Get into the quotidian rhythm of French mornings by starting your day with a silky coffee and a pastry brimming with crème patisserie. Just moments from the Fontaine du Soleil, Boulangerie Jeannot is a typical French hangout. Collect your viennoiseries (baked pastries) from the counter, grab your freshly squeezed orange juice and frothy cappuccino and take your breakfast al fresco.

You may stumble upon this unassuming eatery while wondering the back streets of the old town. Loved for the authentic theatricality of its staff, the waiter brings out a huge blackboard with dishes written in swirly white chalk – a mixture of fresh seafood and pastas washed down with solid French wines. If it’s on the menu, order the gnocchi; it’s some of the best we’ve tasted. The presentation, service and food are all also impeccable.

The Côté Marais is tiny (it seats 20), has no website and you can only reserve by phone. A hard-to-find local restaurant, they serve generous home-cooked dishes such as stacks of scallops and perfectly seared steaks washed down with carefully chosen wines. Get the crème caramel to finish.

Even though this tiny little gelateria is on the through route of a touristy street, its pop-up counter is filled to the brim with swirly clouds of pastel ice creams that attract as many locals and tourists. At the bargain price of €2 for two scoops, you may as well make it a daily ritual.

South African-born chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen earned his stripes working on private yachts in Monaco, before setting up this 24-seater restaurant. Located near the Old Port, the restaurant's £46 three-course lunch menu represents incredible value for money, while there's sometimes a two-course market lunch on offer for £25 - a steal. The wine list is well worth exploring, too, particularly for its native bins.