Looking for a taste of Eternal France? La Fontaine de Mars shakes out its red and white gingham tablecloths and dusts off its old-fashioned trinkets to the delight of tourists seeking out the Paris of yesteryear, along with modern celebrities and youngsters with carefully tousled locks. Fully in his element, chef Pierre Saugrain has more than a few tricks up his sleeves when it comes to reciting the classics of French culinary history, all served on vintage tableware and prepared with carefully sourced ingredients – blood sausage from Christian Parra, asparagus from Sologne, duck from the Vendée department… The day we went for lunch, we indulged in all of the following: saucisson with butter to start; oeufs mayo with fresh vegetable macédoine and crisp sucrine lettuce, ready to join the ranks of the nearby Unesco’s intangible cultural heritage list; a smoking hot slice of the aforementioned blood sausage combined with pork loin and tart stewed apples; before a cheeky treat for dessert, aka the house’s famous pink praline floating island, which was once devoured by Barack himself. // Marcelle Ratafia
FEELING THIRSTY? A properly French wine list: a gaillac red from the Domaine Rotier (€5 a glass), a Burgundy pinot noir produced by Jean Guiton (€38 a bottle) or an organic Pouilly-Fuissé from Cornin (€68).
PRICE: Dish of the day €23, à la carte €39-101.
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