Le Voltaire

With its perfect riverside setting, the Voltaire might be just another tourist-led Parisian bistro, but past the velvet curtains, after maître d’ Antoine has escorted you to one of the cosy tables, you realise that this is a genuinely chic spot whose regulars treat it like a private club – at lunch many of the ladies were greeted by a kiss on the hand. From a delicate niddle to a serious feed, Le Voltaire caters to everyone. Our guest kept us waiting, slightly too intimidated to enter after Jean-Paul Belmondo popped in for a spot of lunch. Full marks to the staff who took the presence of a screen legend in their stride, indulging his celebrity lap dog. A vast bowl of lamb’s lettuce and beetroot salad was exemplary, while a golden feuilleté was encased in fresh and tangy goat’s cheese. Lobster omelette was just the sort of luxury (€41) nursery food that Le Voltaire does so well: creamy and thick with firm morsels of shellfish. A tasty sauté de lapin was a real country treat and the plate of well-cooked fresh vegetables and crisp fries were exemplary. A bowl of intense chocolate mousse and a blackcurrant sorbet completed an expensive but exquisite lunch, accompanied by a raspberry-scented, chilled Chinon (€29.50). Monsieur Belmondo seemed happy too.