Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Directly across from the Gare du Nord, this landmark brasserie has a copper bar, waiters in
white uniforms, brass fixtures and mirrored walls that look as they did when it opened in
1925. Breakfast is available from 7.30am to 10.30am.
MODERN FRENCH
VIVANT
mains €23-29; noon-2.30 & 7-10.30pm Mon-Fri; Bonne Nouvelle)
Pierre Jancou, the mind behind natural-wine bars like
Racines
and La Crèmerie, has moved
on to his latest adventure set in a century-old exotic-bird shop, where simple but elegant
dishes - creamy burratta, crispy duck leg with mashed potatoes, foie gras and roasted onion,
an Italian cheese plate - are created to showcase the carefully sourced ingredients.
The Swiss-born Jancou is a natural-wine activist, so make sure you treat yourself to at
least a glass: it's an essential part of the meal here (although be prepared: it's not cheap).
casual meal. Reserve.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
HÔTEL DU NORD
If you want a glimpse of life along the canal before it became cool, the movie to watch
is Marcel Carné's Hôtel du Nord(1938). The story revolves around the residents of the
hotel - including a canal worker, a prostitute, a drifting criminal and a lovesick girl -
and is hardly short on drama; it begins with a botched double suicide and ends with a
murder. The highlight, though, is the dialogue, delivered with an old-fashioned Parisi-
an accent that, let's face it, is a lot more fun than the French you hear today. One of
the most unforgettable lines in all French cinema belongs to Arletty's character (the
prostitute). Accused of being a 'suffocating atmosphere' in a lovers' spat, she re-
sponds, 'Atmosphère? Atmosphère?! Est-ce que j'ai une gueule d'atmosphère?!'(At-
mosphere? Atmosphere?! Do I look like an atmosphere?!) Today the movie is referen-
ced in the names of a local hotel, restaurant and cafe.
DRINKING & NIGHTLIFE
Crowded around place Pigalle (at the foot of Montmartre) you'll find an eclect-
ic selection of nightlife options, from local cafes and hipster dives to dance
clubs and hostess bars. In contrast, the trend around the Canal St-Martin is
