Dining in Paris: Substance in the 16th Arrondissement

Every Parisian inhabits a city that’s all their own, or an edited map of the capital that reflects their habits, pleasures and aversions. Ever since I moved across the Seine from the Left Bank almost 20 years ago, my Paris has tilted gradually eastwards, a reflection of my love of great food and my eagerness to try the city’s latest, most interesting or accomplished restaurants.

This means that although I live in the 9th arrondissement, in the heart of Paris – and increasingly a version of the Left Bank that I left when real estate prices drove me north – I now often find myself sitting down for a meal in the 10th, 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th, because this is where young chefs set up shop when they go out on their own.

Lately, though, the gastronomically quieter precincts of Paris have been stirring, and I’ve recently had several excellent meals in the 16th arrondissement; that quiet, bourgeois crescent of pricey real estate on the capital’s western edge. It may not be my usual turf, but the rather infelicitously named Substance, an outstanding contemporary French bistro, is drawing people from all over town.

There are two reasons why food lovers are heading west to this address. The first is that young chef Matthias Marc, 26, a native of the Jura region of eastern France, is exceptionally talented, and the second is that this table has one of the best champagne lists in the city – more than 180 different bottles. In fact, it was legendary champagne-maker Anselme Selosse, whose signature wine is called “Substance”, and owner Stéphane Manigold who created the champagne offer, which features small producers making “grower” champagnes, including Laherte Frères, a small cellar in the Montagne de Reims.