Just around the corner from the Eiffel Tower is this cosy neighbourhood restaurant serving typical dishes from the South West of France. I lived across the road from this place for three years and I must lay some of the blame for my skinny jeans no longer fitting me at their door. (There, and the boulangerie down the road, and that one in the 17th, and…well, boulangeries in general.) The restaurant specialises in foie gras which is served in various different styles – in a salt crust, with figs or truffles. One of the other regional specialities is duck, and the classic confit de canard comes highly recommended. On sunny days there is outside seating on the tree-lined Avenue de la Bourdonnais and the waiters are as relaxed as the people in the South West – they won’t hurry you over lunch or dinner. They are so friendly that they once lent me four chairs for an intimate dinner party that turned into a banquet! The restaurant also operates as a boutique, selling foie gras, fine wines and even ready-to-heat meals to take away. If you have been tempted by the dessert menu and wish you hadn’t, the Champ de Mars is perfect for a post-prandial stroll. Dress code: anything except skinny jeans.

http://www.au-petit-sud-ouest.fr/