Capital tables, the gourmet rendezvous of Parisian foodies

Restaurant Jacopo, chef Thibault Sombardier

« In this large-size dining room, the purpose is to serve a generous cuisine with bistrot dishes presented in a modern way ». Near the Champs Elysées, the site is doubled up with a cocktails bar, an underground club and it's star chef Thibault Sombardier who reinvents the classics in this spot with a « gourmet vibe ». He makes the lines move by conveying a sexy touch to leeks in a vinaigrette sauce, the anchoïade of vegetables, the veal blanquette,  barigoule cod and lamb chops with a cream of chick peas. Bravo to the chef ! A la carte only : 40 €. 5 bis, rue Vernet, 75008 Paris. Open 7/7, service until 11:30 pm. Tel : 01 42 89 20 22 and www.jacopo.fr

Cement walls, parquet floors and a good chef in the kitchen, here is the recipe of this sparkling address always full. © DR

Restaurant Baieta, chef Julia Sedefdjian

« This venue stemmed from my desire to create a restaurant that showcases the colours of the Riviera ». Upon departing from the Fables de la Fontaine, where she was awarded one star, Julia Sedefdjian launched into a solo adventure. And in a streamlined setting that puts the spotlight on raw materials, she presents dishes with Mediterranean accents, comprising cannellonis of potatoes with crispy mussel nuggets, cod with shellfish on a cloud of glazed garlic and a bouillabaieta with a rouille sauce and croûtons bread cubes that break the codes, without destabilising her regulars… Lunch formula : 29 €, menus : 45 €, 85 €, à la carte : 70 €. 5, rue de Pontoise, 75005 Paris. Closed Sunday and Monday, service until 11:30pm. Tel : 01 42 02 59 19 and www.restaurant-baieta-paris.fr

The new star of feminine cuisine, this native of Nice puts sun in her recipes. © Pierre Lucet Paneto

Restaurant Hugo & Co, chef Tomy Gousset

« My second restaurant affirms my personality and claims sophisticated plates ». Comfort Food, Bistronomy post, a New York spirit, a touch of fusion, another of French tradition and a warm decoration are on the menu of this table, baptized after the name of the tattoed chef's son; who is bringing back some peps to the Monge district. Dishes are to be shared: crostinis of avocado and red radish with brioche, « Bao » with beef tail, breaded farm range pork with black rice, red cabbage and curry sauce. A tempting expeience in a pocket bistro almost always booked up… A la carte only : 40 €. 48, rue Monge, 75005 Paris. Closed Saturday and Sunday, service until 10pm. Tel. : 01 45 51 46 93
 34 and www.tomygousset.com/hugo-and-co

Here, vegetables come from an organic vegetable garden, and its reputation as the best rice pudding in Paris is well deserved. © Pierre Lucet Paneto

Restaurant Benoit at the Louvre, chef Alioune Diop

« Here, my mission is to serve simple and healthy recipes ». After having followed the Ducasse spirit, from Las Vegas to the Plaza Athénée, Alioune Diop has taken over the helm for his replica of the Bistrot Benoit concept with a desire for authenticity in terms of his preparations. Tourists from the entire world show up here, as well as Parisians, who have come to discover the exhibition dedicated to Delacroix and  to enjoy his pâté en croûte de volaille, gudgeons of whiting and filet of duck with spices. All served in a post card decor surfing on clichés. Formula : 29,50 €, carte : 45 €. Musée du Louvre, 75001 Paris. Under the Pyramid. Closed Tuesday, late night on Wednesday and Friday until 9pm. Tel : 01 49 27 93 31 and www.louvre.fr/bistrot-benoit

Inspired by the Ducasse spirit, the chef enhances savours from yesteryear in a very French atmosphere. © DR

Restaurant Môm, chef Sylvain Bouzard

« The spirit of the place is to serve a classic cuisine twisted with modern touches ». In an elegant ambiance, Sylvain Bouzard, who started off his career at the Train Bleu, elaborates chizleled recipes that accompany our gourmet whims, from lunch time until the end of the evening. The clientele in the Ternes district comes to savor its surprising guacatuna with Taro chips, a salmon steak with wild rice, chicken breast stuffed with black olives, without forgetting the macaroon shell with kumquats. To be enjoyed by all those seeking far-flung culinary experiences… Lunch formula : 19,50 €, carte : 40 €, brunch : 34 €. 4-6, rue Pierre Demours, 75017 Paris. Closed Sunday night, service until 10:30pm. Tel : 01 40 68 72 71 and www.momrestaurant.fr

Precise and contemporary, the signature of the chef celebrates shared tasting for small and large appetites. © DR

Restaurant Aqua, chef Salvatore Armonia

« My plates have an Italian spirit, with products chosen amongst talented artisans in order to obtain very strong tasting effects ». In his guinguette floating along the Seine, Salvatore Armonia, native of Grenoble, nostalgic about a family driven Sicily, pinpoints each ingredient from the best location of the Boot. Enriched with a mozzarella bar, his kitchen, bathed in light, renews our approach of pasta, smoked burrata, veal Milanese and panna cotta. Multi-colored plates, to be enjoyed before your next holidays in the country of the Dolce Vita. Menus : 39 €, 49 € and 69 €. 5, quai Marcel Dassault, 92150 Suresnes. Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday night, service until 10:30pm. Tel : 01 49 29 50 50 and www.aquarestaurant.fr

The Seine morphs into an Italian Riviera under the helm of this chef passionate about transalpine products. © DR

Restaurant Bib & Guss, chef Gabriel Khaldi

« This contemporary brasserie is a venue where eating well is especially important ». Placed by Alain Ducasse at the head of the U Arena ovens, the largest auditorium for spectacles in Europe, in the district of Paris La Défense, Gabriel Khaldi epitomizes the latin words, Bibe and Gustum, meaning drinking and tasting. In a loft ambiance, conceived by Christian de Portzampac, the weekly menu features a pork chop charcutière, a quenelle of pike with a Nantua sauce, but also coquillettes pasta with ham, Comté cheese and truffle and a lemon chicken that everyone agrees on. Formula : 24 €, menu : 32 €, à la carte : 45 €. 155, Jardin de l’Arche, 92000 Nanterre. Closed Saturday and Sunday, service until 9pm. Tel : 01 81 92 43 50 and www.bib-guss.com

Before or after concerts, this upscale table is « the new place to eat », at La Défense. © Martyna Pawlak

Restaurant L'Innocence chef Anne Legrand

« My vegetal cuisine features a wide array of vegetables and wild ingredients ». For Anne Legrand, who trained with Bernard Pacaud, at l’Ambroisie, it's the product that creates the recipe. And for her first venue in the district of artists, each ingredient is sourced, then tasted before being cooked. With her accomplice Jonathan Caron, she has conceived a small tart filled with herbs from the roofs of Paris, grilled squid with bear garlic pesto and Sicilian pistacchio. Without forgetting her rack of lamb from the Lozère served with sweet potatoes on a mustard flower, whose savors are creating the buzz on the social networks. Formula : 23 €, menus : 29 € et 49 €. 28, rue de la Tour d'Auvergne, 75009 Paris. Closed Sunday, service until 10:30pm. Tel : 01 45 23 99 13 and www.linnocence.fr

Oriented towards nature, the house menus follow the course of the seasons while focusing on vegetal products. © Elis Bond

Restaurant Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec at Gourmet Lafayette

« The space conceived by architect-designer Jean-Philippe Nuel magnifies our works as crafstmen and pays homage to breeders ». After Asnières, avenue Victor Hugo and the rue du Cherche-Midi, the star butcher has opened a culinary corner at Gourmet Lafayette. Dedicated to serving the best steak in the world, here he makes us discover his top notch meats. Exceptional taste, short circuits, natural breeding and optimal maturation, such are his criteria of references. His stainless steel table, surrounded by high wooden stools, faces a display of T-Bone, filets, sirloin tips, burgers and prime rib of beef, all maturated and waiting for hungry carnivores… 35, boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris. Level -1, Open 7/7, service until 9h30. Count 45 €. No telephone. lebourdonnec.com

Carnivore friends, this table with sharpened knives is waiting for you. © DR

Restaurant Nomicos chef Jean-Louis Nomicos

« I find my originality in the simplicity of products and my plates ». Delighted to make his restaurant in the Victor Hugo district into a full-fledged work of art, by setting up Corten steel arches, Jean-Louis Nomicos is in a Mediterranean mood. And while he has kept on the menu his signature macaroni with black truffles and duck foie gras —often copied never equaled— he also serves stuffed barigoule artichokes, a Bagna-cauda tart, red snapper with fennel hearts and shoulder of lamb with a tian of caramelized vegetables. The warranties of permanent success ! Lunch menu : 65 €, menus : 95 €, 125 € et 150 €. 16, avenue Bugeaud, 75016 Paris. Closed Sunday and Monday, service until 10:30pm. Tel : 01 56 28 16 16 and nomicos.fr 

This leading chef who you can also find at the Frank, the table of the LVMH Foundation, reinvents himself without forgetting to delight his guests. © DR