Becquetance

A bingefest called Becquetance! Or in other words, a tiny bistro in Ménilmontant run by Anastasia Rohaut and Vincent Bielhy, furnished with plenty of white tones and blonde wood, where they explore bistronomy with total freedom. Here, things are clear from the start: one pops open bottles of wine behind the immaculate bar, while the other, a former architect, nonchalantly sends out quality dishes from the windowed kitchen. Take the last time we went for lunch: a bracingly bitter combo of intensely smoky herring and a calming cod roe cream, sprinkled with fresh dill; cheeky chunks of txistorra (spicy Basque chorizo-like sausage) remastered with lamb instead of pork, scattered atop a squash velouté studded with croutons – or a vegetable frittata topped with sesame seeds and served with a salad of mixed greens; before dessert, either a chocolate lava cake sprinkled with toasted buckwheat, or a comforting verbena crème brûlée – which could have been cooked just a tad longer. At night, you’ll find the same dishes, served à la carte instead of as a prix-fixe menu. // Théodule Mollard

FEELING THIRSTY? No fuss or added chemicals: Pain Perdu, an Angevin Cabernet-Franc from Claire and Florent Bejon (€7 a glass), Durban, an Aude Carignan from Antoine Picard (€33 a bottle), This is Muska, an Alsatian Muscat from Lambert Spielmann (€42)…
PRICE: Set menus €18-22 (lunch), à la carte €34-44 (dinner).