage blanc (a cross between yoghurt, sour cream and cream cheese).
reviewed
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T
La Chine Masséna
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.
reviewed
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U
Chez Toinette
In the heart of one of the capital’s most touristy neighbourhoods, Chez Toinette has kept alive the tradition of old Montmartre with its simplicity and culinary expertise. Perdreau (partridge), biche (doe), chevreuil (roebuck) and the famous filet de canard à la sauge et au miel (fillet of duck with sage and honey) are house specialities.
reviewed
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V
Café Marly
This classic venue facing the Louvre’s inner courtyard serves contemporary French fare throughout the day under the palace colonnades. Views of the glass pyramid are priceless and depending on how au courant (familiar) you are with French starlets and people who appear in Match, you should get an eyeful.
reviewed
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W
Contresens
The menu reads like a mathematical formula but it soon becomes clear: starters are A, mains B, sides C and desserts D. The food is as experimental as the menu – sun-dried tomato, Beaufort cheese and rocket salad burger, mussel ravioli, 'deconstructed' Snickers – and totally divine. Kid nirvana.
reviewed
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X
Restaurant Brunel
Brunel is a local favourite for authentic Provençal dishes such as aïoli , especially at lunch, when there are outstanding deals on main courses (which always include a fish of the day) and desserts. The handful of outdoor tables is hotly contested in warm weather.
reviewed
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Y
Le Sélect
A spiral wooden staircase leads to an upper mezzanine level at this arty café/restaurant/salon de thé, with mellow jazz playing in the background. The huge sandwich board is chalked with daily specials including reliable favourites like salads, steak and fries.
reviewed
