Gargouille

One more bistro, what do you say? The latest bistronomic spot in the ninth arrondissement goes by the name of Gargouille. An Art Deco den with lots of big mirrors, luminous orbs and psychedelic tiling, where Jules Behar and Arthur Billard (ex-Etsi) keep customers happy in the dining room, while the French-Lebanese chef Marc-Élie Hayek (who used to work for Guy Savoy and at Contraste) crafts plates inspired by the Mediterranean. For us, the night we went: impeccable bricks like you’d get in Tunis, filled with tuna, potatoes, capers and preserved lemon, relaxing on a bed of dill and lemon yogurt; punchy baba ganoush sprinkled with sumac; flavor-packed kefta, paired with Lebanese tabbouleh, slow-cooked onions, tahini and pistachios; mouthwatering zucchini stuffed with feta cream, roasted tomatoes, pine nuts and walnuts; incredibly fresh sea bream seasoned with soujouk (a Balkan spice mix) and pickled onions; before a very good chocolate / coffee / cardamom cake with whipped cream, lemon condiment and angel hair topping. // Louise Delange 

FEELING THIRSTY? The Mediterranean in a wine glass: a Trebbiano from Abruzzo produced by Speranza (€6.50), a Catalan white from Le Mas Candi (€35 a bottle), a Languedoc red produced by Philippe Richy (€30), a Greek orange wine from the Sarris estate (€40). 
PRICE: Plates €19, set menus €25 (lunch), small plates €9-15 (dinner).