Word of mouth
COFFEE PIT STOP
Café Loustic 40 rue Chapon, 3rd arrondissement cafeloustic.com
This stylish niche in the Haut-Marais neighbourhood makes some of the city’s best coffee, tempts the peckish with bijou snacks (think bagels and quiches) and sweet treats (cookies, carrot cake), plus it always plays great tunes. The singleorigin filter coffee is a standout but all permutations of their roasts, from Antwerp-based Caffènation, are damn fine. Just one caveat: don’t dare order a flat white – it’s a café crème here.
BREAKFAST MEETING
Coutume Café 47 rue de Babylone, 7th arrondissement coutumecafe.com
Light-filled Coutume Café, just near the Musée Rodin, is a relaxed place to start the day in true Parisian style with a housemade pastry and roastedto-perfection espresso. Or fuel up on pancakes or poached eggs with whatever sides suit your appetite and health regimen (smoked salmon or trout, bacon, duck-fat potatoes, spinach, avocado). The no-laptopsor-tablets policy (yes, there’s wi-fi) creates a discussionfriendly space.
DINING ALONE
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Saint-Germain 5 rue de Montalembert, 7th arrondissement atelier-robuchonsaint-germain.com The bar at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Saint-Germain is perfect for dining solo. Who needs company when you can watch chef Axel Manes and his team at this two-star standard of “canteen chic” work their magic right before your eyes? The 10course découverte menu includes duck foie gras and ends with chocolate ganache, cocoa nib ice-cream and Oreos. Bookings are taken for lunch but only the first sitting at dinner; otherwise it’s first come, first served.
DRINKS WITH CLIENTS
Bar Hemingway Ritz Paris, 15 Place Vendôme, 1st arrondissement ritzparis.com
Part cigar box, part hunting lodge, Bar Hemingway remains a memorabiliapacked hallmark of the newly reopened Ritz, suffused with the spirit of the great novelist (right down to the typewriter on the bar). While the rest of the hotel is all palatial opulence, the bar offers a hidden retreat overseen by head bartender and raconteur Colin Field. Ask for the Serendipity (Calvados, apple juice, fresh mint and Champagne) or drop a cool €1500 (about $2100) on the Sidecar, one of the world’s priciest cocktails.
BUSINESS DINNER
Restaurant David Toutain 29 rue Surcouf, 7th arrondissement davidtoutain.com
His signature egg with sweet corn, wild cumin, whisky and chives might just epitomise the approach of rising star David Toutain: innovative, precise and comforting. The Norman-born former protégé of Alain Passard opened his eponymous restaurant in late 2013 and gained a Michelin star just one year later. The minimalist dining space – wood, glass and concrete – also includes a private room that seats up to 16. At dinner, the six-to-eightcourse carte blanche Reine des Prés dégustation lets you relax and dine.