This is something of a rarity in ultramodern Le Havre - a traditional bistro serving traditional food in a traditional atmosphere, with not a speck of concrete, steel or glass in sight.

Paris is a strangely friendly place following France's World Cup victory, the usually grouchy waiters at traditional, chic bistros like Benoit singingsinging!

All of this makes traditional bistros and brasseries more appealing than ever.

The reasonably priced food here is more contemporary and lighter than at most traditional bistros.

O Map This enormous traditional bistro on one of our favourite dining streets may look like it's been here since time immemorial but it opened only in 1997.

The small Place du Marche Ste.-Catherine has two Jewish restaurants, a Korean barbecue and two traditional bistros.

Like Gaya, the cooking ranges from surprisingly creative (bean soup with herring, herring roe, tapioca and red peppers) to straight, traditional bistro (roast lamb with confited cèpes and a delicious jus made from lamb's foot).

Both the newcomers and the old-timers range from traditional bistros boasting all the mandatory French soul-food standards to French-American hybrids to New American and all-American hangouts.

At Polidor, a traditional Parisian bistro at 41 Rue Monsieur-le-Prince (43.26.95.34), a two-course meal costs just $8.50 and a dinner a la carte around $17 a person, excluding wine.

Last year, the couple opened Pinot, a more traditional bistro.