Le Minet Galant, a charming French bistro a stone's throw from the Bouffes Parisiens theater

To understand the bistro atmosphere and origins of Le Minet Galant restaurant, located a stone's throw from the Bouffes Parisiens theater, you need to take a leap back in time and reread Feydeau 's work, where in the play La puce à l'oreille, Raymonde suspects her husband of being unfaithful to her at the Hôtel du Minet-Galant.

With this in mind, we enter this restaurant, recently opened in the 2nd arrondissement in place of the late Le Petit Colbert. The man at the helm, Jérôme Jeusselin, is hardly a first-timer and even comes from a family of bon vivants, his father having been a delicatessen chef in the capital's 7th arrondissement throughout his life.

It's hardly surprising, then, that this is an address that honors home-made French fare, right down to the family heirloom preparations of choice dishes such as terrines, pâté en croûte and foie gras; because yes, the idea here is to eat French food, but with grace, please.

Because if there's one place to enjoy a meal before or after a play, for dinner or lunch, it's in this 70-seat restaurant - not forgetting the 20 places on the terrace - which also has a private floor for special occasions, where the hushed atmosphere is awakened by the hustle and bustle.

Curled up on a navy-blue banquette, facing the mirrors lining the walls, you'll be treated to a parade of traditional French dishes: delectable foie gras according to the recipe of the owner's father, fine tart with candied endives (€18.50), stunning blanquette de veau with chanterelles (€30), not forgetting the substantial tatin dessert (€11).

Of course, we'll be sure to wash it all down with a good bottle of white or red, relying on the privileged relationship that Jérôme Jeusselin and Adrien Briot, his associate, maintain with carefully selected winemakers.

• To be read
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• French restaurants in Paris, traditional or modern, our best addresses

Retro without being cheesy, tradi without being dusty, and above all sincerely bistro-style, Le Minet Galant makes us exclaim:"Mangez, je le veux!"