Montmartre & Northern Paris - Paris - page 324

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
BREAD & WINE BY THE GARE DU NORD

Yes, restaurant owners and chefs go out to eat, too. Charles Compagnon, owner of
L'Office , filled us in on his staff's top dining picks in Paris' burgeoning culinary hot
spot, the 10e.
Le Grenier à Pain They bake the bread we serve at L'Office. We really like le pain de
trois,which is a kind of country bread that's made with three different types of flour.
We also recommend their gâteau basque(a small round pastry filled with sweet al-
mond paste).
Vivant This is a great restaurant. The quality of the products is simply outstanding and
the atmosphere is really charmant(charming). It's located in an old oisellerie(a place
where exotic birds were raised and sold); the original faience tiling is still on the walls.
Albion We really like this restaurant because of the quality of the cooking and the di-
verse wine selection.

Gare du Nord & Canal St-Martin

BRETON

LA POINTE DU GROIN
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 8 Rue de Belzunce, 10e; sandwiches & tapas from €4; 8am-midnight Mon-

Fri; Gare du Nord)
This charmingly named eatery opened by chef Thierry Breton of Chez Michel specialises in
top-quality tapas, Bretagne-style. Grab a gourmet sandwich to go - the bread is superb - or
feast on oysters, chèvre-and-leek pie, galette saucisse (a hot dog wrapped in a crêpe) and far
Breton (prune flan). Pints of Philomenn (Breton craft beer) and good wine are reasonably
priced too.
There's a catch, of course, and in this case it's the bizarre payment system. You have to
pay in, uh, groins, the local currency that you purchase from a coin dispenser (European
credit cards and cash accepted) while waiting in line to order. There's a €10 minimum; one
euro equals one groin.

BOULANGERIE

DU PAIN ET DES IDÉES
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 34 rue Yves Toudic, 10e; 7am-8pm Mon-Fri; Jacques Bonsergent)