Soft laughs
ALT, classic Right Bank restaurant wine lists, Triangle d’Or properties, Taverna, Brutos, Sorore, MORE
WORK • Friday Routine
Café moments
MELANIE MASARIN • founder & CEO • Ghia
Neighborhood you live in: 10th arr
It’s Friday afternoon. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m not proud to admit it, but I work late almost every Friday. Between wrapping the week at Ghia and getting my Substack ready, there’s always something to finish. Sometimes it’s because everyone else is slowing down and I can finally focus. With the time difference, my days in Paris run a bit later than usual anyway.
That said, I always have little apéro snacks at the house — cheese, saucisson, olives, whatever I pick up at the market (I live close to a Julhes, dangerous!). My siblings live in Paris too, and a few times a week, one of them will come over for dinner or just to graze. It’s our version of transitioning from work mode into the weekend. If I do go out, it’s usually very casual, walking into a restaurant around 10p or meeting friends for a drink after dinner.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Today I’m planning the tour for my upcoming cookbook, Riviera [out next Tuesday! –ed.], catching up on a few things for Ghia, and hopefully finishing tomorrow’s Substack.
Even when it’s this busy, I try to stay active. I’ve been doing Pilates regularly, and recently started trying to run a couple of times a week — the streets of Paris are honestly the best running route. I also think the coffee culture here is just incredible. A few times a week, I try to take myself out for a quiet moment at a café. I live closest to Partisan, which is my go-to, but I also really love Dreaming Man and Telescope in the 1st. It’s a small ritual, but it makes the day feel less like a marathon.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I have a lunch meeting at the new Sant Ambroeus — they serve Ghia, so I’m always excited to see it in the wild. Tonight I’m having dinner with my love at Taverna. We both love Greece, so it’s one of our favorites, especially the frozen Greek yogurt with orange blossom.
On the weekends, we like to go to the flea markets in Saint-Ouen. We never buy anything because it’s gotten too expensive, but it’s the best inspiration, and we love being around old objects. We’ll usually have a little breakfast or lunch at Café Jaune, right by the entrance of the Paul Bert market.
I also made a booking at Brutos in the 11th for that magnificent Brazilian chicken they serve on Sundays. There’s less of a brunch culture in Europe, but I like to meet up with my siblings for a Sunday lunch, and this one is always a fan favorite.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Next on my list are the Matisse show at the Grand Palais and the Calder exhibition at Fondation Louis Vuitton. I also want to stop by my friend Nour Hammour’s new showroom and hopefully make it out to Giverny to see Monet‘s gardens.
Any weekend getaways?
My parents live in Eygalières in the Alpilles, so I’m lucky to escape there quite often. Life is so much slower there in the best way! We always pick up cheese and sandwiches at Chez Emilie in the center of town, and for dinner I love Chez Paulette — it’s unfussy and very Provençal. A day trip to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for the antique markets is practically mandatory, and we always stop for ice cream at Fréto before driving back. One of the best ice creams ever!
What was your last great vacation?
I don’t remember the last time I felt as relaxed as I did during a week on Sifnos in the summer of 2024. It’s a small island in Greece. We stayed in an Airbnb, but Hotel Petali and Verina Astra are both wonderful. My favorite beach is Vroulidia — it’s a bit of a hike down but completely worth it. Everyone recommends the taverna on the right, but my favorite meal was actually at the one on the left.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I bought The Row loafers and they’ve become my everyday shoe. The leather feels like butter. I wear them with everything — jeans, dresses, even on long walks through the Marais.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I love getting my hair cut by Emmett at David Mallett, and doing microneedling at Sorore in Paris. For vintage shopping, I’m always on Vestiaire Collective and The RealReal — it’s a bit of an addiction.
See also, Melanie’s Los Angeles Routine for FOUND LA.
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Three properties for sale in the Triangle d’Or in the 8th arr:
→ Avenue Montaigne (metro Franklin D. Roosevelt) • 3BR/3BA, 130 m2 apartment • Ask: 4.15M € • 3rd-floor furnished apartment decorated by interior designer Félix Millory • Annual maintenance/condo fees: 5416 € • Agent: Pierre-Andrick Lyraud, Daniel Feau.
→ Rue Pierre Charron (metro Saint-Philippe-du-Roule, above) • 3BR/3BA, 163 m2 apartment • Ask: 5M € • furnished, following renovation by ‘renowned architect’, adjacent maid’s room available for additional 200K € • Annual maintenance/condo fees: 6192 € • Agent: Arnaud Lewandowski del Perugia, Sotheby’s.
→ Place François 1er/Jean Goujon (metro Saint-Philippe-du-Roule) • 3BR/2BA, 215 m2 apartment • Ask: 7.95 M € • gorgeous renovated 5th-floor flat with luxury finishes and home automation • Annual maintenance/condo fees: 18,400 € • Agent: Jean Sanchez, Barnes.
PARIS WORK & PLAY LINKS: MR Agency’s Melissa Regan Devogele on the search for the perfect Paris apartment • Japanese retailer Lumine plans pop-up concept store Tokyo Sense at men’s fashion week in June • 7 iconic works from Calder’s big retrospective • Is this Paris’s chicest crash pad?
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Unpretentious allure
I’d read a few words read somewhere in a food newsletter, or an article. But the Maillot area isn’t exactly my usual stomping ground, so the address had slipped way to the back of the drawer. And then, desperately hunting for a decent spot in the west of Paris, the drawer swung wide open.