Pépère Jean

Pépère Jean must have been sick of Mémère Paulette stealing all the limelight with her wine-based restaurant, so they decided to open a watering hole nearby on rue Lelong in the 2nd arrondissement. On the wall hangs old frames, with a shelf filled with pastis glasses, branded Suze carafes and so on. Outdated it might be, but with this sort of bric-a-brac, you can't help but feel safe and cosy. We munch on a huge plate of coppa di Parma ham (€6) and plaited buffalo mozzarella (€8), then cave and get the Neufchâtel-en-Bray heart-shaped cheese (€8), washed down with the 2013 Pinot Noir sensas and 2014 Côtes-du-Rhône (€5 by the glass). After a heated table football match, we indulge in a game of play ‘Guess Who?’ It’s like Christmas, come early.