After numerous requests from guests, and comforted by the success of our brunch, the staff of the Talma decided to extend service to include evening meals.

Since the restaurant opened, the chef has always used only the freshest produce, and we’re proud that everything is made on-site, including all the savoury and sweet sauces (whereas many restaurant use preparations made by others). It’s exactly for this reason that the menu for the Talma has a reduced list of dishes.

Our specially-chosen suppliers are also a guarantee of the quality of the products we use. Qualitalia, for example, is a family business with numerous delicious products on offer. Their Buffalo mozzarella is absolutely delicious, made in the traditional fashion using buffalo milk (yes, buffalo milk), making it super creamy…Each day there’s vegetable soup served with a scoop of truffle-infused goat’s cheese. We were lucky enough to taste the creamy pumpkin soup and the creamy pea soup. Both were thick and obviously made from fresh vegetables.Some of our regulars are particularly fond of the salmon farfalles with dill, and understandably so. The smell of the fresh dill mixed with the cream and organic salmon is divine. We didn’t even feel the need to add parmesan cheese.
The perfectly cooked lasagna has a different filling each day, depending on the chef’s choice (Bolognese, vegetable…). Our guests loved the  Bolognese lasagna served during our test dinner.
The daily pasta dish lets you discover the numerous different ways of serving pasta, and the difference a real tomato sauce makes! Don’t expect an arrabbiata sauce though – ours was so traditional and spicy that we had to take it off the menu (our preferred option, rather than serving you something weedily spicy. Bah!)The risotto also changes every day, but our favourite is the one with boletus mushrooms and Colonnata bacon, both creamy and strong-tasting.The baked egg is also served in a different style each day. Ours was creamy and had some lovely gorgonzola in it…. Yummmm…Our guests initially though that the Osso bucco was slightly lacking in salt when they tasted it, but after adding a little extra themselves they were convinced of its worth… and the polenta patty was an instant success We weren’t able to resist tasting the plate of Italian cheeses served with a glass of 2009 Gigondas Santa Roc… fantastique ! The Talma has a rather nice selection of wines that many come just to taste. Kampaï, two brothers well known in Paris for their knowledge of wines, have helped our bar staff build the wine menu. Here’s the wine menu to give you an idea of what’s on offer.The dessert trolley also proved to seductive to leave aside, with its selection of desserts made by the chef. Some of the cakes on offer whisk us back to our childhood, as is we were watching grandma bake simple but delicious fare in record time, ready for an afternoon snack. The caramelised apple tart, the red fruit pannacota… we could eat these all day The citrus fruit cake has had faithful followers since the day we opened the Talma. It’s rich with butter and soaked in an orange syrup. Refreshing and delicious.This particular evening, we tasted all of the desserts in the trolley… wow! You see that chocolate cake? Ten length of an Olympic pool to work it off! And the tarte Tatin? 1 hour’s cycling!Our barman wouldn’t let us leave without tasting the lastest additions to the cocktail menu. And so it was, with heavy heart, that we were obliged to try the Agrume, perfect for finishing off a meal, and the rue du Mont Blanc, very rich but with a taste of rose that leaves you wanting more!If we say that love spending time at the Talma, you may well rpely that we’re not the most objective of diners, but it’s true – the restaurant is a place where you feel at ease and looked after, with delicious food on offer. Just sink into one of our extra comfy sofas and you’ll see what we mean. With both light dishes and satisfying full meals, the  Talma has something to please everyone.

Lunch is served weekdays from midday – 2.30pm

Dinner is served Monday – Saturday from 7.30-10pm

Afternoon tea is served every day from 3-6pm

The Brunch is served in tow sittings on Saturdays and Sunday, at 11am and 1pm (and we really recommend you book ahead, as the Italian-style brunch has been met with immediate success)

Le Talma at La Belle Juliette, 92 rue du Cherche Midi, 75006 Paris (Google Map here)

To book: +33 (0)1 42 22 53 00 or talma@labellejuliette.com

The Fork has a special offer for Talma at the moment: -30 % off the menu (fixed or à la carte) and even drinks! To take advantage of this offer, bookings must be made here.

Opened last summer by 30 year-old chef David Toutain, Agapé Substance offers a culinary experience very much out of the ordinary (as its convoluted name would imply).

Are you ready for fifteen courses of exquisitely composed, doll-sized portions? The ride starts here.

photos: JasonW

From the street, Agapé Substance’s plain, cold, smoked glass façade and frankly freaky logo evoke anything but a restaurant. You can tell even before entering that you’re in for a different type of meal. In fact, calling it just ‘a meal’ would be frowned upon – it’s much more than that.

But first of all, what on earth does that name mean? Well, an « agape » is an old word meaning friendly banquet or feast. This explains the restaurant’s layout; basically one very, very long high table that is shared by all, plus two tables to one side (try to ask for one of them if you want a minimum of privacy).

With its metallic, semi-mirrored ceiling and walls giving at least the illusion of space, you don’t feel constricted, but intimate it is not; when filled with diners, the room is spectacularly noisy, and (if you so wished) you could easily hear the conversations of those around you. Indeed, a certain amount of concentration is needed to block them out.Space is at a premium; when serving, the waiters are often obliged to go all the way down to one end of the restaurant in order to go round the table and back up the other side. With four or five waiters for so few diners, there’s a lot of coming and going.

With room for just 26 people and a rising reputation, it’s already fairly difficult to get a seat at Agapé Substance, but now would be the time to book before it becomes impossible to get in. A fixed menu at 100 euros (or 169 euros including a glass of wine to complement each dish) means it could well be a special treat; you’ll need the palate to appreciate it and the wallet to be able to afford it.We were very soon served some delicious bread, together with two types of butter from distinguished manufacturers Bordier, one of which was flecked with seaweed and had a particularly tasty tang.So what else is in store? Well, the choice of food is simple – you don’t have one. The head waiter will bring a non-exhaustive list of products that you may or may not be served, and explains that your dishes may also differ from this of your neighbours. Next, the wine waiter presents the wine list on an iPad that allows you to swipe left and right to change regions and up and down for the choices.

We arrived at 9pm, and the restaurant was already very, very busy, so much so that our wine order was forgotten and it took around thirty minutes before it was served. The wine waiter very sweetly told us that the bottle we had chosen, a Crozes Hermitage called « C’est le printemps » really wasn’t suited to what we were about to eat, but he sincerely said that if that was what we had our heart set on, then that’s what we should order! Such humility and honesty is rare in Paris restaurants!

He liberally glugged the wine from the bottle into a sort of glass teapot, in order to air it as much as possible. The wine list has something for all pockets, so you don’t need to break the bank, and the wine waiter absolutely knows his stuff.You’re not told in advance how many dishes to expect, or what you will actually be served, so a sense of mystery hangs over the meal… and a certain trust. Usually, as the diner, you would order and the chef would obey, but not here – you are left in his hands, an unusual reversal of roles.

A certain anticipation set in. We were ready, but for what? And then it started…

The first dish arrived, prepared with cow parsnip in two different forms – sponge and as a sauce. Served in miniature portions, it was artfully presented with a tiny snip of herb and a crunchy, sweet, wafer-thin yellow…. something. As we tasted and tried to discern all the ingredients, we were already starting to wonder whether we were capable of appreciating such a carefully-prepared concoction.It was clear that we had embarked on a very different type of meal, one that was to be tasted and analysed more than eaten, each forkful held in the mouth to try and decrypt its constituents. Is this how the real epicureans eat? Maybe so. In any case, just the look of our first dish set the scene for what was to be a very long successions of surprises…

As soon as we had finished the first dish, the plates were whisked away, and in less than a minute the second dish arrived. It was Jerusalem artichoke with hazelnut crumble (something that was to return in later dishes) and shallots from the Champagne region of France. Once again spectacularly presented as a sort of miniature graphic creation, the tastes were extremely subtle, so much so that we wondered if we ever would have been able to work out the ingredients for ourselves.

The Jerusalem artichokes tasted a little like cauliflower, and the mixtures of savours and consistencies were like some sort of puzzle. We tried out as many different combinations as possible.Once again as soon as our dishes (or rather slates) were finished, away they were taken, to be replaces almost instantly by the third dish, a perfectly soft-boiled egg with a citrus cress mousse, smudges along the bowl for graphic effect. I sometimes find that eggs that are too sloppy are a little distasteful to eat, but this one was just runny enough, and the light cress mousse was a great counterpart, its pastel green tone setting off the white of the egg.Next up was a shallow dish of creamy pumpkin soup with sweet chestnut. Well seasoned and deliciously salty, it was simple but well executed.Dish number five was the one we had the most problems with, not because of its taste, but because we had requested at the beginning of the meal to avoid seafood if possible (apart from scallops). When the coriander sea urchin arrived, it was visually stunning with its bright green espuma, and smelt a lot like the sea, but much concentration was needed to swallow its slimy contents.

Was the chef testing our worthiness for his dishes, or was it just a mistake? Either way, for those of you who like their seafood, this dish should be a memorable moment (we remember it still, probably not for the same reasons…)The sixth dish helped erase the memory of the sea urchin; brussels sprouts with salmon eggs. Brilliantly colourful and artfully arranged to one side of the plate with a smudge of green – much like an artist’s pallet – the brussels sprouts were grilled and crunchy, and made for an interesting combination with the salty, slippery salmon eggs. Great to look at and great to eat!This was followed by kalanga carrot (deep purple) and a parsley emulsion. Once again, visually interesting and minimalist, with dainty little touches (herbs, splodge of espuma) framed by the huge mottled plate on which it was served.

We were intrigued by the black seasoning that often accompanied the dishes, as we couldn’t quite tell what it was made of. After making us guess (we failed), the waiter told us it was salt made from dehydrated black olives. Very unusual.The next dish was soon on its way (dish n° 8!) – scallops with Romanesco broccoli. The colours popped, framed once again on a black slate background. It was like eating a drawing; each element had been carefully placed to look as good together as they tasted apart.And on we went. The dishes just kept coming. Turbot this time, with parsley and laurel, with white espuma and drops of almost phosphorescent green. Another success.Then a fantastic plate that it would be sad to just call ‘mushrooms’ – wood blewits and yellow oyster mushrooms with comfrey pesto, colewort foam and hazelnut crumble, no less!Next, a potato gnocchi, just the one, plump and soft, sitting in a bouillon that we later found out to be made from potato skins. Absolutely heavenly.Finally, the main courses (all eleven of them!) were over, and we moved on to the chefs course; comté cheese aged for four years. Amazingly tasty!

Now get ready for the three desserts! Apparently David has a hard time not putting vegetables in them…

1. Pumpkin and buckwheat flour ice cream. A surprising mix of savoury and sweet, soft and crunchy.2. Parsnip with citron ice cream and white chocolate shaving.3. And to finish off, a completely deconstructed dish of chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!Yep, that’s fifteen different dishes altogether. It took us almost three hours to get through them all, which we found hard to believe as they are so teeny tiny and the service seemed very quick indeed. The time flew by.

Even the coffee we finished off with was memorable, as it was accompanied by soft mango caramels that were something else!

If you like your nouvelle cuisine teetering on the edge of molecular territory, have a few hours to spare and don’t mind a bit of noise, Agapé Substance should be at the top of your list of Paris dining spots. With roughly five people serving and nine in the kitchen, few other places take so much care in transforming and marrying such different elements in such an original fashion.

For a very special occasion, we’d love to go back!

Agapé Substance (here, not far from the Jardin de l’Odéon) is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday – Saturday.

To book a table, call +33 1 43 29 33 83 (a couple of weeks in advance if possible)

Official site: www.agapesubstance.com

Facebook: here

To see all our photos, click play on the slideshow below, then click the four little arrows bottom right to go into fullscreen mode (much more comfortable).

Agnès Buffet, our chef at La Belle Juliette has got together with star chef Flora Mikula to devise a copious brunch inspired by Italian cuisine.

photos: JasonW

The idea was design a tasty brunch that was a little different from all the others. We’re a little tired of the tasteless eggs and weedy pastries on offer elsewhere; our brunch had to be memorable!

Italy is our chosen theme, as it was where Juliette Récamier, the inspiration behind La Belle Juliette, found both refuge and comfort.

The ingredients for the brunch are all of the best quality (it really makes a difference): the pastries and bread are from the Boulanger de Monge, the eggs are organic, the fresh fruit salad is straight from our kitchen, the sliced meats and Italian cheeses are supplied by Qualitalia, the teas are by Tea forte and the coffee is roasted by the Brûlerie des Gobelins.Agnès and Flora didn’t want to simply serve up the standard scrambled eggs, so after a little research they discovered that the Italians have a thousand different ways of preparing eggs, with some especially interesting variants using the oven. So, they decided to give a choice of boiled eggs, plus eggs Florentine with variants depending on the day in question (ham, salmon, cheese, mushrooms…).The sliced meats and Italian cheeses accompanied by rocket, parmesan and marinated vegetables gives the brunch a touch of freshness.There’s also a little refreshment thanks to the mix of peach nectar and champagne (although you can always opt for the more traditional fruit juice).And as winter is on its way, Agnès and Flora thought that a little side dish of pasta or the risotto special might help you face the blizzard outside. Actually, it’s more like they couldn’t resist tempting you to really eat your fill!And to finish everything off, Agnès has started making tiramisu (she didn’t need much encouraging), and it’s irresistible.As usual, the friendliness of our wonderful team at La Belle Juliette adds an extra touch of pleasure, making the experience thoroughly enjoyable.

Brunch is served at La Belle Juliette every Saturday and Sunday from 11am – 4pm. We advise you to book your table, as it has been an instant success.

If you want to reserve brunch for a different day of the week, a firm booking is required with downpayment.

Here’s the brunch menu:
- hot drink
- freshly pressed fruit juice or peach nectar and champagne cocktail
- fruit salad
- pastries
- boiled eggs or eggs Florentine of the day
- risotto or pasta of the day
- plate of sliced Italian meats and cheeses, rocket and parmesan salad, marinated vegetable
- tiramisu

La Belle Juliette is here

To book a table for brunch, call +33 (0)1 42 22 97 40.

It was only when we arrived in front of the Restaurant Moustache – recommended by David Germain, manager of the Hôtel Design Sorbonne – that we realised it is (literally) next door to Le Timbre, a restaurant that we didn’t like at all a couple of years ago (in fact we had a horrible time there, something that rarely happens to us).

So is the Moustache a better experience? Definitely, yes, but with a couple of tiny caveats…

photos: JasonW

It was a quiet Tuesday night when we went to Moustache. Open since summer 2010, they are generally very busy in the evening, and have a special lunchtime menu that draws crowds too. The emphasis – whether in the décor or the cuisine – seems to be on simple yet stylish.

The room is mostly bare brick with classic furniture, but attention to detail, as shown by the carefully chosen art deco lighting and the beautiful, solid wood comptoir (from back in the days when things were made of solid wood).The menu is short but sufficient (although a quick search on the web shows that it hasn’t really varied much over the year since they’ve been open), the prices acceptable and the wine list short but sweet. The dishes on offer are asian-influenced, but given a contemporary French twist, an interesting concept that we were eager to try out.We decided to not spoil our appetites, and share just one starter, a squid and tiger prawn salad. The one-line description (deliberately understated, we imagine) revealed an elaborately-prepared, visually stunning dish. The squid was tender, but we felt there was more room for a little more flavour, as if the presentation was given a little too much importance. Nevertheless, a strong start.The main dishes looked as plain as their descriptions, but contained tasty little details that gave them something special.

The farm-bred chicken (Suprême de volaille fermier), with satay sauce was a great mix of tastes and textures, very obviously different from supermarket-bough chicken.

The Pekin duck-style mackerel fillets had a strong but not overpowering taste that was unlike anything we’d ever eaten before (in a good way) and melted in the mouth. It had tiny triangles of seaweed on the plate were tinged with wasabi, a surprisingly good mix, and the home-made chips (or french fries, take your pick) were delicately salted and perfect.

Only the steamed cod with lime disappointed; it was, frankly, a little too subtle-tasting, and we were lucky to have chosen the wok-fried seasonal vegetable (well caramelised) to accompany them, as otherwise it would have been pretty much forgettable.As always, we had a little space left for dessert (!), and chose the dark chocolate soup with perfumed espuma, and marshmallows. The marshmallows were presented on a slate (there’s quite a fashion for this in Paris at the moment) and was very pink and heavily flavoured. Interesting, but perhaps a little too-simply presented?

The chocolate soup doesn’t look like much in these photos, but it was absolutely heavenly. Don’t ask me what the top part was ‘perfumed’ with – I couldn’t say – but we did our best to down it as slowly as possible in order to savour every mouthful.Moustache has a lot going for it, notably a lack of swagger and some original ideas. We thought that some of the dishes could have been given a little more taste, but there were enough surprises in there to entertain and please.

By the way, if you see the chef, feel free to chat with him and ask him the story behind the name of the place.

Restaurant Moustache is at 3 rue Sainte-Beuve (here)

Open Tuesday – Saturday (closed Saturday lunchtime)

Tel.: +33 (0)1 42 22 56 65

Official site: www.moustache-restaurant.com

To see all our photos, click the play button on the slideshow below, then click the four little arrows bittom right to go into fullscreen mode.

Don’t be fooled by its fake Swiss chalet look from the outside, or Parisian bistrot look on the inside; Kunitoraya Villedo is as Japanese as they come. Well, Japanese tapas actually. With noodles. Come have a taste…

photos: JasonW

If you go to the area of Paris around the rue Saint Anne, you’ll find an ill-defined parcel between the avenue de l’Opéra, Bourse and Palais Royal full of Japanese restaurants, so many that’s it’s difficult to tell the difference between the great places and the tourist traps.

After many years of searching, we finally found Kunitoraya (their first Parisian restaurant) on the rue Saint-Anne itself (here), and despite the inevitable queues for their amazing udon dishes, it became one of biggest favourites in the area. However, seats were scarce, and it was very much a pack’em in, whack’em out style restaurant. Anyone wanting to take their time, or taste something a little more refined, would have to go elsewhere. Until now.

About a year ago, Kunitoraya opened a new restaurant just down the road on rue Villedo, called Kunitoraya 2 or Kunitoraya Villedo, depending on who you ask, and we thought we give it a go. Having heard nothing about it at all, we weren’t sure what to expect, apart from a posher version of the Udon restaurant.

That’s not quite what we found.

It would seem that the new owners have left much of the previous décor. From the street, it looks – to be charitable – old school. Once inside, it’s a sea of mirrors, ostensibly to hide the fact that it’s pretty damn tiny. Only the semi-open kitchen at the back lends a more modern feeling to the room.The crowd seems to be part monied Japanese, part posh French, and it’s easy to see why; as soon as the menus arrived, we realised that the cheap-as-chips prices of Kunitoraya 1 were nowhere to be seen. Instead, we were presented with a list of Japanese tapas dishes that we imagined to be as tiny as they were expensive.

Also, for a restaurant charging these sorts of prices (up to 70 euros for a tasting selection!), the menu itself was pretty insalubrious, covered with stains, dog-eared and badly printed. After handling it, we almost felt like washing our hands.However, we did notice that the table next to us had been given different menus, and thank goodness we saw; they had the lunchtime menus for udon noodle dishes, and we have only the top-price tapas menu for the evening, despite the fact that you can still order udon for dinner.We weren’t very happy at having been given just the list of expensive dishes, but the beers we quickly ordered and the first free tapas helped calm us down…Of course, faced with the new concept of Japanese tapas, we just had to try some, so we worked out a selection including:

- cucumber and wakame salade with shredded crab,
- botargo and radish (which turned out to be exactly that, nothing more),
- tuna with grated yam and jellied TOSA vinegar

and an intriguing structure that we had spied at the next table (the name of which escapes me). These tiny dishes are made to be savoured slowly, which we diligently did, and reaction varied from « it’s like a party in my mouth » to « meh ». « Slowly » must very much the byword of the evening, with dishes served separately as soon as they were readied by the kitchen, which was not especially quickly. Above all, one took almost a full hour to arrive! I know they’re made with care, but that’s just ridiculous.Although we’d been a little greedy with the tapas, we had to go continue with noodles, right? Service was quicker, and we were reassured that the Kunitoraya touch was as present here as in their other restaurant. Udons can be eaten cold or hot (we had a mix of both), and look great. Even the tempura was beautifully presented with a side-dish of chopped herbs and a separate serving of noodles.By the time we’d downed all that (and these soup-style dishes are extremely filling), there was barely room for dessert, normally something that we make an extra effort to try for you! This time though, an excess of teeny tapas and big bowls of noodles had got the better of us.

Defeated, we decided to try just one dessert, the tofu pannacotta with grilled tea. Sounds good, doesn’t it?! Well it was. Even on a full stomach, we appreciated its subtle taste and coolness, as beautifully presented as all the previous dishes.So what’s our lasting impression of Kunitoraya Villedo? Well, if you want an original, finely-crafted, delicately prepared, exquisitely presented Japanese meal, and you have a decent budget, then it’s a great choice. Just make sure you have plenty of time ahead of you; even with five chefs, service can be frustratingly slow.

The restaurant is obviously catering more for the Palais Royal / Opera crowd (rather than the younger crowd aroyund rue Saint-Anne), and their take on tapas is definitely worth trying if your palate is fine as your wallet is thick. However, if you prefer Udon dishes, we think you’d be as well off at the original, dingier Kunitoraya, literally just down the road. It’s delicious and really not expensive.

Kunitoraya Villedo (here) is closed on Mondays, open for lunch form Tuesday – Sunday and open for dinner from Tuesday – Saturday

Tel: +33 (0)1 47 03 07 74

Official site: ici

To check out our complete photo gallery, click the play button on the slideshow below, followed by the four little arrows bottom right (for fullscreen mode).

It’s a building dating from 1788, classified as a historical monument since 1907, and hasn’t been open to the public for over 50 years after being used as the archives for Paris’ archeological division.

Now, after two years of renovation, it’s a huge restaurant / bar / terrace / meeting space etc. and we were lucky enough to test it out just before the official opening.

Just a smart looking building then, or tasty too? Read on…

photos : JasonW

The building has intrigued us for years, grandly overlooking the Bassin de la Villette as it does. When we heard that it was to open as a restaurant, we were thrilled. And then as work went on, and on, and on, we almost thought it would never happen. Until now!

In mid-August La Rotonde opened its doors – and vast, outdoor terrace – and we hurried down to see what it was like. Situated in a not ‘unproblematic’ part of town, we wondered how a smart restaurant would work there. Would it be too expensive for the neighbourhood? After all, a great view of the Bassin de la Villette and Montmartre in the distance may not be enough.

In any case, the restoration has made the building look fine!Inside there’s a min, circular room with a glass ceiling several floors above, making the place light and airy. There are two rooms off to each side, and apparently many more spaces that can be privatised. Enticing! The fire escape plan shows that there are five levels altogether, and plenty of space…The menu is a short affair, with five choices for each course, and prices that are average for Paris. The kitchen can be seen from the main area, and while some chefs ran around all the time, a couple of others seems to have nothing to do at all!

We decided to start with a celery remoulade with mussels (a new twist on a French classic), boiled organic egg and mayonnaise (another classic French dish given an update) and the day’s special – gaspacho. Reactions were mixed; the gaspacho was obviously fresh and liberally sprinkled with delicious herbs, but still lacked a strong flavour, the mayonnaise served with the boiled egg was obviously made on the premises, and delectable, but the celery was surprisingly bland. A mixed bag.For the main course, we decided on a tomato stuffed with beef and herbs, a roasted veal chop with roasted almond crust and arabica sauce (one of the day’s specials), a beef tartar with mint and special fat chips (no ‘french fries’ here!) and a piece of salmon with spinach salad. The stuffed tomato was unremarkable and mostly tasteless, the veal was ‘OK’ (not as special as its convoluted description then), however the mint helped the tartar get full points, and the salmon – despite being practically drowned in butter, was soft and tender. Aside from one exception, the main dishes were not to leave us with a lasting impression.However, the desserts were almost certainly the saving grace of the evening. The rum baba has it’s own little pipette of rum ready to be squeezed, the strawberries with balsamic syrup (a special of the day) had a surprising mix of flavours, the « large ‘madeleine’ cake, lemon cream and raspberry sorbet was met with much appreciation, the french toast with apples was OK (although we weren’t convinced by the mix of tastes, the caramel ice cream was delish), and the chocolate Nutella tart with quark ice cream was… exceptional!We took our time at La Rotonde, as the waiters often did too, but it was their first days, and service was very friendly and relaxed. As for the cuisine, the descriptions are obviously carefully thought out, but sometimes dishes can be lacking a little taste. We’re sure that this will be perfected over time.

And the setting! There’s no other place like this in Paris, and the prices aren’t excessive. The only thing that really got on our nerves was the insipid music, so we told them! Hopefully, thing will go from OKish, to good, to great!

After a quick look round the now almost-empty, followed by an admiring glance at the illuminated exterior, we went home, perhaps not completely contented, but hopeful at least.

La Rotonde is open every day of the week from 8am – 2am. Tel. +33 (0)1 80 48 33 40 or book via The Fork here.

Official site: www.larotonde.com

Facebook page: ici

To check out all our photos, click the play button below, followed by the four little arrows bottom right to go into fullscreen mode.

There are a number of reasons for choosing a certain restaurant to review; word of mouth, area, décor… Here, it was the grand reputation of the chef that led us to book a table, but is his cooking better than his interior design? Frankly, how could it be worse?…

photos: JasonW

We know the tiny rue Christine for its great arthouse cinema, a mecca for anyone wanting to rediscover a classic on the big screen, but until recently we hadn’t discovered the two restaurants on the same street run by chef Jacques Cagna. His main restaurant is a very chic affair (and thus, fairly pricey, with main courses starting at 50€), so we decided to try his second restaurant, practically opposite, with more reasonable prices and a more down-to-earth attitude.

The building itself looks very smart, and looks to be the old workshop of Gilles Taller, a brand of early 20th century cameras. However, inside the interior design anything but photogenic; peach walls, odd paintings or framed over-colourful Chagall posters, furniture that wouldn’t be out of place in a cantine. The site calls it « rustic », but « eyesore » would be nearer the mark.However, after being welcomed, we sat down and tried to keep an open mind – after all, décor isn’t everything. Some nice bread was served warm (although as soon as it cooled down it was distinctly more difficult to eat) accompanied by some salted butter, presented in a small industrial portion. Rustic.

We concentrated on the menu, sipped some very lovely wine and started perusing the menu (you can check it out in English here). It’s a selection of fairly classic dishes, with the accent on fresh ingredients, and before long our choice was made.Here’s what we decided on for the first course:

- Seabream and salmon tartar with guacamole.
- Fresh frog’s legs sauteed with garlic and fresh herbs.
- Cold spicy tomato soupe, mango and basil.
- Mixed rocket salade, string beans and raw mushrooms, virgin oliv oil and soya dressing.

The guacamole overpowered the fish in the tartar, but was refreshing, and the slightly exotic gaspacho went down well. As for the frogs legs, this is probably the first time I have ever seen someone eat them (I actually had to look away), but apparently they are appreciated more for the texture than the taste (lots of garlic). The rocket salad was crunchy, not too greasy, and of a very decent size.

Presentation was impeccable for each dish, as you can see below. A good start!Time for the main course:

- Poached pike mousse, served in a crayfish sauce
- The plat du jour – Roasted cod loin, langoustine and red wine sauce
- Spanish pork fillet, grilled vegetables and Catalonia virgin olive oil
- Crispy pastry filled with guinea fowl, honey-flavoured onions, eggplant and pine nuts

The « quenelle » – poached mousse, contained small pieces of prawn which added variety to the consistence. This dish can sometimes be too spongey, but here it was soft yet firm, with a delicious sauce. The spinach atop it was devilishly peppery too!

The dish of the day was chosen – we have to say – because its presentation, seen at a nearby table, impressed us immediately, with the crayfish tail upended in some delicious-looking mashed potato and served as a sort of Vietnamese-style spring roll. It didn’t disappoint.

We were told that the pork – pata negra – was from wild pigs and was best as raw as possible. This proved a little too much for us, and we ordered it à point nonetheless. It was indeed tender, with a strong taste of Espelette pepper.

And the tender guinea fowl was securely encased in its crispy pastry, served with a side salad with a honey and pine nut dressing.The servings are pretty generous, but as always, we had kept just a tiny space left for desserts!

- The Traditional Paris-Brest by Jacques Cagna (chou pastry with almond and nuts cream) – apparently his signature piece
- Home made strawberry tart with vanilla whipped cream
- Soft-centered “Valrhona” chocolate cake, served with vanilla ice creamI think we can say that Jacques Cagna excels in his desserts If you’ve ever tried a Paris-Brest from an ordinary boulangerie, you will hardly recognise this version, light and creamy instead of being stodgy and full of butter (even if it does probably contain quite à bit!). The strawberry tart was a mountain of creaminess and fresh fruit, and just look how perfectly the chocolate cake was cooked…

Delicious stuff.

So, after our initial wariness, we have to say that Jacques had won us over. The neutral décor and safe selection of dishes are there to reassure you, but after ordering, you will thankfully be more concentrated on what is on your plate than your surroundings.

Prices are reasonable for the area, with more expensive dishes and wines if you feel like splashing out. It’s a relaxed atmosphere, service is good. Apart from the peach walls, there’s a lot to like

La Rôtisserie d’En Face is at 2 rue Christine (here)

Open every day except Sundays and Saturday lunchtime, from midday – 2.30pm and 7-11pm (11/30pm Fridays and Saturdays). Tel. +33 (0)1 43 26 40 98

Official site: www.jacquescagna.com/To check out our complete photo gallery, click the play button on the slideshow below, followed by the four little arrows bottom right to go into fullscreen mode.

It’s been awaited for ages, delayed for ages too, but at last it has arrived; the new restaurant in the Opéra Garnier – handily called the Opéra Restaurant – has just opened, with interesting architecture, lofty ceilings and prices to match…788m² inside, a terrace spanning another 500m², moderne architecture, an amazing setting… now here’s some serious competition for the Le Minipalais.

L’Opéra Restaurant has been designed by architect Odile Decq, and the food is from respected chef Christophe Aribert (helped by Executive Chef Yann Tanneau and Pâtissier Hervé Moreau).

If you’ve never seen Odile Decq before, you may be surprised to find she looks much like Siouxsie Sioux. More power to her!

The sweeping lines of the new design don’t actually touch the structure of the venerable building (perhaps helping the daring project to be accepted), and it’s almost certain that it will become one the places to be seen in Paris, despite the (expectedly) high prices. Handily, it’s just a minute from the Apple Store too!

Perhaps popping in for a cocktail on the mezzanine would be a less financially risky prospect?img alt= »" src= »http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6099/5915335724_b5e92539b7_o_d.jpg » title= »l'Opéra Restaurant, Opéra Garnier, Paris » class= »aligncenter » width= »530″ height= »668″ />More info on the official site: www.opera-restaurant.frphotos: Rolland Halbe

Now here’s a place that’s been intriguing us for quite a while now. Hidden from prying eyes behind thick foliage, just a shot distance from our hotels, is a restaurant (or rather two) that has seen almost every famous literary or intellectual figure of the last two centuries pass through.

But is the food anything to write home about? We sat back, took our time, and soaked in the ambience…

photos: JasonW

You may not know it, but the Closerie des Lilas is mythical. It’s the Kraken of Paris restaurants; imposing, ancient… and possibly faintly ridiculous. However, the main thing that has always intrigued us about the place is how from the outside it looks more like a leafy fortress than a restaurant, the sort of place where you’d feel at ease meeting your mistress.

What secrets lie therein? We were about to find out.Once inside, it’s clear that the décor is definitely retro, but well cared for. If you’re looking for something with clean white lines and lights that change colour, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Here you’ll find mosaic floors, mirrors and wood, pretty understandable for a place founded in the late 19th century. Some may find it boring, otherwise will find it reassuring. We certainly appreciated the sense of history that the place carries.Anyone who is anyone in the world of literature and the arts has passed through here over the years. The new place settings have copies of signatures from more recent celebrities, taken from their guestbook. The menu probably hasn’t changed for quite a while (the website menu says ‘Autumn 2010′) and the pianist’s repertoire is similarly stuck in a time warp. Personally, we found him pretty cheesy.The staff seem very happy to work at la Closerie. Our waitress, when asked, said that conditions are good and that waiters tend to stay for a while (some have been there for fifteen years already). This helps the quality and ease of service, and we were seated with a smile in a corner which allowed us not only to sit next to each other rather than opposite (we like!), but in a prime position for people watching. Perfect!

We decided that a smoky, organic Pouilly white wine would be good to accompany our meal. The first course arrived fairly quickly; when ordering a traditional œuf mayonnaise, we didn’t realise exactly how much of both there would be (!), but the mayonnaise was very obviously fresh, and the accompanying mixed diced vegetables were very tasty.

As for the poached egg, it was the perfect combination of firm and runny, sat on ratatouille-style vegetables and crowned with sprouts. The strong taste of the red pepper mixed perfectly with the egg. A good start, especially when accompanied by the crunchy bread and salted butter.The few minutes we had before the main course arrived gave us the chance to visit the toilets in the basement. In the same style as the restaurant, they have a feeling of grandeur that takes you back in time.And so it was time for the main course. The scallops turned out to be firm and tasty, the creamy white sauce playing off the citrus bite of the fruit slices. And that risotto! Creamy but not too creamy, with a touch of parmesan. Delicious! The rockfish came with ratatouille that had a slightly orangey taste to it, but we found it needed a little extra pepper. The virgin olive oil surrounding the lot was lovely.Dessert is often where decent restaurants trip up, but La Closerie has its own in-house sweets chef, and rather proficient he is too. The rum baba had perfect consistency, perhaps a little too much cream (but certainly enough rum!), and the red fruit mille-feuille was a cracking success; light, creamy, nothing like the compacted slabs of butter and sugar you find in some shops. Amazing stuff.La Closerie actually has two restaurants in one. We ate at the brasserie, which is cheaper and open all day (yes, you can arrive at 4pm and oder steak, or just go for a dessert. The restaurant side looks pleasant enough, but the prices are much steeper (i.e. around 45€ for a main dish). We can’t say whether the cuisine is worth it.After our meal, we decided to wander through the nearby Jardin du Luxembourg, passing the monumental fountain due south along what used to by the Paris meridian (created by Arago, it never caught on) and onto the Institut d’art et d’archéologie which looks a lot like something from New York. It’s one of our favourite building in Paris because it’s so stately and unusual for the city. It was a grand way to finish off a very agreeable meal.

The brasserie at the Closerie des Lilas (here) is open every day of the week non-stop from midday until 1am. The restaurant side is open from midday - 2.30pm and 7 – 11.30pm

Official site: www.closeriedeslilas.fr

The history of the Closerie des Lilas (in French) on Wikipedia: here

To check out our full photo gallery, click play on the slideshow below, followed by the four little arrows bottom right.

How does a restaurant win a prize for best design before it opens, before the construction is even finished?

Well, you hire star architect Rem Koolhaas to design it and have star Basque chef Inaki Aizpitarte (head of Le Chateaubriand, the ninth best restaurant in the whole word) devise the menu.

I’ve never met Inaki Aizpitarte, but I know he hates me. Here’s why.

First of all, I can never remember his name, even less spell it. Pronouncing it either makes me spit or laugh ridiculously. Secondly, I don’t eat meat, something that makes most French chefs hyperventilate. Thirdly, my last (i.e. only) meal at Le Chateaubriand – years ago – was more agony than ecstasy. And finally, I don’t have five-day stubble. Inizi is cool, I isn’t.

And so it seemed, based on a number of fairly reasonable assumptions and preconceptions, that ‘The Dolphin’ and I were not going to enjoy each other’s company. But frankly, what can be better than a pleasant surprise? Our evening at Le Dauphin was to be filled with them.Let’s take a few steps back though. Le Chateaubriand has been successful for years, and Le Dauphin (as it was already called back then) was a grimy French bistro two doors down that excelled in being under average. When it closed a year ago, it was soon known that the Chateaubriand – only open in the evening – was to expand and open Le Dauphin at lunchtime. You should know that there is almost rabid respect for Aizpitarte in Paris (frankly, I’m surprised he doesn’t have his own brand cologne and record label already) but second ventures by star chefs are not always an automatic success.

Enter Le Fooding Awards, not the only culinary prize in France but quite probably the most hip. Their reviews are entertaining if only for the obvious bias and smart alec comments, and when they gave Le Dauphin the best design award before it was even open, we knew that a) they were making a strategic play to stay in Inizi’s good books, and b) that they were probably right.

The décor of Le Dauphin has managed to turn an ordinary, tiny space into something grand and impressive. The mirrors, grey marble and wooden stools at high tables give it a Spanish touch that melds perfectly with the nouveau-tapas menu. It also makes the place fantastically noisy. All part of the experience.After my experience at Le Chateaubriand, I was expecting to enter Le Dauphin and receive a welcome of well-honed steely ambivalence. Instead, our waitress was all smiles and full of genuine warmth. Looking at the menu revealed a number of dishes that sounded delectable. And for once, we had planned ahead and decided to eat with some carnivore friends in order to get a good overview of everything on offer.

Our order was quickly taken, and the (delicious, fruity) wine soon arrived. Prices are average for this sort of place (think around 35 euros for a good bottle). Before long, the dishes started to arrive…

Everything was impeccable presented with a mixture of great textures and tastes. We were seriously surprised at how good the food was, until the secret ingredient was revealed to us… Lord Inizi himself is in the kitchen, in the restaurant serving, and – at the end of the night – out front with a glass of wine and a ciggie! His light shone upon us (well, his arm brushed against us), and it was good.

Prices may seem a bit steep for what look like small portions, but they are made to savor, and two / three dishes each is largely sufficient to fill you up. As usual, we kept room for dessert, and it was not a disappointment!.

We won’t go into the details of each dish, except to say that the octopus was tender with a great grilled taste, the ham melted in the mouth, the razor shells were plump and well matched with a creamy cauliflower sauce, the crab served with cress was super fresh, the smoked mozzarella divine, the pan-fried foie gras soft but not sloppy (and who would have though of serving it with turnip?), the lemon tart outstanding, the pear poached in wine impressive too… Enough to make your mouth water?And as an extra bonus (because it was the end of the night, but a late arrival still wanted our table), we were treated to a free drink at the bar afterwards! (a great position for observing Inizi and his post-service cigarette).We are very eager to get back to Le Dauphin, and if you’re looking for a ridiculously tasty cross between nouvelle cuisine and tapas, you should get down there too. Expect to pay around 40 euros per person.

Le Dauphin (here) is open every day except Sundays, Mondays and Saturday lunchtime. Tel. +33 (0)1 55 28 78 88.

To check out all our photos, click the play button below, then click the four little arrows bottom right to go into fullscreen mode.