Buvette - Pigalle

SoPi, the New Yorkified name for the area of Paris just South of Pigalle, continues its hipsterfication (it's a word) with the arrival of a Big Apple import: wine bar and "gastrothèque", Buvette. Greenwich village-born Jody Williams has recreated her West Village restaurant, Buvette New York, on the charming rue Henri Monnier in Paris' 9th arrondissement, in a casual, shabby-chic setting with a marble bar and exposed brick work, serving small plates to share, including bruschetta-style tartines, and mini fish, meat and veggie dishes such as cuttle fish and chick peas, coq au vin and fennel with spiced orange and honey, plus cured meat and cheese platters (€18 for three plates or €30 for five), all washed down with well-chosen wines from regions throughout France, expertly-mixed cocktails, artisan cider or organic beer. Also on the menu are tasty puddings such as tarte tatin, and croissants and scones are served all day for breakfast or a tea time snack. Buvette doesn't take advanced reservations and the kitchen is open all day, making this a great option for an affordable, friendly or romantic meal off the cuff. We like. 

Buvette 

28 rue Henri Monnier, 75009 Paris

Open Tues-Sun, 10am to Midnight. 

all photos copyright Kim Laidlaw / Unlock Paris

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 

Mandarin Oriental Paris

The two-floored Royal Mandarin Suite

Mandarin Oriental Paris, the first French outpost of this luxury Asian hotel brand, has just celebrated its first birthday. Situated on the luxury shopping destination of the rue Saint-Honoré in the first arrondissement right in the centre of Paris, the listed 1930s building is flanked by the fine jewellery heaven of Place Vendome on one side, and the grandeur of the Louvre and the Tuilerie Gardens on the other.

Wanderlust

Tonight Wanderlust, the very highly anticipated new club and restaurant concept from the Savoir Faire team - the guys responsible for Paris' unrivaled nightspots Silencio and Social Club - opens to the public for a summer full of Seine-side fun and frolics.

Housed at Les Docks - Cité de la Mode et du Design, an impressive, serpentine building designed by architects Jakob +Macfarlane on the banks of the river Seine, Wanderlust boasts the largest terrace in Paris: 1600m2 of wood-decked space, kitted out with a bar and murky-grey (Seine-coloured?) tables and chairs, creating a space for river-side drinking, lounging and dancing. Films and light shows will also be projected on to the vast back wall in this area. 

Inside, there is a room dedicated to clubbing with fluorescent lighting and angular furniture that recall the futurist decor of the Social Club, which will welcome an eclectic range of DJs to welcome a broad range of guests. Wanderlust also includes an indoor/outdoor restaurant, helmed by the affable - and very talented - chef Benjamin Darnaud, who previously starred on France's Top Chef and whose cuisine will reflect the eclecticism of the space with a global and innovative menu. 

Wanderlust will be open throughout summer, come rain or shine, from midday until 6am, Wednesday to Sunday. Each Wednesday, veritable summertime clubbing institution, Eté d'Amour, will bring their electro beats to the club, and every week a fashion themed event (cinema, performance, interactive workshops) will be organised in association with the Musée Galliera, IFM (Institut Français de la Mode) and the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum, London). The weekends will be kicked off gently with a "Beauty Morning" of yoga or pilates followed by brunch, creative workshops, children's activities and DJ sets. There will also be a pop-up shop, and events such as a vintage clothes sale and a food market - it's basically going to be chock full of fun, dynamic and contemporary things to do for every type of person, at any point in the day. We just found our new favourite summertime hangout in Paris. 

Wanderlust

at Les Docks - Cité de la Mode et du Design

32 quai d'Austerlitz, 75013, Paris

www.wanderlustparis.com

Open Weds-Sun, midday-6am

Consult the full programme here: Wanderlust Programme

All photos copyright Kim Laidlaw 

L\Inconnu

A couple of weeks ago, the newest bar on the Paris scene, L\Inconnu, opened its doors in the Paris' edgy Faubourg Saint Denis area to a packed launch party and has been welcoming those in the know with its drinks and good vibes ever since.

Open all day and right into the early hours, L\Inconnu is a place to peruse their selection of independent magazines whilst drinking coffee in the daytime, drink and converse in its ground floor shabby-chic bar in the early evening, and dance and party to the sounds of their guest DJs in the basement until 2am.

As Victor Hugo said, "Le bonheur est parfois caché dans l'inconnu" (Happiness is sometimes hidden in the unknown) - and this looks set to be a successful addition to the hotspots already in this up-and-coming part of town.

L\Inconnu

17 rue de Mazagran, 75010 Paris

www.inconnu-bar.com

Open: Mon-Sat, 11am-2am

all photos copyright Kim Laidlaw Adrey 2012

W Paris Hotel

A Marvelous Studio Suite at the W Paris Hotel 

Today, in the midst of Paris Fashion Week, the W Opera Hotel - the brand new branch of the global W hotel brand - opened in Paris. Set in a Haussmannian building overlooking the gilded Palais Garnier opera house, the hotel boasts 191 rooms including 20 suites and two Extreme Wow Suites (that's W language for seriously swanky presidential suites).

The design theme at the W Opera Hotel is "The Spark" 

Many of the rooms at the W Opera Hotel boast views of the Palais Garnier

The design theme of the hotel - The Spark - unites the electric energy of the W brand's birth place, New York, with the sophisticated luminescence of Paris, the City of Light. The walls are dotted with twinkling LED lights and certain items of the decoration seem to have melted or been charred by the heat of the metaphorical igniting spark. Other details which nod to the two cities include a copy of Vahram Muratyan's book Paris vs. New York on each bedside table, toiletries from the hip New York spa, Bliss, and inimitable views of the Paris' iconic opera house from many of the rooms.

Bliss Products at the W Opera Hotel

Visitors are encouraged to "sip, drink and flirt" over canapés and cocktails in the lounge and bar and Michelin-starred chef Sergi Arola heads up the first floor restaurant, Arola, which puts the focus on simple dishes to be shared between friends. Should guests wish to work off any overindulgence, there is also a small fitness room, dubbed "Sweat" in W lingo, on the top floor of the hotel.

The Bar at the W Opera Hotel 

Breakfast at the W Opera Hotel 

As well as providing everything you would expect of a 5 star establishment, there are also several original W touches throughout the hotel. Rather than the traditional breakfast buffet, guests have an individual self-service breakfast bar on their own table. In addition to the standard mini bar, there is also a "Munchie Box" (the W lexicon strikes again) in each room - a tray full of fun goodies for guests to sample or indeed take home as last-minute gifts. The hotel's clued-in concierge (or W Insider), Cécile Rummler, is also on hand to share her insider-knowledge on the capital, and the W's service motto of "Whatever/Wherever" aims to satisfy all desires - with the sole proviso that it's legal, of course.

Munchie Box in a W Opera Hotel room 

W Paris Opera Hotel 

4 rue Meyerbeer, 75009 Paris

whotels.com/parisopera

Prices start at around €350/night 

all photos copyright Kim Laidlaw Adrey 2012

The 7th Bar @ Terrass Hotel

The 7th, the roof terrace bar of the 4-star Terrass Hotel in Montmartre, is a bar with a view. But not just any old view: the 7th floor vantage point that lends its name to the bar offers a spectacular vista over Paris, with the Tour de Montparnasse, Les Invalides and the Eiffel Tower lined up perfectly from left to right along the horizon. The open-air setting is open from early April to the end of September, weather permitting, with white parasols to protect you from the sun and the breeze of being up high to cool you down on a hot summer day - and with a reasonably priced drinks menu offering cocktails, soft drinks and wine as refreshment. Despite being just minutes away from the grey urbanity of the Place de Clichy, up here in the clouds at the 7th there is an overall atmosphere of being on holiday away from the city. This is perhaps due to the riviera vibe brought about by decor of comfortable yet luxurious garden furniture usually seen in swanky beach resorts, accented with ostentatious touches such as bottles of Dom Perignon displayed on pedestals, and the shiny and bright fake grass that carpets the ground. But the eurotrash undertones fade into the background when you're faced with such a spectacular view of Paris with a glass of chilled wine in hand. The main obstacle to enjoying the terrace this summer has been the awful weather - but if there are any more nice sunny days before the end of the season, we recommend checking this place out for the view alone.

The 7th

Open 11am-midnight, weather permitting

Terrass Hotel

12-14 rue Joseph de Maistre, 75018 Paris

entrance via the lobby of the hotel - take the lift to the 7th Floor.

All photos copyright Kim Laidlaw

Le Floréal

Le Floréal, the revamped corner bistro in Paris' 10th arrondissement, has had a makeover and is open for business again!  This former PMU (French betting-shop-cum-bar chain) was taken over by the crew who own hipster down-and-out bar Chez Jeannette last year, only to close for a couple of months this year to undergo extensive renovations. Freshly reopened, Le Floréal now has a Mondrian-esque facade of geometric blocks of a simple palette of red, yellow, black and white, bringing a bright touch a retro class to this spot just beneath Belleville and just across the street from much-lauded restaurants Le Chateaubriand and Le Dauphin. The terrace gives on to the busy road, but it's elevated and walled in, meaning you can drink or eat outside whilst being slightly removed from the traffic fumes and passing hoi polloi. The interior has an retro 60s-luxe vibe, shining with black lacquer and brass touches, neon lighting announcing "cocktails" and "fruits de mer", and black and red leather banquettes. The slightly American influenced menu features cheese burgers and cheesecake as well as indulgent lobster and other seafood delicacies, served all day every day. You can also just pop in for a coffee or cocktail on the terrace, and breakfast and a weekend brunch are also available.

Le Floréal, 

73 rue du Faubourg du Temple, 75010 Paris

Tel: 01 40 18 46 79

Open: Every day, 8am-2am

All images copyright Kim Laidlaw Adrey