Banh Meï

If our previous trips to Banh Meï had occasionally left us feeling disappointed, the arrival of sommelier Renaud Châteaugiron (ex-Saturne and Clown Bar) back in October 2021 gave a real boost to this cute Vietnamese café with all wooden decor. The most recent night we went, the food by chef and owner Thi-Hieu Nguyen, aka You, was a major success: an intense kimchi to wake up our taste buds; incredible wontons electrified by a sweet chili sauce; gigantic capoun (stuffed cabbage) revisited Vietnamese style, with ground pork and black mushrooms in a pho broth; excellent bun bo xao served cold, combining carrots, lemongrass tofu, fresh mint, peanuts and fish sauce; sea bream fillet plunged into a lovely kimchi-lemongrass-tamarind broth, with celery and button mushrooms; before the dessert, a combo of caramelized apples and tapioca pearls bathed in coconut milk. Another thing you won’t want to miss is the bánh mì served at lunch: a half baguette from the Boulangerie Saint François filled with sesame beef, carrots, cucumbers and fresh cilantro… // Antoine Antoine 

FEELING THIRSTY? An exciting wine list, where you can fish out a few rare vintages at more-than-reasonable prices: Violette, an Auvergne Gamay from Patrick Bouju (€44 a bottle), Les Trouillots 2016, a Jura Chardonnay from Valentin Morel (€36), or Morillon, an Austrian wine from Werlitsch (€49)… Unless you’d prefer a Lug beer (€6 for 330 ml) or a Charitea Mate (€5 for 330 ml). 
PRICE: À la carte €31-41.