Sandra Mielenhausen,
former international group manager of Parfums Christian Dior, founded Plaq Chocolat (plaqchocolat.com) with her partner – in chocolate and life – Nicolas Rozier-Chabert. At their ethical factory in the 2nd, they “find, taste and transform great cocoa into a chocolate that reflects us”. “Le Doyenné restaurant and farm [in the grounds of the Château de SaintVrain, an hour south of Paris; ledoyennerestaurant. com] is an incredible project. Australian chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly work with the seasons and what’s available in the garden to present a unique menu. Go for Sunday lunch or the full experience – dinner, a night in the guesthouse and breakfast. Its simplicity, quality, generosity and purity are real luxury. Every Monday, I swim at Piscine Boulogne Billancourt (piscineboulognebillancourt. com) and afterwards get a vegan bento from Hiroko
Shiraishi (@hveganbento). It’s full of small dishes like creamy korokke (croquette) with mixed mushrooms. Opening in autumn, Nouvelle Vague
Grecque (nouvellevague grecque.com) is a venture by a couple I know, Symeon Kamsizoglou and Delphine Pique, who spent two years in Greece sourcing all the product for this restaurant and épicerie [grocery store]. Not far from Gare du Nord, Rue de Maubeuge isn’t fancy but I like to have breakfast at Leandres (leandres.paris), a cosy Colombian coffee shop there. I have a cappuccino and a pan de bono, a soft bread made with cheese – the texture and taste are so addictive. I often check @__amuse_bouche__ on Instagram to keep track of the Parisian hospitality scene. It has the best new food and culture, beauty and art de vivre spots, plus fashion and gift ideas.”