Mori Venice Bar

This high-end shrine to Italian cooking in the heart of Paris has a hushed atmosphere and serious overtones: Milanese chic (white tablecloths and comfortable leather armchairs and banquettes), touched with Venetian romanticism (Murano glass lamps, carnival masks and wooden fittings), all put together by Philippe Starck against a harmonious background of chestnut and cream.

The menus on offer range from the full à la carte version to a series of lunchtime daily menus between €39 and €41. Either way, from the amuse-bouche to the petits fours, the service is attentive to the point of overdoing it.

The main body of the cooking concentrates on traditional Venetian dishes, in a much more rustic vein than the surroundings. Tripe alla parmigiana, in a generous tomato sauce with creamy polenta, or cotechino, hot pigs' foot sausage, with candied fruit mostarda – this is homely cooking for feeding crowded tables. Starters are more subtle, though just as flavoursome – delicate tuna belly with crunchy fennel, or fine slices of dark ham with mascarpone.

Desserts are a bit of a letdown, mostly standard ice cream flavours served from a cart, only saved by a generous topping of caramelised hazelnuts. In sum, stick to the specialities, and you’ll have a truly memorable meal.