Restaurant Norieta: an air of Provence without leaving Paris

Good food, good humor and an air of Provence: that's the promise of Norieta restaurant in Paris. Nestled in the 10th arrondissement, this exotic address offers sun-drenched dishes at excellent value for money.

Vite vite vite vite vite... that's how the Parisian lifestyle can be summed up. Like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, we're chasing time, which seems to be passing at breakneck speed. So, to keep up with the pace of the capital, it's a good idea to know the side roads that take us into worlds where the clock pauses, encouraging us to take it easy.

In the capital's 10th arrondissement, the Norieta restaurant is one of those exotic refuges that stops us in our tracks and invites us to enjoy a good time with friends. Here, it's a window on Provence, where you can feast in the shade of a lemon tree all year round. You'll be greeted with a warm welcome, treated like an old friend, and the hustle and bustle of the City of Light will seem far away. The recipe for happiness is simple: good food, good prices, and a love of sharing.

Yes, in this quirky tavern, you'll enjoy seasonal cuisine, concocted from fresh produce that's a credit to the South. For starters, we refreshed our taste buds with a salad featuring crisp, juicy sucrine with crunchy chickpeas, vegetable pickles and zaatar-scented yoghurt, adding a touch of exoticism to a plate that's all about good produce.

For the main course, those in search of comfort will fall for the homemade lasagne bolognaise, generous and regressive, which we even find ourselves enjoying with great pleasure in the middle of summer. If you're more the palate type, don't miss the catch of the day with its fine ratatouille, whose juicy vegetables bring an explosion of sunny flavors to the palate, topped with excellent kalamata olives, a tribute to Greece. During our visit, we were treated to a delicately pearly, melt-in-the-mouth flesh, testimony to top-notch cooking.

All that's left now is for us to round off this lunch with a little sweetness. And since we found ourselves in the shade of a lemon tree, we were inspired by this setting to indulge in a lemon meringue pie, a favorite of the French. A good dose of pep, tangy notes and lots of gourmet goodness: a delicious end to this Parisian-Provencal stopover.