Pétrelle

Mick Jagger carving a red mullet cooked over the open flames, Christian Lacroix slurping back harissa-spiced mussels, Lady Gaga treating herself to a grape granita at the end of the meal…. Celebrities galore have waltzed their way through the trompe-l’oeil walls of Pétrelle for the last thirty years, under the watchful eye of troublemaker chef Jean-Luc André. He’s finally handed over the keys to his cushy bistro (silver chandeliers, antique guéridon tables, porcelain vases) to two former employees of Les Caves Legrand, sommelier Luca Danti and chef Lucie Boursier-Mougenot. The result of this new union? Formidable fare the day we went for lunch: a delicate cream of Borlotti beans with pieces of sobrassada sausage and salsa verde with friggitello – a sweet Italian chili; flash-seared cuttlefish with plump peas and new potatoes, all glazed in a beurre blanc bisque, with Ten Belles bread to wipe your plate clean; before a mouthwatering frozen yogurt cream, paired with cherries marinated in a verbena syrup and thin slices of cucumber. At night, Lulu will have you bearing your fangs a little more aggressively: Sicilian gambero rosso shrimp with burrantina and a bisque vinaigrette; Wagyu beef with roasted eggplant and a fiery XO sauce; cherries with an almond milk cream…. And as if that wasn’t enough, the staff is lovely too! // Antoine Antoine

FEELING THIRSTY? There are a dozen independently produced Champagnes (including a Largillier from Guillaume Selosse at €249 a bottle), along with well-chosen natural wines (Labet, Niger, Belluard…) and plenty of options that won’t break the bank – a Roussillon rosé from Olivier Pithon (€5 a glass), a translucent Sicilian Susucaru from Franck Cornelissen (€39 a bottle)…

PRICE: Set menus €28 (lunch) and €52 (dinner).