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.

In a setting designed by Victoria Ayayi and Gabriel Vuillemin of ūti, reminiscent of the Parisian brasseries of yesteryear - white tablecloths, velvet banquettes, wood panelling and tutti quanti- we can already imagine ourselves dancing on the chairs come the weekend. And it's not for nothing that the decor at the front of the restaurant seems minimalist, limiting any possible damage.

At the back of the restaurant, where the DJ booth and its flamboyant neon lights take pride of place, small tables and large tables are ready to be cleared away and pushed into corners to reveal 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.

You can choose from the à la carte menu, or from one of the reasonably-priced lunch menus on offer during the week: €18 for a main course, €24 for a starter/main course or main course/dessert, €29 for a starter/main course/dessert. Honesty, too, in the starters, main courses and desserts offered on 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.

Among the fine discoveries are the velouté Dubarry with its poetic presentation (14€), truffled ham and crunchy hazelnuts; the crunchy pain de campagne topped with a melting marrow bone (16€), devilishly mustardy; the beef tartare with razor clams (from the sea!), 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.

Of course, when you think of a festive restaurant, you think of midnight and even 2 a.m. or more. 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!

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please mention it in the comments.