!VAR HAGENDOORN

Paris Restaurants

You can't go wrong in Paris. There is so much competition, people still eat out instead of cooking themselves and there is an on-going transfer of talent from the city's top Michelin starred restaurants to smaller venues. For example, the chef at Le Gaigne, 12, rue Pecquay, Paris 4, worked at Pierre Gagnaire. (Beware, this is a very small venue and without a reservation you may only "have luck" on a weekday).

One evening on one of my last visits I had returned to my hotel to drop off my tripod and camera and suddenly didn't feel like going far looking for a place to eat, so I settled for the restaurant opposite my hotel, Café Panique, 12, rue des Messageries, Paris 10, which turned out to be surprisingly good. Another great bistro restaurant in the same neighbourhood, Paris 10, is Corso, 2, place Franz Liszt.

One of my favourite destinations of the moment is Itinéraires, 5, rue de Pontoise Paris 5, which serves a 36 euro prix fixe menu. The food is richly flavoured, experimental and nutritious. You don't have to worry about your daily vegetable intake when you eat here.

L'Astrance, 4 Rue Beethoven, Paris 16 serves a surprise menu only, or at least, when I ate there, but what a surprise. Beware this is one of the best restaurants in town and has also been voted one of the top 10 restaurants in the world, so booking in advance required.

Flora, 36, avenue George V, Paris 8. Doesn't look like it from the outside, but excellent food. I discovered this restaurant some years ago when I had rather stupidly thought I could just walk in Plaza Athenée without a reservation. The food at Flora was still expensive, it's av. George V after all, but less so than at Plaza Athenée and I don't know whether I would have been able to tell the difference.

Le Train Bleu at the Gare de Lyon remains one of Paris most romantic restaurants. A fabulous space.

Also well worth a visit is Market, 15 avenue Matignon, Paris 8, by New York chef Jean Vongerichten. It's fashionable and the food is excellent. I had lunch there on several occasions.