If you’ve ever tried finding a meal after a night out at the theatre in Paris, you’ll know options are usually pretty much limited to a mediocre pizza or a greasy kebab. So we’re ecstatic to have discovered Hubert, which sells itself as a ‘night time canteen’, serving inventive and varied dishes until midnight at weekends or 11pm on weekdays. If it’s busy, customer have to fetch the plates from the counter themselves when the bell rings – though it’s a sacrifice we’re willing to make to eat so well at this time of night.
There are two types of dishes to choose from, served in individual portions (under €10) or to share between two or three. We opt for the veal tartare, served with pistachios and smoked herring, a beautifully delicate dish, though disappointingly lacking an accompaniment. The same goes for the Angus beef, which is wonderfully moreish, but could really have done with some chips or potatoes in some form. Next, the cheese platter is copious and savvily selected (the gorgonzola is particularly addictive), while the chocolate sorbet with caramel sauce is simple yet packed with flavour. To drink, a clued-up waiter will happily recommend bottles like a fine Alsatian Pinot Noir (€7 a glass).
TRANSLATION: FLORA HUDSON