Ultimate Paris Dining Guide, Part 2 - The New Bistro's

Once, your only choice was bistro, brasserie or haute cuisine. But that was before Yves Camdeborde left the two-starred Les Ambassadeurs restaurant in 1992, to take over a casual bistro called Le RÉgalade. His imaginative take on classic regional cooking spawned a movement that has become known as new bistro cooking or bistronomique. Soon, a number of young chefs trained under haute cuisine masters were choosing the more relaxed lifestyle of the bistro over the expense, stress and pressure of going for Michelin stars. As a result, Paris is now eating better than it ever has, and paying less for the privilege.

Le Comptoir You are so not going to thank me for this recommendation, because you won’t be able to get in. Yves Camdeborde’s first venture since Le Regalade, was to open a cosy, casual, open-to-the-street Left Bank bistro with just 25 seats. By day, you can drop in for breakfast or a simple no-bookings, brasserie-style lunch, but at night Camdeborde lets his hair down with a single set-price $80pp menu that showcases his very special talents: rolled saddle of lamb or deboned pig’s trotter, perhaps, or roast tuna and zucchini puree with crabmeat and herring caviar. As for dessert, I have just three words for you: Salted. Caramel. Ice-cream. ∫ 9 Carrefour de l’Odeon, 6th; +33 1 44 27 07 50; dinner for two $210.

Spring “An American in Paris” has taken on a whole new meaning ever since Daniel Rose arrived from Chicago to study philosophy a dozen years ago. He ended up working with some of the most gifted chefs in Paris before opening his own budget-driven 16-seater, serving a daily changing, market-driven menu. There are no choices, and you have to be seated by 8.30pm as everyone is served at once. The food is light, seasonal and utterly charming, from an octopus salad with potatoes to rabbit with black olives and carrot puree, and Rose’s wine list is smart and user-friendly. 28 rue de la Tour d’Auvergne, 9th; +33 1 45 96 05 72; springparis.blogspot.com; dinner for two $200.

L’Ami Jean This has been a tiny Basquaise bistro for as long as anyone can remember, and still looks and feels the part. But five years ago Yves Camdeborde protégée, Stéphane Jégo moved into the tiny kitchen to bring a touch of class to the homely, earthy cooking of south-west France. Start with a basket of help-yourself charcuterie with bread, butter and pickles, then look to the great-value specials board for suckling pig three ways, stewed shoulder of veal, or braised monkfish cheeks with mussels. It’s all good, all classy, and all memorable. 27 rue Malar, 7th; + 33 1 47 05 86 89; dinner for two $180.

Mon Vieil Ami Former three-starred Alsatian chef, Antoine Westermann has transformed this medieval dining room on the otherwise very touristy Île St-Louis into a modern, almost minimalist, space – unusual in Paris. So is the kitchen’s emphasis on heirloom vegetables, most of which are sourced from celebrated Parisian market gardener, Joël Thiébault. 69 rue Saint Louis en l’Île , 4th; +33 1 40 46 01 35; mon-vieil-ami.com; dinner for two $200.

Aux Lyonnais Early in the bistronomique revolution, two of the masters of the Parisian dining scene, Alain Ducasse and Thierry Brosse of L’Ami Louis pooled their talents to restore this 1890s bistro to its former glory, complete with zinc bar. While the food remains true to its Lyonnais roots, the kitchen breathes new life into the likes of pike quenelles, coq au vin, and a deliciously creamy cervelle de canut (herbed fresh cheese curd). It’s business-y by day, due to its location near the stock exchange, and more relaxed at night. 32 rue Saint Marc, 2nd; +33 1 42 96 65 04; alain-ducasse.com; dinner for two $200.