L'Homme Bleu

L'Homme Bleu's simple, welcoming ambiance is the perfect background for the restaurant's superior Maghreb cooking. Here, cooks busy themselves in the kitchen while the meat grills slowly on the fire and regulars jostle for space – it might not look like much from the outside, but the full tables tell you all you need to know.

We ate a plate of couscous mined with grilled lamb brochettes and merguez sauasage (€18) and a chicken tagine (€15). To balance it all out, a dish of crisp vegetables and preserved lemon, all washed down with a couple of glasses of Boulaouane Moroccan wine. The grains are fine and light, the sauces scented and full of flavour, the meats are the real deal – and if you have room afterwards, you can snack on sweet pastries (€2.50 each) from the neighbouring bakery, La Bague de Kenza. Overall, a warming, authentic shot of Maghrebian warmth in Oberkampf.