Paris

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Eating and drinking

Somehow, in the past few years, Paris has become the underachiever of European dining. Spain pushes the culinary boundaries, London sets the standard for cool and Italians understand the sandwich in a way that the French, with their jambon-beurre, never will.

The ongoing gentrification of central Paris means that previously sleepy 9th arrondissement is suddenly booming with new restaurants that have opened to feed the young professionals who are settling in. Meanwhile, the 10th continues to be the most happening locality for bars – although this, too, may be changing. Nothing has yet managed to surpass the Café Charbon or the nearby bars since set up around it – Au P’tit Garage, La Mercerie, L’Alimentation Générale – for excitement. Yet the burgeoning hub north-west of the Marais can boast De la Ville Café, from the same stable as Charbon, and any wise investor looking to place a new bar somewhere in Paris could do far worse than the 9th.

 

For those with deep pockets, the city’s other thumping party precinct is on the Champs-Elysees and surrounding streets. Written off as the height of naff less than a decade ago, the area today teams Paris’ designer-clad youth, aristos, socialites, and young execs. If you’re curious, see what’s happening at the surprisingly smart Culture Bière, a new Heineken venture. As for new places to dine, try the Pourcel twins’ new table, the very fashionable Sens: La Compagnie des Comptoirs. Before spending a week’s salary at a high-end gastronomic restaurant, consider what’s important to you.

 

Some of the best bistros and contemporary restaurants serve cooking of comparable skill and quality, albeit using fewer costly ingredients like truffles, foie gras, caviar and lobster. Unless you’re looking for an all-out luxe experience – where you’re made to feel like royalty for a few hours – a visit to an haute cuisine restaurant might not be so vital. Remember, too, that most of these restaurants offer more affordable lunch menus, though keep an eye on the often hair-raising cost of extras like aperitifs, wine and coffee.

 

As a general rule, avoid eating in cafés if food is a priority. The exceptions are easy to spot (they’re filled with happy locals tucking into duck confit with sautéed potatoes or delicious-looking steak tartare), but if frankfurters are on the menu, flee the place before it fleeces you. The hundreds of Asian traiteurs that have popped up in recent years are almost uniformly mediocre, too, reheating pre-made dishes in the microwave before your eyes. It would be wiser to eat a sandwich in a park at lunch and save your money for a memorable dinner (expect to spend €80 or more per couple for a meal with drinks).

 

Asian fast-food joints aside, non-French options are multiplying by the minute as Parisians grow more open to flavours from around the world: Moroccan, South Indian, Chinese, Laotian, Italian and Jewish cuisines are well represented, if you know where to look. El Fogón is as fine a tapas bar as you’ll find outside Spain, for example.

 

Except for the very simplest restaurants, it’s wise to book ahead. This can usually be done on the same day as your intended visit. More time should be allowed for top-notch establishments, which require bookings weeks in advance and confirmation the day before.

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