It’s difficult to beat a patch of afternoon sun, a freshly made Mojito and a view to bustling Montmartre. Here the atmosphere is alive with the sounds and scents of Paris, and to sit and watch the characters that fill these lovely streets file by is surely one of the most iconic and egalitarian of all of Paris’s pursuits.

Need a coffee? A beer? Lunch? Cocktails? A snack? A terrace? A combination of all of the above? Well make like a local and pull up a chair in one of Montmartre’s most loved bars – Le Sancerre. … read more »

Welcome to the second instalment in my summer mini-guide to Parisian brasseries. For your viewing pleasure, I give you Le Vaudeville in the 2nd arrondissement. And when I say enjoyment, I actually mean it.

Le Vaudeville is a very charming affair located just opposite Le Bourse (the Stock Exchange) and is a classical brasserie in the very best sense. Designed in the 1920s during the height of the Art Deco period (by the same architect who designed La Coupole and La Closerie des Lilas brasseries), Le Vaudeville is an exercise in polished marble, extravagant lighting and plush ornamentation. Even better is the fact that the food is good, the wine list is approachable, the service is impeccable and as is the case with all the best brasseries, it was once the hangout of Hemingway. … read more »

A little while ago I visited a newly open Thai hole-in-the-wall with my wine merchant friend Stuart. He’d been watching the transformation of the place and so was naturally curious to try it. After my last Thai experience in Paris (see Mai Thai) I was a little hesitant, but I’m happy to report that the lunch we shared at LÔ’riginal was a truly pleasurable meal, from start to finish. … read more »

It’s another one of those blustery days in Paris where you sit around yearning for the summer that might have been (not enough days of high-quality cantaloupes and peaches, too many days of under-ripe plums and over-ripe nectarines) and thinking about the autumn that is about to start. But wait – it’s still only mid-August! And despite the skies telling me it is actually November, most of Paris is still on summer vacation. So even if I want to begin to switch my eating habits from salad on the balcony at home to pork terrine in a bistro, aside from terribly touristy places that should be avoided at all costs, most of the decent restaurants and bistros are still closed.

However, during the summer period there is one constant that remains open - 365 days a year, actually – and that is the collection of historic brasseries dotted around town. Yet despite having celebrated patrons or stunning décors, many of them serve bad food, have poor service and are outrageously expensive. But how to know which ones are a safe bet?

Thus in the name of research, as the ever-loyal guinea-pig that I am, I have decided to sample a range of these famed locations and present to you a short summer series of brasserie reviews. Which ones are the best to ‘see’, be seen at, which ones are worth eating at and how much it’s going to cost you to partake in a slice of their history. … read more »

Just before taking my hiatus a few weeks ago, The Italian and I went to a great little joint, way, way on the other side of town and ate our happy little hearts out. The place was L’Avant-Goût, and it has the kind of menu that makes you hunger for authentically cooler weather and thus an excuse to stuff yourself to the gills with pot-au-feu and other meaty, warming things.

L’Avant-Goût is an act in two parts run by the professional yet amiable duo Christophe et Rufine Beaufront. The first is the ochre-hued cosy little bistro where he rules the kitchen whilst she manages the front of house. The second is their little ‘boutique’ across the street that sells a fine selection of wine and ready-made dishes to be taken home and eaten in the comfort of your own pyjamas (or that is at least as I imagine the scene to be when in a couple of months the Paris weather truly turns foul). … read more »