Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BISTRO
LE SÉVÉRO
01 45 40 40 91; 8 rue des Plantes, 14e; mains €15-36;
noon-2pm &
7.30-10pm Mon-Fri; Mouton Duvernet)
Steaks served with sensational fries are the mainstay of this upmarket bistro (it's run by ex-
butcher William Bernet); other meat specialities include black pudding and pigs' trotters.
Wash them down with any number of excellent wines, which are chalked on an entire wall.
With just 30 seats, reconfirming advance reservations by noon is essential.
BRASSERIE
LA ROTONDE MONTPARNASSE
6e; 3-course menu €42, mains €14.50-42; 6am-2am, menus noon-3pm & 7-11pm; Vavin)
Opened in 1911 and recently restored to its former glory, La Rotonde may be awash with the
same Les Montparnos history as its famous neighbours like Le Select et al, but the real reas-
on to come is for the superior food. Meat comes from Parisian butcher extraordinaire Hugo
Desnoyer, salmon and chicken are organic and brasserie classics are cooked to perfection.
NEOBISTRO
JADIS
lunch/dinner menus from €26.50/38; 12.15-2pm & 7.15-11pm Mon-Fri; Boucicaut)
This classy, crimson-fronted neobistro on the corner of a very unassuming street remains
one of Paris' most revered (ie reserve in advance). Traditional French dishes pack a modern
punch thanks to risk-taking young chef Guillaume Delage. The lunch
menu
is extraordinar-
ily good value and the chocolate soufflé - order it at the start of your meal - is divine.
HISTORIC BRASSERIE
LA CLOSERIE DES LILAS
taurant mains €27.50-56.50, brasserie mains €25-33; restaurant noon-2.15pm & 7-11.30pm, brasser-
ie noon-12.30am, piano bar 11am-1.30am; Vavin or RER Port Royal)
Brass plaques tell you exactly where Hemingway (who wrote much of
The Sun Also Rises
here) and luminaries like Picasso, Apollinaire, Man Ray, Jean-Paul Sartre and Samuel Beck-
ett stood, sat or fell. The 'Lilac Enclosure' is split into a late-night piano bar, upmarket res-
taurant and more lovable (and cheaper) brasserie with a hedged-in pavement terrace.
TRADITIONAL FRENCH
LA GAULOISE
€24.50/29.50, mains €25-36;
noon-2.30pm & 7-11pm;
La Motte Picquet Grenelle)
