Momoka is a tiny japanese restaurant ran by the very talented and dedicated Masayo and her several young assistants. Reservations are an absolute must and so is a big appetite ! This is because once you are seated in what might as well be her kitchen you will be presented with three menu options:  big, huge, and enormous! Depending on your choice, you will then  be offered a succession of salads, sashimis, stews and grilled meat and fish wonders, all distinctly of home-made flavor. It will be hard to pace yourself, so if at the end you do not have any room, even if you tried, for the airy green tea tiramisu, ask her to take it to go – it is absolutely to die for!

Practical Information

Telephone: 00 33 (0)1 40 16 19 09
Address: 5, Rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle ( to move on the same street in 2010 )
Metro: Trinité – d’Estienne d’Orves, St Georges
Opening hours: lunch Tuesday-Friday; dinner Tuesday-Saturday
Average price: dinner menu: 39, 49 or 69 euros per person; lunch: 28 euros per person

photo by http://kermoal.typepad.fr/dailyneuvieme/

Ok, it is not the most incognito of places but for the simple “quality vs price” ratio and the authentic “turn of the 19th century” atmosphere, this brasserie cannot be overlooked. At Chartier one will find strangers – tourists and locals alike – seated at the same table, refined waiters excelling in arithmetics, and simple fresh (best of all) cheap classic french dishes. What other national monument serves a salad for 2.20 euros or steak and fries for 12 euros? Try to come before 20h to avoid the wait and dont enter with a migraine, the noise can be overwhelming.

Practical Information

Tel: 00 33 (0)1 47 70 86 29
Address: 7, rue Du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009
Metro: Grands Boulevards
Opening Hours: 11h30 – 15h & 18h – 23h 7/7
Average Price: starters 3 euros; main courses 12 euros