Septime La Cave

The team behind the much-lauded restaurant Septime (which featured again this year on the World's Best Restaurant list) has opened a wine shop cum wine bar just around the corner from their main address in the 11th arrondissement. Pop into the charming Septime La Cave to pick up a bottle from their vast selection from not just France, but also Italy and elsewhere in Europe, no matter what your budget (prices start from around just €6) or take a seat at the small bar in the vintage-retro feeling shop, complete with metro-style tiles and cinema-type lettering on the wall menus, to sample some of the wines by the glass, soaked up with fresh and simple small plates. On the seasonally changing menu are tapas-sized portions of high-quality olives, cheeses and cold meats and simple fish (we had delicious sardines served with herbed butter, and peppered goat's cheese on our visit) of between around €4-14 each, to go with a superb selection of wines from by the glass from between €5-7 (we enjoyed the Sicilian SP68 Bianco, and the sparkling Chenin from La Grange Tiphaine).  The incredibly friendly and knowledgeable staff are on hand to advise and the general atmosphere of this cosy space make for a convivial setting for an afternoon or evening drink - perfect for a light bite or an aperitif.

Septime La Cave

3 rue Basfroi

75011 Paris

01 43 67 14 87

Restaurant Pierre Sang

Pierre Sang Boyer (pictured centre), one of the charmismatic stars of French culinary TV show Top Chef, has opened his own eponymous restaurant in Paris' 11th arrondissement. The young chef, who was a semi-finalist in the 2011 edition of the television programme, opened Restaurant Pierre Sang on the buzzing, bar-lined rue Oberkampf in mid 2012. The no-reservation corner space is full to capacity daily - and has already been honoured with a prestigious award from French food guide Le Fooding - with a mixed clientele packing in to the laid-back setting with counter seating looking on to an open kitchen to sample the multi-course, no-choice menu of modern, eclectic cuisine (from €35 for the prix-fixe). State any allergies or dietary requirements to the knowledgeable waiters and then leave yourselves in the hands of the capable and daring team to bring you dish after dish of original Pierre Sang creations, which fuse French and South Korean influences to reflect the chef's mixed heritage. We particularly liked the pudding of tarte tatin with a sharp raspberry mousse laced with vinegar on our visit. Wines are also topnotch and the friendly sommelier is on hand to advise on what tipples to pair with your meal.

Restaurant Pierre Sang

55 rue Oberkampf

75011 Paris

Open Tues-Fri lunch and dinner; Sat dinner only. 

No reservations 

photos copyright Unlock Paris and cannot be reproduced without permission

Loustic

Paris' coffee revolution is showing no signs of abating with the arrival of new kid on the block, Loustic, on a side street near to the Pompidou Centre, bringing superlative coffee to the very centre of Paris. Londoner Channa Galhenage's brand new cafe, decorated with retro geometric prints by hip interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon (who also did up NoMa hotspot Pinson), serves seasonal roasts from Belgian coffee mecca Caffènation in espresso, filter and chemex variations, as well as in everyone's favourite milky incarnations of cappuccino and latte. The long and narrow seating, reminiscent of a nostalgic train carriage, is perfectly conducive to a spot of friendly nattering with fellow patrons or for setting up a laptop for getting down to some caffeine-fuelled work (there is even a "laptop special" available - 3 cups of coffee with 3 mini-cupcakes for just €10, and wifi is free). A concise but high quality selection of teas is also available, as is chai tea latte, and soya milk is available for lactose-haters. A lunch menu, which aims to put a fresh spin on French cafe classics, has been devised by super duper culinary duo, Emperor Norton - the current special is a riff on the poulet crudité sandwich, featuring chicken katsu curry. Also on the menu are organic cakes, quiches and deliciously healthy kale-based goodies from The Kale Project, and the weekend sees Paris' first reasonably priced brunch ever featuring granola, juice, coffee and pastries for just €10-12. Loustic, which means "smart arse" in Breton, is certainly bringing a cheeky new perspective to the classic French neighbourhood cafe and it's already one of our favourites.

Loustic

40 rue Chapon, 75003 Paris

Open: Mon 12-6pm, Tues-Fri 7am-6pm, Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 12-6pm

Book Club at Le Carmen: The Return

Paris' finest high brow debauchery is back: Book Club returns for another evening of fun, frolics and literary chat this Sunday 7th April at South Pigalle cocktail bar, Le Carmen. The concept is simple: bring a book you have loved and swap it with a book one of the other guests has brought and also therefore loved. Strike up conversation, have a couple of expertly-mixed cocktails and even indulge in shaking your tail feather in the decadent setting of Le Carmen, which was formerly home to composer Bizet and after whose famous opera the cocktail bar is named. Leave with a new-to-you book and maybe even a phone number or two - this is a contemporary version of the blue-stockinged antics of yesteryear, after all. Just remember: no book, no entry...

Book Club 

Sunday 7th April from 8pm

Le Carmen

34 rue Duperré, 75009 Paris 

Facebook Event: Book Club at Le Carmen

photos copyright Kim Laidlaw. Steal them and feel her wrath. 

Le Mary Celeste

We can't get enough of the Northern Marais right now, and the arrival of new cocktail and oyster bar Le Mary Celeste is only serving to increase our obsession. The talented team behind much lauded cocktail-and-tapas joint Candelaria and Pigalle bar Glass opened Mary Celeste, their third bar in the capital, earlier in 2013. Breaking the mould from the hidden away, dark and sultry, speakeasy style bars that have proved to be such a hit in Paris, Le Mary Celeste is a bright and breezy corner space, with large windows, exposed brickwork and a vast central bar. On the menu are the kind of expertly mixed cocktails you'd expect from this team (including the Rain Dog which mixes their favourite tipple, the bitter Italian Amaro, with bourbon, mint and lemon), Brooklyn lager on tap, and a selection of wines by the glass and the bottle. Also on offer are oysters (and an oyster happy hour from 5pm-7pm when they're only €1 a pop), bar snacks such as kimchi and small plates to share from Weds-Sun. Le Mary Celeste also shares its sibling bars' eclectic programme, already hosting events such as a pop-up juice shop with Bob's Cold Press last month and Jack's Jumble Sale. Stay tuned to their facebook for more info on upcoming events.

Le Mary Celeste

1 rue Commines, 75003 Paris  

Mon-Sun 5pm-2am 

The Broken Arm

The Northern Marais continues to affirm its status as Paris' hippest neighbourhood with the arrival of The Broken Arm - a brand new concept store combining a bright and breezy cafe with a cutting edge boutique stocking a carefully curated selection of fashion, accessories and books. Founded by Anaïs Lafarge, Guillaume Steinmetz and Romain Juste - who are part of the De Jeunes Gens Modernes team, an online fashion magazine - The Broken Arm combines a place to drink coffee, eat lunch and hangout with a place to shop the latest trends. On the menu in the light-filled corner cafe space are light dishes including sandwiches, soups and salads of the day (between €5.50 and €8.50) - with a colorful and tasty smoked haddock, lime cream cheese and alfalfa bagel on our visit - and simple but flavoursome dishes such as sardines with bread and piment d'espelette butter. Also on offer are high quality coffee, yummy cakes and freshly squeezed juice. In the two-level, multi-brand shop, there is a stylish edit of women's and men's ready-to-wear from big guns such as Kenzo, Raf Simon, Carven and Philip Lim, but also from newcomers like the French designer Jacquemus. Shoes, jewellery and even leather mouse mats and retro stationary are also on sale, as is a concise selection of magazines and books. Whether you go in for a quick pitstop of for full on retail indulgence, The Broken Arm is sure to inspire. A new favourite. 

The Broken Arm

12 rue Perrée, 75003 Paris

Open Mon 2pm-7pm, Tues-Sat 9am-7pm

ARRRGH! at La Gaîté Lyrique

Hideki Seo - Swimming in the Garment 

Paris' Gaîté Lyrique, a cultural centre usually dedicated to digital arts and music, is currently branching out and hosting a fashion-led exhibition called ARRGH! Monstres de Mode. Displaying over 80 eccentric outfits from contemporary designers ranging from Alexander McQueen, to Maison Martin Margiela and Issey Miyake, the exhibition explores the idea of a fashion monster, and how sartorial creations can disguise and transform the naked body into a veritably strange and otherworldly presence. Charlie le Mindu's hair-covered creations - reminiscent of the deformed bodies dreamt up by the Chapman brothers - sit near to playfully bright forms by Walter Van Bierondonck and bondage-inspired rabbit costumes from Kim Traeger to create a maze of freaky mannequins who seem to have escaped from the rarefied confines of Paris Fashion Week. A lively yet sometimes dark look at fashion and well worth a visit. 

ARRRGH! Monstres de Mode

until 7th April 2013

Entry €7 

La GaÎté Lyrique

3 bis rue Papin

75003 Paris

Charlie le Mindu - Kiss Freak

Issey Miyake and Dai Fujiwara - Monkey

Kim Traeger - Run-Over Rabbit