It’s hard to get this really wrong in France. Whilst I’m interested in the good wine bars, I’m more interested in the trendie ones. And I’ve never really been able to fully trust a random guide for that. I’d much rather notice somewhere I walk past, ask a local and maybe have 1 or two places saved from a friend’s recommendation.

The Art of L’apéro

Nice is also, not coincidentally, apéro territory. I’ve been a few times now, and I always stay in the old town. Like a lot of places in France, it’s somewhere that hasn’t even tried to squeeze every ounce of life into something to be optimised. Minus the odd tourist trap, it genuinely feels like it’s kept its soul.

Growing up with a french mum, I grew up with Apéro culture, and whilst I do my very best to integrate it into my life in london, where a drink means a full night out or nothing at all, it still feels very far away.

Apéro isn’t a nice to have here, it’s a complete necessity. From around 6pm the bars fill up. No one’s eating dinner yet, that would be absolutely ludicrous. People are just having a glass, maybe a little something with it.

If you’re not familiar with l’apéro, it’s a ritual more than anything. It’s the hour or two between whatever you were doing and whatever’s next. Think of like permission to actually enjoy your life for an hour two, and no one is asking you to justify it. You’re with your friends, maybe you’re ordering a small glass of wine, potentially with some olives on the table, and it’s just a Tuesday.

So, this is the list of places pour prendre l’apéro. Here are a few I went to and would recommend. A few I walked past, but didn’t have time for but saved anyway to try another time. Or you can go for me and tell me how it is :)

MOULT

Bistrot à vin Sur place & à emporter Ouvert tous les jours de 17h à minuit.
4 Rue du Pontin, 06300

BARRIQUE

Cave / Bar à vin naturels et à tapas Ouvert Jeudi à Lundi de 16.00 à 23.00
18 rue Barillerie 06300

SOURIRE

Bar à vins • Tapas du marché Ouvert de 7:30 à 00:30 du mercredi au samedi. Fermé le mardi.
7 rue Jules Gilly - Nice

LA TREILLE BAR À VIN

Bar À Vin Mardi : 18:00 - 23:30 Mercredi
7 rue Saint Augustin 06300

LA CAVE DU COURS

Cave à vins Jeudi, vendredi et samedi de 18h à minuit.
24 Rue Barillerie 06300 Nice

LE BISTROT DU FROMAGER

Vins naturels et cuisine française. Lundi, mardi, mercredi, vendredi, samedi et dimanche, de 19h00 à 22h30.
29 rue Benoît Bunico 06300

LA TABLE D’ALICE

Restaurant français et cave à vins 09:00-15:00 17:00-21:00
9 Rue du Marché 06300

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Day 1: Eurostar from London to Paris
We got to Paris at 5pm which gave us some time to get to checkin to our hotel and freshen up. We should have ubered because the metro was a little stressful with big suitcases in 40 degree heat.

Stay:

I usually stay in either the 9th, 11th or 3rd. This time, I decided to stick with what I know best and chose the 9th.

We stayed at Grand Pigalle Experimental, and I loved it. It’s design-led, boutique style and you’re looked after very well for a very reasonable price. I was also eyeing up Hôtel Massé which is opposite, which was closed for summer - but I’ll have to come back to check out their bar, and maybe stay.

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Apéro

Lolo cave à manger
This spot really surprised me. It doesn’t really look like anything special if you were to walk past it. It feels really stripped back, the inside is quite dark and very small. The team is made up of only the chef and the waiter, who I'm pretty sure is the owner. I’d recommend it for the reason that it felt so low key but the food and the wine was perfect, and reasonably priced might I add. I thought this would just be small plates, looking at their very short menu but the portions were big and generous.

Whilst we were there, and looking at the menu we really thought this would just be small plates, so we thought we’d turn the evening into a bit of a foodie tour. So we actually ended up booking a table at Racines for 9.30 whilst at the dinner - rooky error because the plates did not end up being small - and we couldn’t now cancel.

HOWEVER no regrets because we ended up going to Racines and loving it. It’s buzzy, romantic, intimate and the perfect spot to end up in whilst in Paris. We shared a bowl of their Gnocchi pasta which was absolutely delicious and I had a glass of wine. We then called it a night before midnight.

Day 2

We woke up and headed to Soho House Paris to use the gym before having brunch there and getting some work done on friday. I remember that I do love my membership when I am abroad because it really is a great base to have when you’re travelling. I often leave my suitcase their when I need to, use the gym and use it as my remote office often and it’s just quite reliable as a place to be near to.

Shopping

We spend the afternoon / early evening in Le Marais. You can get lost just mooching around the shops there and there are so many little boutiques and vintage shops around. I didn’t go this time but I love going to Merci for decor inspiration - all their stuff is overpriced but its great for inspo.

Apéro

Le Mary Celeste this is one of my favourite bars in Paris. It’s absolutely perfect for a little aperitif and it really does feel like a neighbourhood spot. The team is great and very international which I love.

Drink By The Seine

We were in no rush for a 9pm reservation so I had taken a bottle with me in my bag from Loco Wines to enjoy whilst the sun was setting over Paris. I’d asked to have the wine cooled at the last place we were at, which they very kindly helped us out with. Someone was playing live music next to us and I love nothing more than to people watch and drink wine from paper cups whilst the sun is setting.

Dinner

Restaurant Tarántula

An old-school bistro serving mexican food by mexicans. Loved this restaurant, loved their marguerita and their tuna tostada in particular. It was also a great excuse to go to an area I had never been to before which felt like a different vibe to anywhere else. It feels like a secret spot, even though it was fully booked.

So let’s keep it from feeling that way ;)

The End / Checking out

We did a morning run around Montmartre to round it all off and grabbed some pastries from French Bastards before heading to Gare de Lyon to get out TGV to Provence.

More on this soon :)

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Lonsdale Road is also such a vibe. With places like bakery and restaurant Don’t Tell Dad, Carmel, and spots where people are just sprawled out on the street, sitting on the pavement - it genuinely feels like Amsterdam or Paris, somewhere where sitting on the pavement is just a thing.

Bar Blondie on Lonsdale Road has been on my radar from the moment I saw that it was opening. I love a wine bar. And I love a wine bar that has been opened by an award-winning sommelier that makes wine feel a little less pretentious. And with the career credentials that Alexandra Price has - general manager and head sommelier at Bar Crispin (also a big fan), most recently head of wine at Michelin-starred plant-based restaurant Plates London - you know when she puts her name on something, you're not going in blindly. So yes, I was going to trek to Queen's Park for it.

It’s hard to pinpoint which occasion I’d suggest it for - I think that’s exactly the point. It feels like an any-occasion spot. Date night, a catch up with a friend, a birthday dinner - literally anything in between. It doesn’t feel tied to any one thing.

We were initially seated inside, but it was so warm outside we moved. Sun out, drinking a glass of their driest white wine, oyster in hand, catching up with a friend - that’s peak London summer.

Everything on the menu was something I’d put on my own menu if I ever could. Anchovies, focaccia, tuna crudo, black olive tapenade, heirloom tomatoes - the list goes on. I think the menu changes often so don’t take my word for the specifics, but either way, it’s deliciously simple in the best way. Their olive cake to finish was perfect.

I have to comment on the interiors because it’s a vibe, and I need to know the designer. The blue plates, the chess-board tables, the wine glasses - felt very Copenhagen-esque. The bar, the counter seating, the terrace and the main dining room all feel like slightly different experiences, but small enough to still feel intimate.

The thing about Bar Blondie, and the thing I think most people underestimate about branding full stop: it’s not about one good Instagram post or one nice website. It’s not just about whether every touchpoint tells the same story - it’s about whether every touchpoint holds the same standard. When it works, discerning people recognise it immediately. When it doesn’t, you simply don’t align with their standard.

Eating out in London is not cheap. It’s an effort too. So intentional online branding that reflects the same standard you’re meeting offline sets the precedent - it’s the deal you’re making with someone before they’ve spent their evening and their money on you. You can notice hat Bar Blondie has been intentional with everything, and it does pay off.

Their Instagram matched the website matched the founders’ credentials matched the press coverage - and then the room and the glass matched all of it again. Nothing undercut the promise, even in their first week of opening. That’s incredibly rare, because it’s so easy for places to feel flat. So bravo to them, and whoever their team is.

And this was such a nice touch - the receipt came with a little bookmark. That sort of thing goes a long way, and yes, I could not help myself but take it with me.

I’ll be back.

I like having a plan but following it loosely. Like having a handful of solid places that never let me down, gives me the room to stumble on new ones nearby without the whole night relying on it.

The strongest sign a place is worth it isn’t “yes, glad I went.” It’s whether you’d actually go back. These are the ones I’d take a friend to who hasn’t been yet.

This is my current list. Only share the following with Trendie people please.

Petersham Nurseries, Richmond
This really surprised me when I went because I didn’t think you could feel so out of London when in London. It feels closer to eating in someone’s back garden, somewhere in the South of France. I don’t think there is anything better than walking along the river in Richmond at golden hour on a warm summer’s evening and finding yourself here (by finding yourself I do mean you ideally have a booking because this does get booked up).

Highlights: the fact you can lose complete track of time and no one is rushing you out. People are still sat at their table at the end of the night, which is exactly the kind of place I want to be in.

Best enjoyed: this does feel like more of an occasion spot, or an intimate dinner with a group of friends. If someone took me on a date here, it would be an immediate green flag.

Boro Bistro, Borough

When in doubt, go to Boro Bistro. Borough can be a lot. There is SO much choice, and actually there’s only a few places I’d recommend. I’ve been coming here for years. It’s cosy in the winter, you can sit with a blanket and a glass of red underneath a heater. And in the summer it’s a vibe. Especially for a drink that turns into dinner or even a long lunch with some rosé. I don’t think I have ever not been served by a French waiter. I love everything from the Paris Match menus and the discotheque bathrooms.

Highlights: the bathroom. And the fact it still feels like a secret.

Best enjoyed: I’ve been on dates here. Celebrated birthdays here. Taken my friends who are visiting here. Simply just gone for a drink because it’s convenient and easy. And actually really quite reasonable.

Cafe Kick, Exmouth Market

A sports bar on Exmouth Market that quite literally feels like it’s been stripped from Paris and placed in central London.

This is as simple as it gets. It’s just a really reliable place to sit and have a drink with friends with a side of people-watching. There’s a lot of choice on Exmouth Market, and places I’m still discovering, but this is a great place to start.

Best enjoyed: date night if you’re looking for something casual but chic. A night out with friends at whatever time of the night.

Vesper, A candle-lit Bistro on Exmouth Market.

A candle-lit bistro on Exmouth Market. Simply, it’s not trying to be anything it’s not. It’s just Jackson Boxer doing what he does best, making somewhere feel effortlessly put together. One of the few people who can set the tone of making white table cloths feel casual. Stripping things right back, intentionally. You just know every single detail from the stems of the glass to the creases on the table cloth has been thought about. I’ve been to a few of Boxer’s openings now, Brunswick House is great, and combining a dinner there with The Black Duke on a jazz night is as good as it gets. Also Taq in Notting Hill is another example of how Boxer turns an ok restaurant into one worth going to.

Order: spring onion pancake, raw tuna, Cantabrian anchovy / fried potato pizzette, stracciatella, mortadella, pineapple mostarda / rigatoni, pea, pistachio, burnt lemon / mackerel, spring peas, raspberry & wood sorrel.

Highlights: the gooseberry margherita. The interior. The metal bar in the middle, and counter seating around it is a bit of me. It perfectly set the tone for a night of dancing at Koko’s, watching Sister Sledge (the best btw).

Best enjoyed: date night. Girls’ night. A pre-dinner before going elsewhere but also works for a random Tuesday or a Wednesday. Or when you simply want to see where the night takes you, it’s a good place to start. Exmouth Market for drinks before or after.

Sol’s, Bayswater

By day it’s actually a deli and café offering sandwiches and salads made with St John’s focaccia. By night it’s a small, intimate and effortlessly chic wine bar that fits only 30 guests. It’s walk in only so you have to go if you’re feeling lucky. If you know the feel of a Spanish wine bar this will feel familiar. They also have small plates to complement whatever you’re drinking. Perfect for a warm summer evening or for a cosy winter night. A short walk from Nela in Bayswater if you’re wanting to extend that date night past the aperitif.

Highlights: the countertop seating. I love that everyone is huddled up close to one another, sitting across the table from each other. And the fact we all have a love for wine in common is a beautiful thing.

Best enjoyed: perfect for a first date you’re wanting to impress if you’re wanting something a bit chicer than something like Vagabond. Or sharing a bottle with a friend and staying for longer than you planned to.

Waterman Arms, Barnes

Absolutely stunning for a summer evening by the water. Golden hour to be precise, but a long lunch here is also very trendie.

Highlights: the piri piri chicken to share was so succulent and delicious that I might just have to go back just to have it again. There is absolutely nothing better than being by the water and watching the sunset over the Thames, and it still being warm past 10pm.

Best enjoyed: this is great for maybe date 3 or 4 unless you’re head over heels after the first. Suits both a dinner with a friend on a Wednesday evening and a special occasion, whatever that may be. I love the neighbourhood pub feel and the fact the food is really bloody good too.

Substack said I’ve run out of space on this post, so PART 2 is coming shortly. Bear with me, but for now…

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a review in the traditional sense - I don’t really want to lay everything out so there is nothing left for you to experience yourself. That wouldn’t be Trendie. Your own experience of whatever place I’ve been to WILL BE DIFFERENT. So go and figure it out yourself, if you love it, hate it or you completely disagree with my thoughts on this spot. You do you. This purely serves as a reference point.

I'm not here to tell you everything - I'm here to tell you it's worth going. What you make of it is up to you.

ABOUT

Café Clément is the all-day restaurant inside St Clement, Nick Jones' new hotel at 180 The Strand - his first since Soho House, and if that name means anything to you, you already know roughly what to expect. Where Soho House was built on belonging, this feels built on something quieter. Taste, maybe. Or just the confidence that comes from three decades of knowing what people actually want before they do.

THE FOOD

The food - from Danny Bohan, formerly of River Cafe - is precise and unfussy. It’s not overly complicated, it’s just done really well. The food, from Danny Bohan formerly of River Cafe, is precise and good - sea bass carpaccio, marinated tomatoes, a dessert menu that actually takes itself seriously. But you're not really here for a foodie pilgrimage. You're here for the atmosphere, the feel of it. The inspiration. The decor. It just helps that the food is good too. Ordering oysters with a glass of white wine just felt like the right things to be doing. And I don’t think it was overly expensive. We didn’t order too much, and pretty much shared everything and had one glass of white wine each and shared a dessert. The bill came to about £78 for two people - and that included the 6 oysters, the sea bass carpaccio, the tomato salad, the steak tartare + bread and a tart and ice cream for dessert. Everything was delicious but also nothing like WOW omg I need to have that again.

Also, my taste is different to yours, so go and try it for yourself and remember that you have an opinion too.

THE VIBE

There is staff everywhere, but not in the way Soho House staff are - they’re all there but they seem to be trained to ignore you. Here you never have to look for anyone. They’re already there. And this is a crucial difference. It feels like old school hospitality is being bought back, and very much New York level service. It also just has a great feel to it, it’s exciting, it’s refreshing and the design, attention detail and textures are very well thought out. Nick Jones was also just chilling in the foyer, and I did think that was pretty cool to see him in the flesh - but definitely not the kind of place you ask someone for a photo.

IS IT TRENDIE OR JUST TRENDY?

In a city where restaurants live and die by the hype cycle, Clément doesn’t need it. You can feel the difference the moment you walk in. There is no desperation around here. Just people who understand hospitality, completely and have YEARS of experience to back it.

My branding brain was having a field day. Everything was considered without being too obvious. The little “c” places on things like the plates to the bathroom towels.

And when dinner is over, nobody is rushing you out. They’re asking you to stay. Bobby’s Bar - named after Nick Jones’ dog - is waiting for you if you want it. Again loved the branding of his dog used in things like the ash trays.

There is a lot of hype around this opening. But I don’t think it’s just hype. It has a serious foundation and I do think it will sustain itself - because it knows exactly what it is.

There’s a difference between something that’s having a moment and something that actually has substance. Trendy is fleeting. Trendie is the place that’s still full in two years because it knew what it was from day one.

Café Clément is the latter.