Artisan - Cocktails and Small Plate Dining in South Pigalle

You know how much we love small plate dining here at Unlock Paris and you might have noticed that we're partial to a cocktail, too. And then there's our penchant for the area that we like to call SoPi (that's South Pigalle, to you) with our tongue firmly lodged in our cheek. Well, as luck would have it, Artisan ticks all of our boxes: located just behind the trendy rue des Martyrs in the 9th arrondissement, this cosy establishment serves a range of expertly mixed cocktails alongside tapas-sized dishes to share - perfect! Counter seating and a no-reservations policy create a laidback atmosphere - pitch up, pick a bar stool and order as you wish from the concise menu. Seasonally varying dishes include delights such as a jazzed-up croque monsieur with cured ham and mushrooms (€8), delicate root vegetables with hard-hitting horseradish (€7), langoustine ravioli in a sea of seafood emulsion (€10) and the pungent truffled brie (€10). For pudding, you can't go wrong with the creamy rice pudding with salted caramel and lime (€6) or the lemon creme brûlé with apple petals (€6) - both to be devoured with groans of wide-eyed pleasure. On the drinks menu are cocktails such as Be Sage (Bourbon, lemon juice, sugar, sage and Amaro, €13) or the playfully-named Are U Nuts (walnut-infused Cognac, white vermouth and chocolate bitters, €13) as well as a carefully chosen selection of wines (from €5 for a glass of Coteaux du Giennois). The high quality of the food combined with the casual dining format, coupled with a laidback yet softly-lit setting, makes Artisan a destination that's just as suitable for a romantic date as a dinner with friends - all in all, it's a winner in our books. 

Artisan

14 rue Brochart de Saron, 75009 Paris

Open Tues-Sat, 7pm-2am (kitchen closes at 00.30); Sunday midday-4pm for brunch. 

No reservations. 

photos copyright Kim Laidlaw 2014.

Le Ruisseau - Burgers in the 18th arrondissement

Paris' love for burgers is showing no signs of abating, with burger joints continuing to pop up all over the capital, even as far a field as the new, tasteful Le Ruisseau in a rather quiet corner of the 18th arrondissement. This part of town - on the other side of Montmartre, away from the picture-perfect Amélie-style photo ops -  is rather residential but has lately been showing signs of slowly but surely becoming a destination in and of itself (see our piece on The Other Side of Montmartre) with a trendy Scandiwegian furniture shop, a connaisseur-approved coffee bar and a super-stylish garden concept store all part of the neighbourhood's draw. Le Ruisseau - helmed by chef Alban Jousse, who was trained at Michelin-starred restaurant, Laurent - is bringing more local hipsters out of the woodwork to hang out in its pared-back setting and chow down on one of its many top-notch burgers (including a goats cheese burger, a BBQ burger, a tartare burger and a mighty fine veggie burger - prices from €12), served with homemade chips and a green salad, and washed down with Brooklyn Lager on tap, a cocktail (Mojito, Gin FIzz, Americano... €7.50/8) or wine by the glass or bottle (from €4 for a glass of Chinon Rouge). For those who can't choose between all the burger options, a pair of mini burgers of your choice can be ordered so two flavours can be sampled. And for those all burgered out, there are also other delights on offer including a chicken club sandwich, steak tartare and a Caesar salad. Save some space for the desserts (from €5.50) which include a global round up of sweet favourites from cheesecake and tiramisu, to fondant au chocolat and apple sorbet in Calvados. A welcome addition to the 18th. 

Le Ruisseau

65 rue du Ruisseau

75018 Paris

Open Tues-Sun lunch and dinner; Sun brunch. 

all photos copyright Kim Laidlaw / Unlock Paris

Le Dépanneur - Pigalle

The Parisian right bank neighbourhood of SoPi (South of Pigalle – come on, you know this by now) continues its bobo ascension with the arrival of Le Dépanneur, an American-style diner serving burgers, tacos and cocktails. Nestled between 2011’s hotpot bar, Le Carmen and hipster hangout Le Mansart, this new West Coast cool restaurant features a menu by Paris foodtruck Cantine California and an interior by the same design team responsible for the looks at Le Mary Celeste and Candelaria. White walls, an abundance of wood and cactuses a gogo create a Palm Springs-meets-Big Sur backdrop against which you can pig out on revisited US classics such as the gouda and rocket adorned Obama Burger (€17), a falafel Veggie Burger (€14), pork or chicken tacos (€14-15), lime tequila ceviche (€12) and home made desserts such as carrot cake or cheese cake, all washed down with range of drinks from milkshakes to cocktails, many of which are generously dosed with a measure or two of tequila.

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 

Dirty Dick

South Pigalle - or SoPi, if you will - continues its ascent with the arrival of the brand new, cheekily named bar Dirty Dick. Much like the recently opened cocktail bar Glass just opposite, Dirty Dick was a former hostess bar - this part of town is Paris' red-light district, afterall - and so its name has a certain, erm, poignancy, shall we say. Owned by the same team behind Rock n' Roll Circus and Kremlin, Dirty Dick has another theme entirely - it's a tiki bar, channeling a retro kitsch Polynesian vibe with wood carved totems, jungle taxidermy and murals of beautiful 60s ladies reclining on beaches. The ambiance is suitably laid-back and fun, and the drinks menu features an abundance of rum-based cocktails (including the classic tiki-bar Mai Tai or the medicinal Polynesian Remedy), all expertly mixed by the super duper team, as well as lethal punch bowls, with evocative names such as "She Sells Sea Shells" (try saying that after you've had a few...) to share among friends. Somewhat incongruously, Guinness and Newcastle Brown Ale are also on tap, and there is a good selection of bottled beers, too. Aloha, Dirty Dick, welcome to SoPi - we have a feeling we'll be coming back often.

Dirty Dick 

10 rue Frochot, 75009 Paris

Open Mon-Sun, 6pm-2am

La Rentrée - What to do in Paris in Autumn

Summer is rapidly drawing to a close and that back to school feeling that comes with what is known in French as La Rentrée is taking hold. But don't let that get you down as there is, as ever, a vast array of exciting things to look forward to in Paris over the next couple of months. Here's what's on our radar.

FOOD and DRINK

After months of being on a bikini-diet, we welcome the new season to pile on a couple of pounds and the many new restaurant, bar and cafe openings in the capital will be the perfect excuse to indulge. Top of the list are the Philippe Starck designed canteen, Ma Puce, at the St Ouen flea market, scheduled to open this autumn, and chef Anne Sophie Pic's La Dame de Pic, which should be opening in September. 


The owner of top-notch London cocktail bar, 69 Colebrooke, will be opening a 70s-inspired cocktail bar in Paris' 10th arrondissement, called Le Coq, set to open in October. The team behind Paris cocktail and taco hotspot Candelaria will be opening a second venue in the capital, this time in the 9th arrondissement, called Glass, scheduled to open in October. We also hear rumors that the much lauded restaurant Septime are also planning on opening a wine bar - which will also sell bottles to take away and small plates to go with the wine - some time in the next few months.  

Blackmarket, the new name for our favourite local cafe hitherto known as Paradigme, have hinted that exciting things may be in store with Californian culinary duo Emperor Norton - watch this space for more info.  We've also heard murmurs about two new artisanal coffee joints planned to spring up on the Canal St Martin (Café Lomi) and on rue Lamarck, both of which will be supplied with their beans by the coffee godfathers of Paris, Coutume.  

ART and EXHIBITIONS
This'll be an exciting season in the art world. The much awaited new Islamic Art Department at the Louvre will open to the public on 22nd September, mega-gallerist Larry Gagosian is set to open his new gallery at a massive warehouse in Le Bourget airport, there will be a Dali exhibition at the Centre Pompidou, Edward Hopper at Le Grand Palais, Sophie Calle at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin and Yue Minjun at Fondation Cartier.

And this is your last chance to catch the excellent Gerhard Richter exhibition at the Centre Pompidou, Balenciaga at Les Docks and Louis Vuitton-Marc Jacobs at Musee des Arts Decoratifs before they all end in September. 

Balenciaga at Les Docks

FASHION 
The leggy model types will be invading Paris again for the Spring/Summer 2013 Paris Fashion Week at the end of September, but if you can't wait until then, check out Vogue's Fashion Night Out event on 6th September. Talking of Vogue, also pick up a copy of the September issue of Vogue Paris with its new look design and new features such as a column by iconic French fashion blogger, Garance Doré.

We're also looking forward to checking out the new Paris boutiques for Schiaparelli, French Trotters, Vionnet and Alexis Mabille. 

EVENTS
Upcoming events currently on our radar are the We Love Green festival with an eco-friendly twist, the annual capital-wide cultural event la Nuit Blanche, and the contemporary art fair FIAC. 

FIAC at Le Grand Palais

As ever, stay tuned to Unlock Paris for all the latest news on what's going on the capital and we'll make sure you make the most out of Autumn in Paris. 

Le Ballroom du Beef Club

Le Ballroom du Beef Club, the latest venture from the guys arguably responsible for the revolution in the Paris cocktail scene, opened this week in the capital. 

Combining a street level restaurant and a basement cocktail bar and club, this is the fifth address in Paris for the trio who are behind Experimental Cocktail Club, Prescription and Curio Parlor, and who also have a cocktail bar in London and a new bar opening soon in New York. In the same vein as their other venues, the underground bar part of the Beef Club, called The Ballroom, has a speakeasy vibe - accessible currently only by an unmarked black door, the hidden away bar is dimly lit and decorated with dark colours, luxurious velvets and vintage-looking wallpaper. 

The concise drinks menu offers eight cocktails (from €12-14), as well as champagne, soft drinks, virgin cocktails and beer from Paris-based brewers Demory. As you would expect from this team, cocktails are interesting - there's not a Mojito or Cosmopolitan in sight - with options such as the delicious Salers Smash featuring long-forgotten old ladies' tipple Gentiane mixed with Champagne, Absinthe, sugar, mint and lime. The refreshing yet spicy Cucumber Fumant is also a winner. 

The Beef Club restaurant is set to open soon and will serve, as its name would suggest, a steak-based menu. Smaller snacks will potentially also be available at the bar once the kitchen is up and running. 

Le Ballroom du Beef Club

52 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 75001 Paris

(accessible by the black door to the left of the Beef Club restaurant)

Open 7.30pm - 2am

All photos copyright Kim Laidlaw Adrey 2012

For a more detailed review of the cocktails, check out Four Years Later: Beef Club Ballroom on 52 Martinis