La Marée Jeanne (CLOSED)

Although Les Halles no longer bustles with the same type of food sellers that once inspired Zola to describe the former market as the ‘ventre de Paris’ (the ‘belly of Paris’), foodies still flock to its environs, which today brim with a diverse mix of trendy restaurants. With its eye-catching décor of exposed brick walls, blue tiling and fishing nets, Breton-style fish restaurant La Marée Jeanne reels customers in before dinner with sumptuous starters like fried smelt fish and excellent Quiberon bay oysters (especially good with a bottle of white). Mains are expensive but exquisitely fresh and refined, with almost too many brilliant dishes to choose from. We recommend the tart of langoustines, Paris mushrooms and crab mousse, or for something punchier, the grilled octopus with artichokes barigoule, guindilla chillis and a perfectly-cooked red rice risotto.

TRANSLATION: HUW OLIVER