Restaurants

Authentic, lip-smacking Shandong cuisine (home of Tsingtao beer). The dumplings are made fresh everyday, and they use very little MSG. In fact, if you insist: “Pas de Wei-Jing!", chef Lao Xue will not use it. As for the décor…well, who goes to a Chinese restaurant for design anyway?
88, boulevard de l'Hopital 75013, M° Campo Formio, 01 45 87 23 37. Closed Wednesday.

Who said veggies can’t dine out in Paris? Strict animal protein abstainers can be sure no gelatin or rennet will sneak onto their plate at this faux-meat mecca—the chef serves up incredible “pork,” “chicken,” and “steak” created out of vegetable products like soy, gluten and algae.
20, rue Nationale, Paris 13. Mº Porte d’Ivry. 01 45 82 99 54. 11am-10pm every day.

Take your pick from 500 dishes from all over South East Asia at this huge restaurant. Shout out to one of the ladies pushing a heated trolley about and she’ll roll your way, bearing shark-fin ravioli, a stew of rice with pork and hundred year old eggs, or some good old fashioned dim sum. For assured freshness, pick out your seafood satisfaction from one of the aquariums. A classic Hong Kong style dining spot.
32, rue de l’Orillon, Paris 11. Mº Belleville. 01 40 21 96 18. www.nioullaville.com Open daily.

This little family canteen gets away from clichéd cuisine and serves up inventive delicacies you won’t find on the take-away menu stuck to your fridge. Try the sautéed eels in soy sauce, or Wenzhou crepes filled with vegetables or pork. A great spot for a casual quick eat—you can quell your hunger pangs for less than €7.
18, rue au Maire, Paris 3. Mº Arts et Metiers. 01 42 74 05 09. Open 10am-10pm. Closed Sundays.

Opened n 2007, Au Caveau Montpensier is on course to be the hot new eatery and bar. The intimate dining room and lounge, housed a few step below street level in one of the capital’s oldest bars, is serviced by an open kitchen run by New York wunderkind Wesley Wobles, who offers a cuisine seldom found in Paris. Gone is the usual gastronomic formality and stuffiness; Wobles’ food is light, innovative, and reasonable (main courses around €15). Appetizers (€9), such as seared foie gras with oxtail and lingonberries, cannot fail to impress with both their ingenuity and fine ingredients. Mains reflect the chef’s light touch with vegetables such as the grilled hangar steak with potato bâtonnets and wild mushrooms—a far cry from the ubiquitous steak frites. Other offerings are pan-seared duck breast with a pain d’épice pancake, lamb shank with rosemary, and coconut-crusted salmon with carrot guava sauce.

Hidden on a narrow street of the 3rd arrondissement, this 50s style bistro is an unanticipated treasure. Open since 1934, it was taken over by young chef Otis Lebert five years ago. Lebert believes in simplicity, seasonality and trusts his instinct to orchestrate a new, enticing menu every day. His daily creations run from traditional French (daube provencale, duck magret) to the light and inventive (egg cocotte with haddock, tempura of baby sole, braised pork cheeks with celery root purée). Desserts are simple and wonderful (pistachio cream, chocolate moelleux), and even the expresso is top-notch, as the chef’s dad is a coffee merchant. Lunch menu 13€; dinner around 35€. Open 8.30am - 1am every day, closed Saturdays & Sundays.
Le Taxi Jaune, 13, rue Chapon, Paris 3. M° Arts et Métiers. 01 42 76 00 40.

Don’t be put off by the vaguely rustic and rather dim décor of this small restaurant hidden behind a church: for gourmets in the know, this might be the best eatery in Paris. Thierry Breton’s brilliant home-cooking, loosely based on his native Brittany, never ceases to startle, as he unveils his ever-changing, seasonal creations on a large blackboard.