Crab Club

In the XXL dining room of Crab Club with its industrial decor (concrete, brick, untreated wooden tables, a long bar at the foot of the factory-style kitchen, plus a garden terrace at the back), it’s all about seafood! The idea? It came from Breton-native Philippe Emanuelli, who, after Le Café des Spores, brought a Thai-Nîmes-based chef aboard, Yoth Ondara, who now runs the shop as a duo with his partner Van Nguyen. And it rocks! To start, have an oyster to complement your gin & tonic. Then, served from the blackboard menu of the day, other lovely surprises await: razor clams with garlic and kumquat; tender stuffed calamari and burrata with chard and raw chioggia beets; smoked eel dotted with whipped cream and grated and puréed red cabbage; and magical marriages, like crispy pork, grilled octopus and sand carrots; or an unforgettable lacquered duck with grilled oysters, foie gras and braised Chinese cabbage. What about dessert? It’s deeply flavorful and unpretentious: jasmine tea crème brûlée served in a Duralex glass. Careful not to capsize with delight! // Ringo de Balmalon

FEELING THIRSTY? In the absence of a drinks menu, we placed our trust in the sommelier, without knowing the prices (unless you request them): Monnières Saint Fiacre, a muscadet from Julien Braud, Dacite, a Côtes-du-Forez Gamay from Gilles Bonnefoy (€9 a glass). Plus, noticed in the window display: Nada, a Jura chardonnay from Le Clos des Grives, Alsace wines from Rieffel and Mann (roughly €45 a bottle)…

PRICE: Menu €29 (lunch), Cadoret oysters €19 for six, dishes €17-37, desserts €10.