How to get the best last minute hotel deal on New Year’s Eve - or any other night

Is it ever worth leaving your hotel booking until the very last minute? Here's how i fared a couple of years ago trying to bag a bargain for New Year's Eve.

Ever since lastminute.com introduced us all to the nailbiting thrill of leaving our hotel booking until the final moment it’s generally been assumed that’s the best way to get a bargain. But does it work on one of the most heavily booked nights of the year, New Year’s Eve, especially in a top destination like London?

Until recently I imagine we’ve all thought ‘last minute’ means a day or two before the night we want to stay but the rise of websites like Hotel Tonight* suggests the best deals are to be found on the same day, even a couple of hours before you walk through your hotel bedroom door.

I’d planned to spend New Year’s Eve in London with my daughter. Neither of us are great party animals so we thought we’d go out to lunch and then bunker down in a four star hotel room with trashy TV and room service.

A preliminary scan of the main UK booking sites including Trivago, hotels.com, booking.com and lastminute.com revealed that rooms were still quite pricey but the exercise was useful in terms of getting an idea of the sort of places we should be looking for and what we’d have to pay. Despite the fact that the hotels there were offering better deals we didn’t want to go to the City (CBD) or Docklands or places that were way out of the centre like Ealing or Wembley. We wanted to be in the West End. But most rooms were still upwards of £300 ($460) a night. The best deal we found was the smart-looking Eccleston Square hotel in Belgravia which was offering a room with a king bed for £205 if you booked two nights. If we hadn’t needed a twin it would have been a good buy (prices subsequently went up to £309 a night).

Things hadn’t moved much on the 29th though the sites were offering wildly different prices for the same hotel. One hotel I was looking at - I can’t remember which now - was £216 on Trivago but £495 on Expedia. The Rosewood varied between £325 and £600 on Anoma. I resisted the temptation to blow the budget on the Café Royal which was down from £1640 to £500 on one site (but still £1000 on Expedia which consistently had the highest prices).

By the 30th things were hotting up with prices shooting up as well as down.I found a twin at the Westbury off Bond Street for £274 then found it was for that night not the 31st. Damn! It was getting nervy. ‘775 people are currently looking at hotels in London’ said hotels.com. I obviously wasn’t the only one taking it to the wire.

By 8pm the Taj owned St James’ Court hotel near Victoria had gone down to £210 for a room with a king size bed. It seemed like the best bet. Everywhere else I fancied was resolutely sticking around £400. I rang them to see if we could get a twin. Reservations didn’t open until 8am. By 11.45 it had gone up to £570. Even the Comfort Inn in Buckingham Palace Road was up to £350.

On the morning of the 31st I hit hotels.com. Blimey! Prices had rocketed overnight. The Dorchester, £500-odd the previous day - not that I was thinking of booking it, was up to £1785, the Athenaeum, £295 on the 28th, to £1010

I panicked. I was due to meet my daughter at 12.45 for lunch and wanted to check in wherever we were staying first so I rang the Beaumont which you may remember offered us a night’s B & B in our last competition. (Under my married name, not courting a freebie, I hasten to say.) A suave gentleman called Oliver told me their standard room was £395 including continental breakfast but offered an upgrade. Far more than I had intended to pay but cheaper than some other perfectly ordinary hotels let alone the big names. I succumbed.

I rationalised it on the basis that we could easily have spent that much on a weekend away but were just blowing it all in one night. That we weren’t splashing out on champagne or an expensive evening meal (we had a very good burger and hot dog on room service). That no other hotel was better placed for the sales. And that the room and bathroom were awesome - surely as good as the Dorchester down the road?

What was interesting was that the level of occupancy and prices charged on New Year’s Eve were obviously so high that hotels didn’t need to offer spectacular last minute deals. True, prices came down from the giddy morning heights, but not by that much. That at least was some relief.

Things returned to normal on the 1st - well, actually better than normal. I was able to find a twin room at The Lancaster near Lancaster Gate tube for £129 which is less than you’d pay for a midweek booking. The St James’s Hotel I’d been looking at was down to £107. If I’d been prepared to go to Canary Wharf - though why would you on New Year's Day? - the Britannia would have only been £65.

So, what have I learnt? That it’s difficult to get a bargain even at the last minute on New Year’s Eve - no surprise there really - but that on other days if you hold your nerve you can find some great deals (as this reporter for abc news also discovered)

It’s not for everyone, there’s an element of gambling involved and you need a plan B (ask Twitter/phone a friend) if you don’t find a room for the price you’re prepared to pay but if you like a bargain it’s a great way to stay in a better hotel than you could normally afford. Try it!

Top tips for last minute booking

* Do your research. Get an idea a couple of days ahead of what prices are being charged for the type of hotel you’re looking for. Make a shortlist and keep tracking the prices on those hotels. Bigger hotels tend to have more deals than smaller ones, obviously.

* Check the rival booking sites as prices for the same hotel can vary wildly (you also need to check if the price quoted includes tax and breakfast) I found the best deals for London on hotels.com and trivago.co.uk which links you to all the main booking sites.

* Register with a couple of the booking sites so you don't have to faff around doing it once you spot your bargain

* Check the hotel’s own website or, better still, ring it and ask what is the best price they can do. Yes, pick up the telephone! That’s also the best approach if you have specific requirements like a twin-bedded room or a bath or want to try negotiating a cheeky upgrade.

* If you see a fair price at a hotel with the right facilities in the right place. go for it. I missed a couple of perfectly good deals and spent more than I intended by hanging on until the very last minute. You may find a better price in a few hours - on the other you might not.

* But if prices have suddenly shot up dramatically leave it an hour or so. Unless it's 9pm, of course ;-)

Where - and what - Bristol chefs eat

As there was so much interest in the post on where my fellow food writers eat out in Bristol I thought I'd do a follow-up with chefs.

Although some of the same names appear - you’d be amazed if they didn’t - chefs have a natural fondness for places that are open late - and for a good Chinese!

JOSH EGGLETON - The Pony & Trap - and recent participant in the Great British Menu

Baowow

If I'm driving past I'll hop out and get a snack from this little place. You can pick up a steamed bun - a Bao with fried chicken, fresh coriander, fresh radish, steamed and served with wasabi mayonnaise. Delicious. It's a great snack place and it's food is clean and fresh.

Wallfish Bistro

When I go to Wallfish I want to eat everything on the menu. For me this is probably the best restaurant in the city. It's the perfect incarnation of a bistro, lovely and relaxed and the food is top notch.

Casamia

For a special occasion you can't beat Casamia. You know you're going to be looked after and you can sit back and relax with a menu the is seasonal, interesting and surprising.

SELDON CURRY - Wallfish

Pony & Trap

A favourite. Always start with a glass of Nyetimber. Then probably a whole flatfish with brown shrimps. The peanut mousse cake is also great.

Bosco

Negronis, great cured meat and Italian cheese. And then grappa!

The Ox

More negronis to start. Rare bavette. And the foie gras and trotter on toast is a must.

(I would put Birch in this list but Sam and Beccy are very selfishly shut when we are.)

IAIN PENNINGTON & MATTHEW PENNINGTON, The Ethicurean

Iain and Matthew cunningly picked 6 restaurants between them on the grounds that there were two of them and that they were therefore entitled to 3 restaurants each. Cunning.

Matthew's choice

Bells Diner & Bar Rooms

Iberico butter and their bread, without fail. White peach & tomato salad is a common summer treat whenever I can rush down after service. A most memorable dish was lamb sweetbreads with morels. Inspired cooking in a perfectly crafted ambiance with a standout wine list.

Bertha's Pizza

Graham and Kate have researched and developed a pizza dough that's in its one hundred and seventeenth incarnation. A rye mother sourdough that re-ignites artisan craft. Toppings are classic and on point. An attention to detail unsurpassed. The 450º oven is on the back of a yellow Landrover Defender which appears at various festivals and markets around Bristol.

St Werbergh's City Farm Cafe

My go-to-brunch destination. Food clearly cooked with love that has all the integrity I seek and it's so on trend. Old Winchester cheese & fermented slaw quesadilla. Hake chowder is the best I’ve had the world over though it’s also great place to abstain from meat if you will. Cold brew coffee & excellent espresso based drinks. Look out for Tasty Tales nights there. Four courses of seasonal food with stories between each course from the majestic Martin Maudsley. What a venue, a hobbit house!

Iain's choice

Birch

I urge you to start with smoked whipped pollock roe & rye crackers. And the brawn and pickles if it's on. Always try his beef dishes & never miss pudding. Their treacle tart is in it’s own league. Its the kind of place that a couple or small group can order across the whole menu. Sharp and precise cooking of three or four ingredients always well balanced. Natural wine list steeped in knowledge. The best hosts.

Bakers & Co

Coffee served at this level will always have me stopping for breakfast. The Huevos Rancheros is textbook and authentic. I’ll opt for custard toast and maple sausage if I’m short on time and the Bakers Breakfast when there's plenty. Refreshing soft drinks list too.

No Man's Grace

John & Julu. What a team. Small plates paired with great drinks. A notable dish was steamed plaice, with an acidic grape verjus & artichokes. The hake and crispy mussels with red wine tartare is bold and inventive. I appreciate their laid-back and relaxed service. After working through the cheese list make sure you finish on their burnt butter ice-cream.

SAM LEACH, Birch

Katie and Kim's Kitchen

I love Katy and Kim's - it's perhaps my favourite place to eat in Bristol and our most regular Sunday breakfast joint. I always have a grapefruit juice and a black coffee to start off with, and then a mackerel bap if it's available, or a scone with bacon and eggs. Always ask for extra aioli... The custard tarts are (dare I say it) the best in Bristol.

Friends Chinese

A fairly unprepossessing entrance hides ones of Bristol's best restaurants. There is some seriously good cooking going on and the ingredients are always fresh and usually brought to the table for inspection before cooking. Eat the whole crab with ginger, crispy noodles with brisket and tripe, fish flavoured aubergine, lamb clay pot, morning glory with shrimp paste. The service is bizarre but charming and it is well worth asking to go off menu for the best stuff.

Flinty Red

I have probably eaten at Flinty more than any other place in Bristol. With Beccy, on my own, with friends or family. Everything is great really, but their pasta is always standout, and I could cheerfully eat three courses of it. Only once have I been when bolito misto was on the menu but it was the best meal I've had there. Sadly Flinty won't be around for that much longer so go while you can.

Other places which I love for dinner are: Bells Diner, No Mans Grace, Wallfish, Mayflower, Chilli Daddy.

SAM SOHN-RETHEL, Bell's Diner

Mayflower

Having two children means that we go to Mayflower at least a couple of times a month. My eldest loves the crispy duck pancakes and I think that dishes like the salt and pepper squid and the fried turnip paste in XO sauce is some of the best cooking in town.

Grillstock at St Nick's

If I'm in the area I always try and get here for lunch. Dan really knows his way around a pig and a BBQ.

Birch

There's loads of brilliant cooking in Bristol right now but when i get a very rare opportunity to go out for dinner without kids then we head straight to Birch. Sam's a friend and cooks the sort of food I want to eat on my night off. Amazing ingredients cooked perfectly. I recently had the best steak and chips of my life there. With a big bowl of mayonnaise and a green salad on the side. Perfection.

ANDREW GRIFFIN - Prego

Being as busy as I am, eating out with friends and family is something I don't take lightly. When we go out to eat, we try to go to places where we will find a good atmosphere,great service and really great food.

We all love Bravas on Cotham Hill - great atmosphere and food, I really enjoy the aubergine with molasses while the kids will eat anything in there particularly if there is fried fish involved.

When we're in town, we always head for The Stock Exchange Bakery. It has a great all round quality about it, good coffee and food and there's always a very tempting array of bakery goods on display. The girls also get to see their sister Molly Griffin who is working there, heading up the kitchen.

A visit to Souk Kitchen always goes down well with the family. Great tastes and flavours.

On the rare occasions that Sara and I are out together Bell's Diner is always a place we are happy to go. The whole experience, wine list and staff are always tremendous, Sam's cooking is always exceptional - big bold flavours, perfectly seasoned and balanced.

Although I have eaten at The Wallfish Bistro only once I would definitely go back. great simple flavours, outstanding produce cooked very well, great wine too.

Other places that I've enjoyed have included Bakers & Co., Poco, Thali Cafe, The Lido and pizza from Flour and Ash and Prego, obviously.

DANIELLE COOMBES - Bishopston Supper Club

I don't often have a huge amount of free time, or disposable income, so when we go out it needs to be to somewhere welcoming and comfortable with delicious, unpretentious food.

Birch, Bell's Diner and Wallfish are the most obvious restaurant choices for me, each with different styles, I find it very difficult to choose my favourite between them. I'm confident going to any of these that the food will be thoughtfully sourced, expertly prepared and skilfully cooked. The service and atmosphere is also impeccable, which is just as important as the food in my opinion. I enjoy trying different wines by the glass, natural or unusual styles particularly. Their menus change regularly so there are always new dishes to try.

I love the various snacks at Birch; puffed pig skin, mutton scrumpets & anchovy biscuits to name a few, their locally & ethically sourced meat & other produce is probably the tastiest and most tender I've experienced, their homegrown produce is often fresh out of the garden that day and sings with fresh flavours and vibrant colours. I always like to try whichever refreshingly zingy sorbet is available (I'm not a big pudding person).

At Bell's I'd always start with jamon butter, pickles and salt cod fritters while I sip on a negroni, move on to a combination of veg, meat & fish small plates ranging from delicate peach & ewes curd salad and sweetcorn fritters, to smoked eel and venison bursting with flavour and richness, whilst working my way through their wine by the glass selection, usually finishing with the local cheese selection.

Wallfish's lamb sweetbreads, and steak with bone marrow and snails was one of the tastiest meals I've had this year.

For a treat, I’d make the effort to cycle out of town and go to The Ethicurean. The menus are always interesting with varied flavours and textures. Walking through the walled garden, lovingly run & tended by Mark Cox, gives me great joy & veg-growing envy in equal measures.

The Grace we frequent often as it’s our local and luckily their food is brilliant, and service is fab. The garden is a beautiful sun trap. Their roasts are awesome, among the best in Bristol I’d say. Other pubs we love are Bag of Nails, Gallimaufry, Small Bar, Volunteer Tavern, for great atmosphere and interesting local/crafts beers, and Rummer or Hyde & Co. for cocktails.

Have become a bit of a Chinese food addict in the last few years, dim sum, particularly, at Water Sky is one of my favourite ways to while away an afternoon off. I enjoy going off-piste and trying some weird and wonderful dishes such as chicken feet, duck tongues or braised tripe but also their handmade dumplings are divine, I love the soupy crab or prawn & chinese chives ones, and the char sui steamed buns or cheung fun. Best to go with a group of people and try as much and as varied a selection as you can. It’s ludicrously good value. Mayflower and Chilli Daddy are also brilliant.

JOE HARVEY - Freelance chef working part-time at Bell's and the Cafe Mulino Pizza pop-up

Cafe Mulino Pizza pop-up

Admittedly i have an invested interest in this little gem in St Werburghs as my siblings run it outside our family home on Tuesday evenings. However, the sourdough pizzas cooked in the wood fired oven built by our Dad are truly delicious and to eat them in such a unique surrounding adds so much more to the experience.

Katie and Kim's

What ever is on the menu on the day, usually something bacon-based smothered in aioli or harissa with a mountain of greens on their lovely sourdough toast. Also their fresh juices are a dream for a sore head!

Wallfish Bistro

Padron peppers and a selection of oysters followed by a whole Portland crab with mayo and chips never seems to fail at probably my favourite Bristol restaurant.

Where Bristol foodies eat

Bristol has more than its fair share of cookery writers (including yours truly) so who better to ask where to eat in the city - and what to order? (Well, local chefs, maybe, but I’ll come on to that …)

Needless to say there’s a fair amount of consensus with Bell’s Diner and Bravas, particular favourites but also some unexpected gems you may not have heard of even if you’re a local.

XANTHE CLAY - Daily Telegraph food writer and author of several cookery books including Recipes to Know by Heart

Bravas - tiny and always packed, Bravas serves delicious Spanish tapas in an authentically buzzing atmosphere, plus great Iberian wines. I have lost far too many evenings here.

Lido - Chef Freddy Bird makes good use of the two wood fired ovens at this converted outdoor swimming pool. I love the light airy room - the best summer spot in Bristol but still warm and welcoming in winter - and I love the Mediterranean-rim food too, cleverly spiced and with big flavours, but not overwhelming the individual ingredients.

St Werburgh’s City Farm Café - A whacky hobbit house of a building that’s great for a lunch with small kids. The food here is honest and rustic, with a menu where home fermented vegetables with tostadas sits alongside homemade fish fingers. There’s a great playground, a deck to sit on in warm weather, and the farm animals to visit. If you are wondering why the pigsty is empty, though, look no further than the cafe’s delicious pork fajitas.

Sky Kong Kong is one of those off the wall restaurants that Bristol does so much better than London. It's in a dingy row of shops above an underpass - more like the set of an episode of Taggart than a foodie destination. There's a single refectory table, and decorations are limited to Wizzy’s copper pans and stacks of hand made Korean plates. Lunchtime there is a single dish on offer for around £6-£7 - beef bulgogi is popular - then in the evenings there is a set menu - just arrive, sit down and await dish after dish of Korean home cooking, like Korean sushi, steamed bream and chicken in ginseng broth. Sometimes there is a pudding, sometimes not - stroll down to the late night ice cream shop on Baldwin St if you need a sugary hit to finish.

JENNY CHANDLER - cookery teacher and author of Pulse

Bell’s Diner - Love that amazing slow cooked cauliflower

Wallfish - Anything squiddy (love the tiny fried whole ones with chilli and cumin

and then I really DO love a good brunch and just adore Bakers and Co’s Huevos Rancheros etc

KATE HAWKINGS, restaurateur, wine geek, barfly, Telegraph contributor, chair of the Guild of Food Writers

Wallfish - fantastic ingredients, focusing on the best of British, singing in dishes with their roots in the traditional but still modern and fresh. I always want everything on the menu. I love the simplicity - and messiness - of crab with mayonnaise, and the steak tartare is epic. Oh, and always start with pork crackling. Keith Floyd would be proud to have his restaurant now in such good hands, and still true to his ethos of brilliant food with no airs and graces.

Mayflower - best Chinese by miles, despite insalubrious setting. Best to go in a group and share a load of food - weekend dim sum is always a hoot, or late at night when you’ll find many of Bristol’s chefs kicking back after work. Don’t miss roast pork belly with crispy noodles, chilli salt baby squid and turnip paste with xo sauce.

Hart’s Bakery - I’ve known Laura Hart since she first arrived in Bristol and came to bake for Barny Haughton at Rocinanates. It’s fantastic to see her emerge as one of Bristol’s true food heroes - she’s really set the bar high and her bakery is always a joy to visit. As well as making the best bread in Bristol, her cakes are amazing but, because I have a savoury palate, I always go for her sausage rolls or pasties. Definitely worth leaving a little bit of extra time to visit before getting on a train at Temple Meads - everything’s available to take away and knocks spots off anything available at the station.

DAN VAUX-NOBES aka blogger Essex Eating and author of 101 BBQ and Grill Recipes

Bell's Diner - My favourite. Fantastic cooking. Regularly changing menu and a really atmospheric dining room. I always have the salt cod croquettes with aioli and there is nearly always a cracking little salad with ewes curd on the menu.

Wallfish - you'll find me there every Sunday morning without fail. In my opinion, their full English is the best breakfast in Bristol. I also eat there for lunch and dinner. The chocolate mousse and salted caramel dessert is a favourite.

Flour & Ash - Luckily it's near where I live in Redland and their pizza cooked in a wood fired oven is absolutely superb. I particularly like their sourdough pizza topped with Ox cheek ragu.

GENEVIEVE TAYLOR, food stylist and author of seven cookbooks including, most recently, How to Eat Outside

I eat out so rarely (pesky kids, expensive babysitters, too much cooking to do for my own books) but 3 places I really love, if very infrequently, are Bravas (best tapas I’ve eaten outside of Spain, brilliantly cold beer, great sherry), Birch (only been once but it was great, love the small menu and genuine seasonality) and Bell's Diner - frankly a Bristol institution that I’ve been going to for nearly 20 years and the new incarnation is the best yet. I love them all for their informality and unpretentiousness, not a whiff of ‘fayne dining’ in sight.

ELLY CURSHEN, cafe-owner (of the Pear Café), In Style food columnist, instagrammer (@ellypear), currently writing her first cookbook Fast Days and Feast Days

Bell's obvs - I go there all the time

Full Court Press for coffee

Matina in St Nicks for the best freshly made naan wraps I've ever tasted

Katie and Kim for brunch I always get whatever eggs and greens option is on that day - it varies but is always amazing. Usually served with whatever savoury scone thing they've made and some kind of delicious sauce. I'm happy to eat whatever I'm given there. It's always delicious

and Bakers and Co - their brunches are always spot on

MARK TAYLOR, Food editor Bristol Evening Post (so he probably eats out more than any of us)

Wallfish - rabbit and lobster pie

Bell's - salt cod frittters, aioli

Birch - custard tart

CLAIRE THOMSON, chef, Guardian contributor and author of The 5 o’clock Apron

Flour and Ash for great pizza, a well sourced and inexpensive wine list and lovely service - great with the kids - very low key and at the end of our road. Try the the blackcurrant sorbet for an intense fruity burst.

Bell's Diner Love Sam’s cooking and also Kate’s [Kate Hawkings] wine list. The vibe is a nice balance between low fly and happy energetic - I mostly bump into someone I know during the evening. The cauliflower cooked with yogurt is always nice and is a dish I also cook at home for the kids.

Chilli Daddies - went with my Sichuanese step-mum and she gave it the thumbs up. Level 3 for chilli for Matt and I and level 1 for the kids. We all love the cold noodle salads

ANDREA LEEMAN, chef, author of ‘A Taste of …’ series including, most recently, A Taste of Gloucestershire

We used to eat out a lot but my partner-in-crime has a hearing problem and restaurants of the sort we both enjoy are inevitably buzzy and noisy. We tend to eat locally these days; Oz on the Triangle in Clifton, The Spiny Lobster on Blackboy Hill and Fishers in Clifton Village. Oz is run by a delightful Turkish couple and focuses mostly on meze dishes. My husband devours platefuls of their cacik, Turkish for tzatziki whilst I go for the smoked aubergine, the squid and their feather-light homemade pasta; they have good Turkish wines and you can round off the meal with proper Turkish coffee.

The Spiny Lobster is a stylish and comfortable premises in French Brasserie style. The fish is fresh from Devon and Cornwall and you can wave at the chefs as they cook your meal; the kitchen is part of the dining area. As a fish lover, there is little on their menu that I would want to resist and whole fresh crab is top favourite. Spiny Lobster has a fish shop attached so most of my fish purchases come from there; they have good shell fish, samphire when in season and watch out for things brought in by Alan, one of their suppliers and also a forager. He will hightail it to Scotland for Morel mushrooms or pop into the shop with a bag of smoked prawns.

Once upon a time I ran restaurants in London and Fishers restaurant in Princess Victoria Street, Clifton reminds me of those days. The staff are bright and cheerful, the menu is mainly fish, simply cooked and nicely served at candlelit tables. I'd say their haddock-and-chips with mushy peas are the best in town!

And mine? Well, like my colleagues I'm a big fan of Bell's, Bravas and Wallfish but we also go regularly to Birch and I never get on a train without a sneaky visit to Hart's Bakery ...

5 ways to eat cheaply - and well - in Paris

Having recently had a whole week in Paris during which we ate out every day we obviously had to watch what we spent. Had we gone to one of the three star temples of gastronomy we could have easily blown our budget in a night.

Obviously some of these tips apply to other cities as well but they’re particularly relevant to Paris. The great thing is you know what you’re spending in France given that service is always included in the bill.

Have your main meal at lunchtime

Which is what the French traditionally used to do. Obviously this is harder if you’re working but even then there’s no reason not to pop into a local restaurant and have a plat du jour (dish of the day).

Practically all restaurants, even Michelin starred ones, will have a lunchtime menu that is about a third cheaper than it is in the evening. See the three lunches we had at Paris hotspots Heimat, Servan and Yard.

Don’t eat à la carte

Your best bet is to go for a 2 course deal: entrée/plat (starter/main course) or plat/dessert.

Hit a wine bar in the evening

There are lots of nice little bars where you can order a glass of wine and a couple of small dishes. (Obviously the trick is not to over-order if you want to keep the cost down. Hefty baskets of sourdough should keep hunger at bay.) Our favourite haunts on our recent trip were Au Passage and its new offshoot Bar Martin on the edge of the Marais. La Buvette de Camille up in rue St Maur is also fun at the weekend (note the slightly random opening hours)

Eat on the outskirts of town

Stands to reason that a restaurant up near the Gard du Nord or Gare de l’Est, for example, will be cheaper than one off the Champs Elysées or in the fashionable 16e. Like Yard (above) and our regular favourite Le Baratin. Don’t be afraid to take the metro a couple of extra stops.

Choose restaurants that are not being talked about or have been open for a while.

One of the reasons they’ve stood the test of time is that they don’t overcharge their regulars. Near where we stay in the Marais there is the totally unreconstructed Chez Nenesse, the kind of old-fashioned French bistro you thought had vanished with the '80s. Or the Paul Bert where the lunchtime deal is still an amazing 19€*. Avoid gaudy tourist traps and restaurants run by big-name chefs.

Do you have a favourite Paris restaurant that you think offers amazing value?

* could be 20€ by now, I guess