Lucca

She’s a dancer, he’s an architect… Together, they’re bringing a little excitement to the Saint-Bruno-Saint-Victor neighborhood! Amélie Marty, 25 years old, and Antoine Nguyen, 29 years old, opened this adorable café with a terrace on a small tree-lined square, where you can savor fresh and inventive cuisine (made with fruits and vegetables from the neighboring Brutes épicerie and bread from Baston bakery) which refuses to be pigeonholed. The day we went for lunch, seated under a parasol, the impressive recession-busting menu cost just €19! It kicked off with a briny appetizer of smoked herring taramasalata topped with sumac and surrounded by tender diced potatoes, lumpfish roe, dulse seaweed and sea beans; followed by a beautifully plated vitello tonnato, served warm on a bed of cracked wheat, crisp braised lettuce heart, capers, piment d’Espelette and pistachios. Even dessert is a gourmet and punchy experience: diced fig, crumble topping and black tahini cream. // Kelly Slatée 

FEELING THIRSTY? : Around 40 French wines that are reasonably priced and tend to be organic or natural (Gramenon, Mosse, Jean-Marc Dreyer, Fond Cyprès, ranging from €20 to €48 a bottle), with a lot of Bordeaux wines to choose from: Bouffonne from La Maison Advinam (€39), a Pessac-Léognan from the Château Coquillas (€31), a 2016 Saint-Émilion from the Château Tour Peyronneau (€41), etc. Glasses of wine for €6. 
PRICE: : Set menus €19-21 (lunch), à la carte €26-41 (dinner).