Mercure Paris Boulogne

A Canadian couple, Noam Gedalof and Etheliya Hananova, run this fine Parisian restaurant. The chef draws his inspiration from Gallic traditions, to which he adds a modern spin. His mission is to highlight seasonal ingredients with the utmost care, tailoring the single set menu to the produce of the moment. The flavoursome results are to be sampled in a natty modern interior with vivid blue walls hung with paintings by contemporary artists. The cordial front-of-house team is directed by Hananova, who also welcomes diners in a manner befitting the Canadian reputation for warm hospitality!

Chef Émile Cotte has opened a sibling of his Parisian establishment. In a modern bistro setting illuminated by large picture windows and divided into several areas, including a table d'hôte, the chef crafts food that he himself loves: generous bistro classics with a modern twist and a focus on simplicity and indulgence, cf. duck’s leg flanked by braised green cabbage and smoked garlic sausage. Dishes often pay tribute to Limousin, where the chef was born. His tempting lineup includes pâté en croûte, vol-au-vent, sweetbread, guanaja chocolate choux.

This town house (once the station café) has morphed into a gourmet restaurant with a chic, modern vibe and walls adorned with photos and paintings. The recipes are the work of seasoned chef Régis Douysset, who is backed up by a crack team in the kitchen. The ingredient-led cuisine is precisely and generously cooked and seasoned, a case in point being the frogs' legs sautéed in garlic with a watercress velouté sauce. The dishes go down a treat with meticulously selected wines from small-scale producers. Pleasant terrace for sunny days.

How time flies! Frédéric Anton has been the chef of the Pré Catelan, the mythical Napoleon III lodge nestled in the Bois de Boulogne and refurbished by Pierre-Yves Rochon with lashings of designer furniture and a palette of green, white and silver tones, for almost 30 years. Born in Nancy into a working-class family, this Meilleur Ouvrier de France learned the ropes under Joël Robuchon. His tasting menu, which stars top-drawer produce (scallops, langoustine, salmon, caviar), is a masterclass of high-flying understatement and razor-sharp precision. The culinary score, which rises to a crescendo

Summer Snow – the name is eminently poetic, thus befitting the work of Japanese chef, Hideki Nishi, who trained at Taillevent and the George V in Paris. The oxymoron also hints at the plays on contrast and minimalism that are the hallmark of this craftsman. Painstaking Japanese precision and a repertory as Gallic as the Marseillaise come together in exquisitely curated, subtle recipes with a strong focus on arrivals of fish and vegetables straight from Brittany and barbecued notes. Poised, perfectly judged and rich in counterpoints, the food is as stunning as the snow in summertime…

Transformed into a restaurant for the Universal Exhibition of 1900, Empire, Belle Époque and Art nouveau styles culminate in the charm of a rotunda dining room with a glazed roof and a superb terrace. The business clientele comes here to savour the spirit of a bygone Paris and the ‘country’ air of the Bois de Boulogne. Georges Menut lovingly maintains the image of a “grande dame”, but modernity is ensured with the cooking of chef Frédéric Robert, whose cv includes L’Ambroisie, Le Vivarois and Lucas-Carton, and the desserts of young pastry-chef Joris Vée.

This is France's first restaurant devoted to the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Cha-kaiseki actually refers to the meal that is served with the tea; Yuichiro Akiyoshi is the chef's name. Tucked away behind an unassuming-looking wooden façade, the restaurant seats just 16. White miso soup and carrot mochi; rice-straw-grilled bonito; soya chawanmushi and sesame tofu; charcoal-grilled gilthead seabream, bottarga and Japanese butterbur tempura; mackerel sushi, mushroom broth and soba: ingredient-led cuisine centred on freshness and prepared in view of guests by the chef, assisted by the chef's