Hexagone, Paris, France

Mathieu Pacaud, chef of three-Michelin star L’Ambroisie and son of legendary cook Bernard Pacaud, is shaking things up in the sometimes formal French food scene with Hexagone, his first solo venture. Located in Paris’ 16th arrondissement, not far from the Jardins du Trocadéro, the restaurant has been outfitted by interior design mavericks and one-time Wallpaper* Design Award winners, Gilles & Boissier, whose affinity for rigorous lines and spatial fluidity is evident with a bold, monochrome palette, punctuated with assertive yellows and intricate frescoes by artists Alex et Marine. The result sets the stage for Pacaud’s artful plates of modern French food, from which we recommend the crayfish on a bed of star anise-flavoured aspic with green mango purée and cauliflower mousseline, washed down with a glass or two from the formidable wine list, overseen by decorated sommelier Benjamin Roffet.