A lovely local bar à vin by the Rue de Cotte, a short walk from the Gare de Lyon, with café furniture, tiled floor and huge wooden casks serving a dual functional/decorative role. Bantering regulars cluster by the corner of the bar, so that it’s hard to tell them apart from the staff. A salt-of-the-earth, pubby vibe reigns, and it’s a friendly, low-key place to come solo; you’re never alone at the Baron Rouge (that’s what it said on the awning last time we looked; sometimes it’s known as the Baron Bouge). Oysters, rillettes de la mer and cheese or charcuterie platters are prepared out the back, so you can drop in for a glass of Burgundy and a slice of ham, or half a dozen Atlantic oysters and a glass of Chablis. During the day, there’s often a happy little crowd on the pavement – the perfect advert for a very nice bar.