Mắm from Hanoï

If you’re in the mood for some real phớ, head to the heart of the Sentier neighborhood! In this wood-clad, orange-hued restaurant that evokes a colonial past, Tuyet Ngna Bui (a former psychologist) and Tuan Anh Tran Luu (who used to work at Maison Souquet), a couple who originally hail from Hanoi, decided to bring their credo to a boiling point: sharing a love for veritable Vietnamese cuisine with delightfully authentic meals that have been impeccably sourced. The night we went, we kicked things off with a divine spring roll duo, made with extremely thin, light and crispy rice paper, stuffed with a tender combo of kohlrabi, chayote (a cousin of zucchini), carrots, shiitake mushrooms, onions and glass noodles, paired with a gastrological nuoc-mâm dipping sauce from Phú Quốc: then a miraculous phớ tài chính, which tasted exactly like the ones we’d had in Hanoi, with extremely tender Vietnamese rice noodles, Nivernais flank steak and fresh herbs in a full-bodied but never greasy broth with loads of flavor and even a little sweetness, made with bone marrow and short ribs… Sensational! The incredible thit kho is also worth trying, aka stewed caramel pork belly served with rice and a soft-boiled egg. And for a sweet treat afterwards? There’s Vietnamese caramel flan served with Terre Adélice vanilla ice cream. // James Patisson 

FEELING THIRSTY? : Homemade peach iced tea (€5), cà phê sua dá (iced coffee made with sweetened condensed milk, €6) or Saigon beer (€6 for 350 ml). 
PRICE: : Two spring rolls €7, phớ €15.50 to €16, thit kho €14.50, bun bo xao €14, bún chả €14.50, desserts €6-9.