Babille, a festive French brasserie on the Grands Boulevards

On the aptly-named boulevard de Bonne-Nouvelle, Babille has opened its doors as a festive French brasserie. This is hardly surprising, given that it's the latest addition to theEleni Group, past masters in the art of opening addresses as gourmet as they are atmospheric(Yaya, Arbela, Bazurto, Plantxa), and associated for the occasion with the Carrousel de Pigalle team.

The decor, by Victoria Ayayi and Gabriel Vuillemin of ūti, evokes the Parisian brasseries of yesteryear, with its white tablecloths, velvet banquettes, wood panelling and tutti quanti. And it's not for nothing that the decor at the front of the restaurant seems minimalist, limiting any possible damage.

At the back, too, where the DJ booth and its flamboyant neon light take pride of place, small tables and large tables are ready to be cleared away and pushed into corners to discover a dancefloor where you can show off your best dance moves. If the atmosphere is crazy after dark, don't panic for those who just want a bite to eat: at lunchtime, the restaurant resembles a classic brasserie.

Here, you can dine on Franche-Comté dishes from the à la carte menu or from one of the reasonably-priced lunch menus for the area, available on weekdays: €18 for a main course, €24 for a starter/main course or main course/dessert menu, €29 for a starter/main course/dessert menu. Honesty, too, in the starters, main courses and desserts offered in the lunch menus, since they are all taken from the restaurant's permanent menu - without having to add 2€, 3€ or 5€ depending on the dish chosen, as is unpleasantly customary in some restaurants.

Some of the highlights include the poetically-dressed Dubarry velouté (14€) with truffled ham and crunchy hazelnuts; the crusty pain de campagne topped with a melting marrow bone (16€), devilishly mustardy; the beef tartare with razor clams (from the sea!), a successful combination, served with fries and salad (28€) and, above all, take note of the absolutely de-mo-niaque crispy pork belly (34€) with crispy rind, reduced meat juice and buttered purée.

All of this is accompanied by beautiful skittles or cocktails, served for lunch or dinner, such as the well-balanced Mojo Dojo cocktail (vodka, elderflower liqueur, lime, red tabasco; 15€) and Come on my love cocktail (bourbon, lime, sugar syrup, mulled wine; 15€). And we finish with a babille au rhum (14€) and its light, unsweetened whipped cream.

A festive restaurant means, of course, midnight and even 2am or later. Once night falls, the lights dim and the place hosts cabaret, show-case, piano-vocals or live-band karaoke every Thursday night, and DJ sets to dance the night away on Fridays and Saturdays!

Babille, a festive French brasserie on the Grands Boulevards

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