Jules et Shim

This little Korean establishment on the Canal Saint-Martin serves traditional bibimbap, a tasty concoction of sesame rice, meat and crunchy vegetables. Owners Jules and Shim (yep) serve up this dish in a different guise every day: spicy pork, marinated beef, chicken, prawn curry, vegetarian. You then choose between soya, spicy and very spicy garnishes. Order some extra toppings, because the seasoning tends to get sidelined as the chefs struggle to keep up with the demand at lunchtime. Once you’ve been served your piping hot dish in a cardboard lunchbox, skip the indoor and terrace seating and head to the canal’s bank for a Korean picnic.

For all its fresh healthy goodness, the bibimbap doesn’t quite hold up on the flavour front. The starters (cucumber soup, veggie salads) are a better bet. Overall, at €8.50 for a main course (€10 with a starter), we could have hoped for shorter queuing times and more memorable food. Still, Jules and Shim only opened this summer, and theirs is a kitchen we’d love to love – we may just have to wait a while longer for it to settle in.