The legendary club night of the universally known magazine has finally crossed the Channel... and these nights certainly redeem some of the credibility lost by the the NME's unfortunate descent into an ersatz indie Smash Hits. This inaugural night will feature Bombay Bicycle Club and Kitsuné's Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya live, and DJ sets from South Central, Glasgow's Shit Disco , and anglophile local remix boy Vicarious Bliss on Ed Banger (what else?). CG

The team behind the Canal Saint Martin’s popular Italian restaurants, La Maddonina and their more recent pizzeria, Maria Luisa, have opened another annex in the upper Marais’ rue Charlot, offering a similar menu and quality to Maria Luisa but for a more upscale clientele. Surrounded by the art galleries and trendy boutiques of Paris’s NoMa (Northern Marais) district, this cozy eatery pulls in the crowds for easy Italian eats: copious platters of charcuterie, quality pizzas, a small selection of daily changing pasta and salad, served with homemade bread and washed down with a limited but good selection of vinos, by glass, pitcher or bottle. Go for a biano and finish with the excellent caramel panacotta. Starters from 7-9€, pizzas from 9-15€. AM

Galette with egg, bacon, mushrooms and espelette pepper, 10.50€

The newest darling of the Parisian dining scene is this creperie located in the upper Marais district, in the midst of the art galleries and cutting-edge boutiques. It offers something difficult to find these days in Paris: a well-made version of one of France’s most symbolic snacks. Using all natural ingredients, the best flours, organic eggs, cheeses, meats, small-run Breton beers and a great list of ciders, this spot is perfect for either a snack or a real meal. Created by Bertrand Larcher, who opened similar establishments in Cancale, Tokyo, and Yokohama before landing in Paris, this updated version of the creperie has what it takes to win over Parisian foodies. AM

This tiny, 22-seater fish restaurant, located in a small square in the chic seventh, was taken over last year by two former chefs, and collaborators of amiable culinary star Christian Constant. Already popular with locals, this elegant, modern eatery has garnered a steady buzz with its excellent, moderately creative market cuisine, and good value ‘surprise’ tasting menu. Starters included a ‘verrine’ layered with fresh crab meat, beetroot and topped with a spicy pepper cream, followed by langoustine ‘tempura’, and an exceptionally fresh white fish accompanied by an earthy mushroom sauce and foam. Dessert was a delightfully good raspberry dish topped with cream and chocolate. Expect to pay about 45€ a head, including wine. With such pleasant service and satisfying food, their recent Michelin star comes as no surprise. AM

Poached egg, white-bean salad and smoked haddock, part of 39€, 3-course menu.

When three-star Michelin chef Antoine Westermann boldly opened this tiny bistro far from his native Strasbourg on the Ile St-Louis what followed was immediate success. Unlike the traditional, old-style bistro that many expected, a fresh modern space beckoned from the cobblestone streets. The formula is simple: a small, minimally designed dining room, seating 40 in a relaxed, communal space; an updated Alsatian cuisine, with great vegetables; and friendly, dynamic service thanks to the omnipresent Adrien. While Anthony Clémot has recently left the kitchen to run the recently re-opened one-star Drouant, his replacement, Frédéric Crochet, also from the Westermann stable, brings his own vision to the master’s remote-controlled restaurant. A recent tasting from the 39€ menu included a perfectly poached egg on top of a white-bean salad with delicious slivers of smoked haddock, juicy free-range chicken and herb risotto, and a spicy stewed pear in red-wine sauce. The wine list is well chosen and priced, with offerings either by the glass or bottle. One of Paris’ best-value and most interesting neo-bistros.

'Set menu with amuse-bouches, miso soup and sakana, 28€.'
This newish restaurant seems to reflect the iconoclastic nature of its young, successful, and clued-in team owners, two alumni from the stable of media-savvy chef Gilles Choukroun: the young wunderchef Inaki Aizpitarte, and his partner-in-crime, Laurent Chareau (both of whom garnered much press from their stints at La Famille), as well as art critic, Gilles Stassart, and man-about-town, Benjamin Pelletier. In the hinterlands of Vitry-sur-Seine in the spanking new MAC/VAL contemporary art museum is their rather spartan dining room, where the emphasis is on serious eating. The menu is comprised of a ‘garde manger’ of 47 tapas-style dishes, which may be mixed and matched as desired, with combinations such as beetroot with cru-cuit foie gras, fresh vegetables from the garden of Joel Thibault, as well as two daily dishes, one inspired by a French classic, the second by the current art exhibition. In the evening, a 40€, 10-dish tasting menu makes for a more inventive gastronomic experience, with the possibility of ‘zooming in’ on a dish for the full-size experience.

This classic Parisian restaurant, which was suffering a slightly faded elegance, has been taken over by French superchef Ducasse, the only Michelin-starred chef to hold three stars in three different countries. Designer Patrick Jouin brought his sober, elegant touch to the charming fit-out. With it’s dazzling location, 125 metres above Paris, you can now dine in a world-class, contemporary style inside the most emblematic of the city’s monuments. Expect classic French cuisine with a modern flourish using exceptional ingredients: truffles, scallops, Limousin lamb, Bresse poultry, venison… Lunch is the affordable option, at 75€; for dinner expect to pay between 155€ and 190€ plus wine. Keep in mind the one to two month wait for a table.

'Tigre qui Pleut, 15.50€.'
Voici Mme Shawn, a small, cosy Thai restaurant, owned and staffed by gasp real Thais! In a city rife with imitations, finding a genuine Thai restaurant can be a little challenging. Seated under one of the giant buddha heads, start your meal with the tasting platter – a delicious selection of nems, juicy chicken skewers with satay sauce and samosas – or the spicy carrot and soy salad, then follow with Mme Shawn’s inimitable ‘weeping tiger’, a piece of beef marinated in honey and a selection of spices and served sizzling à la plancha. For dessert fresh mango and coconut rice pudding does the trick. The wine list is fairly limited, so go the Singha beer. If the service is a little slow at times, it is probably because everything is freshly prepared by Mme Shawn herself. Prices and spice dosage are in keeping with this place’s authenticity.

Tuna tartare, topped with avocado and wasabi cream, part of 30€, 3-course menu

There didn’t use to be much to tempt the palate in the Louis Blanc neighborhood, lost as it was in a gastronomic no-man’s-land between the budget Sri Lankan quarter and the Canal St-Martin. But the young, friendly owners of La Bulle look set to update the local landscape, and provide another destination beyond the Point Ephémère. A three-month relook changed this bistro from greasy spoon brasserie to modern bistronomique, with exposed stone walls and soft lighting. The chef used to work at The Sporting, on the Canal St Martin, and here proposes a great-value lunch or dinner menu: 3-course for 30€ or 2 for 25€. The starter of tuna tartare with avocado/wasabi cream and poppadum topping was a highlight, and the tasty lamb chops in bordelaise sauce with mushrooms and cumin-flavoured carrots perfect comfort food for a bone-chilling autumn evening. Most bottles on the blackboard wine list are around 20€-30€, but there’s also a good range of glasses for less than 5€. AM

Formerly known as the Yakitori Sushi Cho, Meiji has little to do with its former self, and even less to do with the plethora of other pseudo-Nippons in the Golden Triangle. Hidden at the end of a small passageway on the maddening rue Marbeuf, this discreet address serves stunningly fresh and well-presented seafood prepared by an expert in the field of traditional Japanese gastronomy, former Nobu chef Hitoshi Saito. The 65€ Omasaki menu gives full reign to the chef’s expertise; you will savour dishes such as white radish with salmon eggs, tuna tartar with nori leaves, and line-caught bass served tobanyaki-style (oven cooked). For the less adventurous, sushis and skewered meats and fish are also on offer. And don’t overlook the perfectly chilled on-tap Kirin beer. AM