Papacionu

Despite the abundance of brilliant pizzerias in Paris, one of the very best isn’t Italian, but in fact Corsican. Tucked down the small, pedestrianised Rue Cadet, this cosy pizzeria was opened by Ajaccio native Christophe Alin, who has tried to create a similar place to the restaurant run by his mother in his home city. At both lunch and dinnertime, the kitchen – of course equipped with a proper pizza oven – serves fifteen or so special semi-circular, thin-base pizzaionados (€10-€17), which come presented on chunky wooden platters. Every dish can be relied upon here, but we especially liked the Burrata (tomatoes, anchovies, peppers, mozzarella, corn salad, burrata, home made tomato sauce) and the slightly thicker-crust Spuntinetta (Corsican Tomme cheese, pancetta, rocket, balsamic cream, fig emulsion). Drinks are also sourced from the island where possible, with highlights including the red Comte Peraldi Ajaccio (2013), the white Alzeto Ajaccio (2014) and Colomba beers from the Pietra brewery in Furiani. Make sure to book ahead, as seating space is limited and queues often go out the door.

TRANSLATION: HUW OLIVER