The hottest food in all Europe

We're just off the Champs-Elysèes, but it might well be Saint-Tropez: the coiffed heads are platinum blonde, the shoulders freshly bronzed. And yes, that's Catherine Deneuve at the next table, not just another look-alike.

Against a background of frosted pink and blue lights, diners settle into white leather armchairs and coolly study the cutting-edge menu. Ceviches, foie gras with dates, vintage tinned sardines and - ooh la la! - chicken in Coca-Cola sauce.

Korova, run by French television presenter Jean-Luc Delarue, is just one of the restaurants that has put Paris slap-bang in the centre of the European food map after a few sluggish years. No longer does French cuisine seem like a tired old escargot, drowning in a pot of boeuf bourguignon - these days it's positively setting the pace for other capitals of cool, thanks to a meeting of deft design and culinary wit.

"For a long time Paris was trailing behind other cities, especially London, where more interesting things were happening," says Michelithree-star chef Jacques Pourcel of Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier, who opened the trend-setting Maison Blanche in Paris with his twin brother Laurent last year. "But we've caught up and today we have no reason to envy any other city. A lot of restaurants have opened with very good chefs behind them, and Paris is regaining its place as the restaurant capital."

The renaissance started back in 1998, when superchef Alain Ducasse opened his first fusion bistro Spoon, Food and Wine. Despite the puzzling name and menu - diners are asked to mix-and-match ingredients from all five continents - Spoon became an instant, and enduring, hit which now has spin-offs in London, Tokyo and Mauritius.

Parisians love the pearly-grey-by-day, plum-by-night decor, but mostly they enjoy feeling free to graze in a childlike yet sophisticated way (think Ben and Jerry's ice cream in crystal goblets). Taking a similarly soothing approach are the Costes brothers, best known for creating stylish haunts such as Hùtel Costes, Cafè Marly and, more recently, Georges - a sleek restaurant with a stunning terrace (and staff) on the top floor of the Pompidou Centre. Unusually for Paris, serving hours are non-stop, which means you can have a bowl of velvety mashed potatoes, an " aller-retour" (seared steak tartare) or penne with wild-mushroom sauce whenever the urge strikes.

Comfort food doesn't tell the whole story, though - chefs such as the Pourcel brothers are more ambitious. At Maison Blanche, which boasts a sweeping view over Paris, they offer a refreshing take on southern cuisine with hot and iced tomatoes on a pumpkin purÈe with fresh truffles, scallop carpaccio with sea urchin coral, and Swiss chard ravioli with tomato confit. Desserts show their sense of humour: a caramel ice lolly served with pecan cake, and crunchy chocolate-banana cake with spice fritters.

Equally flavour-conscious is Nobu, which opened just in time for the autumn 2001 fashion shows. The Japanese-Peruvian fusion has gone over particularly well with Parisians, who are having a love affair with all things sushi. Downstairs is a cushy bar with pearly walls and brown-leather armchairs, while upstairs is all pale wood and black-clad staff, with a row of lightning-quick chefs behind the counter. As prices are lower in Paris than in London or New York, this is the place to treat yourself to the Nobu experience.

The latest chef to impress world-weary Parisians is the Alsatian-born Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who made his name with Vong in New York, London, Hong Kong and Chicago, Jean-Georges in the Trump Tower and Mercer Kitchen in New York's SoHo.

Since opening a few months ago, Market has drawn the political and fashion Èlite (name any top model and she has been). Against a sober background of burnt pine, stone and African masks, his dishes seem all the more explosive - pizza with raw tuna and wasabi cream, steamed sea bass with confit of carrots and cumin, Bresse chicken with lemongrass and Thai rice.