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.

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

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.

Frenchie Bar à Vins

One of the hottest tables in town is Frenchie - a small, affordable restaurant with highly acclaimed food from chef Gregory Marchand. But being one of the most coveted restaurants in Paris, securing a table is no mean feat. So, what do you do if you're just dying to sample the Frenchie experience but can't get your name on the lengthy waiting list? Go to Frenchie Bar à Vins, that's what. This pocket sized wine bar annexe of the restaurant - just across the cute, narrow street from the mothership - serves grade-A dishes to go with its extensive and top-notch wine list. And unlike Frenchie the restaurant, Frenchie the wine bar takes no reservations - you just rock up, put your name down on the blackboard at the front and then loiter at the bar with a glass of wine (wine is served both by the glass and by the bottle and the friendly staff are happy to advise if needed) until a space frees up. In keeping with the quality of the food at the restaurant, we're not talking standard-issue wine bar fare here, but rather dishes composed of fresh, seasonal ingredients, prepared with thought and flare by the chef in the tiny - and visible - kitchen in the corner of the one-room space.

Order several of the small-plates on the regularly-changing menu to share - such as asparagus with morel mushrooms, Comté cheese and a poached egg (for which the asparagus spears are to be used as soldiers to dip into the gooey yolk), €19, or smoked mackerel with tiny cauliflower florets and zingy grapefruit segments, €12.  The traditional wine bar staples of the cheese plate and the cured meat plate are upgraded here with dishes such as coppa di parma with spring onions and aged balsamic, €14, or blue cheese with lemon zest and Amerana cherries, €10. On our visit the chef also insisted we try his rich and creamy Crème au Chocolat with passion fruit caramel, €8, and we were only to happy to oblige, emitting almost indecent moans of pleasure with each spoonful and seriously tempted to lick the bowl clean. The food here is truly delicious from start to finish. Despite its already global reputation, there is no sign of pretentiousness - rather the setting is laid back, with white washed brick walls, wooden floors and exposed wooden beams and hungry visitors from the UK, Japan and the States are all welcomed warmly by the friendly team.  There aren't many seats, just a handful of tables and a couple of stools at the bar - but it's definitely worth the wait and a excellent option if you're looking for a really special night out, especially if you have neglected to score a reservation anywhere or suddenly have a spontaneous craving for top-quality wine and food. One of our favourites.

  

Frenchie Bar à Vins

6 rue de Nil

Paris 75002

Metro: Réaumur-Sébastopol 

Open Mon-Fri, from 7pm

All photos copyright Kim Laidlaw  2012 

Verjus Wine Bar

The couple behind the private supper club Hidden Kitchen has opened up a no-reservation wine bar, Verjus, with a separate restaurant with a different menu upstairs.

Le Dauphin

Wine bar and tapas restaurant Le Dauphin is the latest venture from the team behind Paris' highly praised restaurant Le Chateaubriand, and was much anticipated by the gastronomic world when it opened last year - and has since been awarded Le Fooding's "Best Decor" accolade for 2010. Just a few doors down from the mothership, Le Dauphin exudes a similar easy-going charm to Le Chateaubriand, but with an altogether less classic decor. Here the interior features floor-to-ceiling polished grey marble walls, an abundance of mirrors and white flourescent lights - creating a maze of reflections in which Paris' beautiful people can check each other (and themselves) out - designed by none other than international starchitect, and Pritzker prize winner, Rem Koolhaas.  But don't let that fool you in to thinking Le Dauphin is all style and no substance - like we said, chef Inake Aizpitarte is involved and the food is very much the same delicious standard as Le Chateaubriand. Here however, you don't have a fixed five-course menu; you order small-plates and share with your table (much in the same vein as Au Passage and Aux Deux Amis) and then re-order some more depending on just how gluttonous you are feeling. The fare ranges from simple one note dishes - burratta, (live) prawns - to more complex offerings (which change depending on the season and the inspiration of the chef) like squid-ink risotto or mushrooms and smoked mozzarella, and the excellent wine list features a judicious selection of top natural wines. Prices vary from around €5-€12 for each small plate - and you probably need about three-four plates per person if you have a normal sized appetite and can resist the temptation to keep on ordering more...  One of our current Paris favourites. 

Le Dauphin

131 avenue Parmentier, 75011 Paris

Tel: +33 1 55 28 78 88 

Metro: Goncourt / Parmentier / Republique

Open: Tues-Sat, lunch and dinner (but closed Tuesday for lunch)

All photos copyright Kim Laidlaw

Au Passage

There's a brand new wine-bar/restaurant in town, and we've got a feeling it's going to be a great success. Serving small plates to share and with an excellent wine list, Au Passage is very much in the same vein as two other success stories that have opened over the last couple of years in Paris, Aux Deux Amis and Le Dauphin. Down a quiet passage way off the Rue Amelot in the 11th is this former workman's bistro, taken over by a group of French friends who also own a couple of other restaurants around town (the Peres Populaires in the 20th and the Caves Populaires in the 17th). Being run by two wine and food aficionados from the group, who are self-confessed fans of Le Chateaubriand's Inaki Aizpitarte, this latest venture looks set to be their most fruitful yet. The setting retains a shabby-chic charm - "populaire" has been the team's keyword until now, afterall - with the original zinc bar and floor remaining intact,  and the local workmen from the nearby Renault garage still patronising the place (only now they rub shoulders with bobo foodies, too). The decor is shabby-chic, with atelier-style windows, battered old leather club chairs, simple tables and chairs and retro 60s lights. Old meets new at the exterior of the restaurant too, with murals by French street artist Mass Toc adorning the original mosaic front. The evening menu of small plates features simple options with a focus on the quality of individual ingredients, such as anchovies with piment d'espellette, burrata and home-made rillettes. Slightly more innovative offerings which show off the skills of the chef include trout with exotic cucumber, and courgettes with ricotta. Diners are recommended to choose three plates per person (which generally range from €4-€9) and to get stuck in and share amongst themselves. The very amiable staff are happy, nay positively thrilled, to advise on wine by the glass or bottle from the judiciously chosen list featuring natural wines from independent and small producers. We tried the very reasonably fixed-price lunch menu, which comes in at €9 for just the main, €13 for two courses or €16.50 for all three. The no-choice starter of the day, tuna confit served with tomatoes, capers and red onion, was a light, refreshing option for a hot summer afternoon. There is a choice of two dishes for the main course, which change daily depending on the season, the market and the inspiration of the chef. On our visit, a fillet of whiting cooked a la plancha and veal were on the menu, both served with a selection of cool, summer courgettes. Pudding was iced grapefruit served with fromage frais. Au Passage is a laid-back and friendly place with honest, good, seasonal food and a superlative wine list, in a charming setting - and all this for a very reasonable price. Like we said, we have a feeling that this place might just be a big success...

Au Passage1 bis, passage Saint Sebastien, Paris 75011+33 1 43 55 07 52  Au Passage Facebook Page 

Open: Lunch Mon-Fri, Dinner Tues-Sat. 

All photos copyright Kim Laidlaw 

Aux Deux Amis

It's small, it's unassuming, it's just how we like it. With its retro formica tables and faux-leather red banquettes, Aux Deux Amis is housed in a typical 70s style French bistro setting, and if you were to walk past at 7pm of an evening you'd probably not even bat an eyelid. But once the kitchens open, the tables, bar and every available space gets packed out with a buzzing crowd all hankering after the delicious fare and the select wine list. Food is served in small-plate sized portions, much like tapas, and the idea is that you order for the table and all tuck in together with your companions.  On our last visit our selection included divine sardines (which were so good, we ordered a second serving), wagyu beef served with salsify, an exquisite raw mushroom and smoked mozzarella medley served with fine slices of black radish, home-made pate and chorizo, all washed down with a great bottle or two of Brouilly recommended by the charming waiter. Expect to pay about €30 a head at dinner if you're as greedy as we are, and make sure you book ahead. 

Aux Deux Amis

45 rue Oberkampf, 75011 Paris

01 58 30 38 13

Metro: Parmentier or Oberkampf

Open Tues-Sat, lunch and dinner

Photos copyright Kim Laidlaw. All rights reserved.