Sépia

Lucie Berthier Gembara, riding high from her appearance on France's Top Chef TV competition, often has a full house at her trendy designer bistro on the ground floor of this fine 18C building. After stints working with Gérald Passedat and Alexandre Mazzia, she has retained a clear sense of creativity and an appetite for the Eastern influences of the Mediterranean basin. Her dishes, such as aubergines with charred baba ganoush, eggnog and feta crumble, are full of pleasant surprises. They are distinctly playful, going against the grain when it comes to the codes of gastronomy but no less tasty for it. The lighter lunchtime menu is expanded in the evening.