CO

Conceived as a communal creative space and inspired by the diverse Porte de Clignancourt area, this eclectic 18th arrondissement haunt is a bar, restaurant, gallery and events space in one. Every square metre has been meticulously thought through, with a bafflingly strange décor of Lewis Carroll levels of eccentricity. You can’t help but feel the Mad Hatter’s going to leap out from under your chair when CO’s interior features a large soft leopard, an elegant old china cabinet and a giant mobile made of dreamcatchers and model brains. Cocktails come in English teacups – another Carroll reference – and even the discreet entrance has something of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ about it.

Marketing itself as a slightly more bourgeois version of the nearby Recyclerie (another grand bazaar-like institution with a strong emphasis on collective creativity), this bar’s atmosphere and menu are slightly more refined. Its cocktails are inventive and accomplished, and the food is relatively sophisticated (starters include taramasalata, foie gras and caviar – the owners, it turns out, used to work as caviar suppliers to various high-end restaurants). Prices vary, with a cucumber ‘club sandwich’ costing just €1.50 and risotto €10, but 25 grams of caviar is €50. Drinks are reasonably priced, with cocktails at €10 and pints at €5. You’re paying for the far-fetched setting too, of course, which makes this a great place to enjoy dinner with friends and check out the latest cutting-edge exhibits (view the programme here).

TRANSLATION: HUW OLIVER.