Mắm From Hanoï

In a corner of the Sentier neighbourhood, this authentic Vietnamese restaurant is a hit, and rightly so (book several days in advance). The Hanoi-born couple at the helm prepare bona fide Northern Vietnamese cuisine – the word mắm refers to a fish-based condiment that is very popular there. The vegetables and meats are of French origin and rigorously selected. Focusing on the essentials, the menu includes the not-to-be-missed pork nems, served with their famous mắm sauce, plus an excellent phở: typical of the North, the soup is slightly salty and all the more easily digestible for it – the quintessence of this aromatic food, which effortlessly fuses simplicity of execution with complexity of flavour.