Corsica

1 Casa Olympe
48 rue St-Georges; tel: 00 33 1 4285 2601; €37

Ask one of Paris's three-star Michelin chefs where they go on their rare evenings off, and the reply would probably be this tiny restaurant in Pigalle serving the innovative Corsican cuisine of Olympe Versini. Long before small, intimate restaurants became fashionable, Madame Versini abandoned the stress of her chic Michelin-starred restaurant and opened this cosy bistro, which she specifically asked Michelin not to consider for its guide.

The dining room seats only 30 guests, served by two waiters, while in the minuscule kitchen, Olympe has just two assistants. But for her and her faithful clientele, this is the 'bonheur' - the happiness of having a free hand to change the menu virtually every day, to draw on the cuisine of her native island, and adapt those traditions in a new and exciting manner. She brilliantly takes the outstanding produce that comes from Corsica - charcuterie, cheese, lamb, vegetables - and invents her own recipes.

A brave gourmet should try the delicate cervelle de veau (calf's brain) served with preserved lemon and a couscous with cabbage, or for the less courageous there's grilled aubergine covered with a tomato sauce and melted Corsican Brousse cheese. The lasagne, cooked Corsican-style, is a signature dish, as is the huge casserole of shoulder of lamb roasted in thyme.

Provence

2 Chez Janou
2 rue Roger-Verlomme; 00 33 1 4272 2841; €30

Many restaurants in Paris claim to offer Provencal cooking, but few serve very authentic or even very good food. The cuisine of the sun-drenched South of France is one of the most distinctive of all the regional Gallic tastes, but one of the hardest to transport to the capital because so much depends on the freshness of the products and herbs that are necessary to create such unique dishes as a bouillabaisse (fish soup), a classic tian of Provencal vegetables, or an aioli (garlicky mayonnaise) served with thick chunky flakes of morue (cod).

Chez Janou is an ideal place on a sunny summer's day to sit and enjoy a simple plate of grilled rouget (red mullet) served with a tangy olive tapenade, sweet lamb chops smothered with fragrant thyme, or a creamy caviar d'aubergine. The restaurant is not easy to find, hidden away in a backstreet between the Marais and the Bastille, and the decor resembles a 1930s film set.

Normandy

3 Le Repaire De Cartouche
8 boulevard des Filles-du-Calvaire; 00 33 1 4700 2586; €35

If you catch a glimpse of the giant chef towering over his stoves in the kitchen, it will quickly be apparent to you that Rodolphe Paquin is a native of Normandy. He has the immediately recognisable blond hair and red, ruddy cheeks that distinguish Normans from their compatriots.

He is another of those little-known chefs who are highly respected by their fellow professionals, and Le Repaire is a favourite late-night haunt of the tight band of people who work in the restaurant business. Paquin admits that he loves working with traditional products from his home region, beginning with cream, butter and cheeses like Camembert - so this is not an address for those on a low-cholesterol diet.

Although the chef revels in recipes such as lard de cochon grillé, betteraves en salade (grilled pork fat with a beetroot salad), he balances it with a much lighter salade de haricots verts aux girolles (garden beans with fresh wild mushrooms). Paquin changes his menu every week, creating seasonal dishes such as tiny violet potatoes covered with delicate, fragrant shavings of black truffles, or wild boar simmered in red wine with plump cep mushrooms.

Alsace

4 Bofinger
5-7 rue de la Bastille; 00 33 1 4272 8782; €30

Bofinger is more than a traditional Alsatian brasserie, it is a Parisian institution. This is the oldest brasserie in the French capital, and it is undoubtedly the most beautiful, with an opulent cultural heritage and splendid Belle Epoque decor. Although today many people eating at brasseries go for oysters or fish, Bofinger insists on offering traditional dishes from Alsace. And the flagship dish, which habitues will always order, is the choucroute - a steaming plate of fermented cabbage heaped with a half-a-dozen succulent varieties of sausages and pork cuts.

There is also the delicious choucroute de la mer, where pork is replaced by a selection of different fish. And when it comes to the cheeses, be sure that you order a portion of the strong-smelling cheese from the village of Munster, served with a piping-hot potato and crunchy cumin seeds.

Basque

5 Au Bascou
38 rue Reaumur; 00 33 1 4272 6925; €40

Many Basques would probably be furious to know that their distinctive cuisine was being described here as part of 'French regional cooking', because they consider themselves as belonging to their own separate country, which overlaps into northern Spain. The friendly owner of Au Bascou, Jean-Guy Loustau, was once voted the best maitre d'hotel and sommelier in Paris while working for a famous chef, but he always wanted to own his restaurant.

Thirteen years ago he bought this delightful old-fashioned bistro, just off the Place de la Republique. Although the neighbourhood is not trendy, the restaurant quickly made a name for itself due to its authentic Basque cuisine and an outstanding regional wine list, introducing little-known vintages such as Irouleguy and Guipuzcoa.

The daily menu always features classic Basque dishes such as chipirons sautee à la Navarraise (tiny squid fried with plump, ripe tomatoes), axoa comme à espelette (veal stewed in bright red espelette peppers), and piperade Basquaise (a spicy ratatouille).

Lyonnais

6 Le Rubis
10 rue du marche St-Honore; 00 33 1 4261 0334; €15

Any Frenchman who doesn't live in Paris will tell you that the undisputed gastronomic capital of France is Lyon. Lyonnaise cooking is especially linked with the nearby vineyards of the Beaujolais, and the region has passed on a gastronomic heritage that is influential in every part of France. In Paris alone, there are scores of gourmet restaurants dedicated to la cuisine Lyonnaise, but there is no better choice than the ancient wine bar Le Rubis.

Though the location couldn't be more chic, just behind the haute-couture boutiques of the Faubourg St Honore, the Rubis is a flashback to a much more old-fashioned Paris. The patron, Monsieur Albert, is always standing behind his traditional zinc bar, serving long-standing regular customers glasses of Beaujolais from one of the 10 different crus, such as Fleurie or Moulin a Vent, while his wife runs the kitchen where she conjures up traditional daily specials such as tripes, andouillette sausage, tête de veau, pied de porc farci and jarret de porc aux lentilles. Food is not served in the evening, as Le Rubis closes at 9pm, but customers can still enjoy a plate of saucisson et fromage - with a bottle of Beaujolais, naturally.

Brittany

7 Le Divellec
107 rue de l'Universite; 00 33 1 4551 9196; €100

Jacques Le Divellec is the kind of larger-than-life personality that would obviously name his flagship Parisian restaurant after himself. And in the Parisian celebrity world, everyone wants to boast that they were taken to lunch at Le Divellec.

The fabulous seafood from France's Atlantic coast is served all over the capital, from the simple corner bistro that proposes half a dozen oysters to the bustling brasserie that heaps crabs, prawns and shellfish on to the classic plateau de fruits de mer. Le Divellec takes the same base of seafood but creates irresistible dishes that transport the diner to a much higher gastronomic plane - albeit for a seriously expensive addition at the end.

His restaurant looks comfy and relaxed, but look around and you'll see the cream of France's political and social elite wining and dining. But all of this is really secondary when it comes to the food. Simplicity is the key to Le Divellec's cuisine: roasted sea bass - caught with a line - in a crust of sea salt; a langoustine casserole smothered with truffles; or plump lobster accompanied just by a crispy, green bean salad.

Auvergne

8 Le Plomb du Cantal
3 rue de la Gaite; 00 33 1 4335 1692; €25

This is one of Paris's hidden gastronomic addresses: not a chic, gourmet restaurant, but a rustic down-to-earth neighbourhood locale, right in the middle of the bustling theatre district of Montparnasse.

They don't take reservations, the burly waiters look like rugby players, and the clientele range from travelling salesmen from the Auvergne who can't do without their local cuisine, to hungry theatregoers who pour in at the end of a performance. The owner, Marinette Alric, came to Paris nearly 40 years ago and brought with her the family recipes for classic dishes from the wild and mountainous Auvergne region: chou farci (stuffed cabbage), tripous (lamb tripe wrapped in veal paunch), home-made sausages cooked on the grill, and the biggest steaks you have ever seen - from two distinctive Auvergne cattle breeds, Salers and Aubrac.

Each dish here is served with a mountain of irresistible potatoes, either aligot or truffade - the former a creamy puree with melted Auvergne cheese and garlic, the latter, crispy sauteed potatoes covered with the same melted cheese. Servings are absolutely enormous, so make sure you feel hungry before coming for dinner here.

Franche Comte

9 Chez Maitre Paul
12 rue Monsieur-le-Prince; 00 33 1 4354 7459; €40

Franche Comte is one of the least-known regions of France, sitting in a no-man's land between Burgundy and Alsace. Its cuisine is even less well known, but Chez Maitre Paul, a Left Bank institution, has been serving traditional recipes to an enduringly faithful clientele for several generations. Chef Jean-Francois Debert and maitre d'hotel Michel Aurier have been running the place together for more than 35 years. The atmosphere here is subdued, discreet, and delightfully unfashionable. People come here simply for the excellence of its cuisine.

Franche Comte produces a delicious smoked sausage, the montbéliard, and this is served hot with boiled potatoes. The main courses tend to be creamy and rich, such as poularde, a free-range chicken cooked in the Jura's distinctive vin jaune with succulent morille mushrooms. And for something totally original - which must be ordered at the beginning of the meal - try cancoillotte à la jurassienne, a unique cheese that is melted with white wine and served like a fondue.

In summer, be sure not to miss the classic tarte aux mirabelles (plum tart) - even the kitchen staff eat this for their meal before the service begins.

South West

10 Carre Des Feuillants
14 rue de Castiglione; 00 33 1 4286 8282; €100

Alain Dutournier is more that just a chef: he is a full-blown ambassador for his native region of south-west France. Although the Carre des Feuillants looks at first like just another classic Parisian temple of gastronomy, this is not the kind of place where diners are intimidated by the plush surroundings and superior-looking waiters.

For sure, the menu is expensive, but Dutournier has such enthusiasm for the wonderful recipes of his native south west that people come here for the food, not to check out their celebrity-looking neighbours. It is really worth splashing out on his seasonal tasting menu, a nine-course journey that takes in, among other things, a dish of wild shrimps served with melon and chutney, a light fillet of John Dory fish in a delicate potato crust, and cep mushrooms cooked in three different ways - marinated raw, lightly fried, and pureed into a pâté.

Dutournier loves presenting the distinctive-tasting lamb that is bred in his native Pyrenees, and he slowly cooks the gigot (leg of lamb) in clay, which is later broken open theatrically in front of the diner.

Loire

11 Le Quincy
28 avenue Ledru-Rollin; 00 33 1 4628 4676; €50

Quincy is a tiny village surrounded by vineyards in the centre of France, just by the Loire valley. The restaurant that bears its name in Paris serves the excellent Sauvignon wine from the region and, for the last 35 years, has been a flagship for the distinctive local cuisine.

The genial owner, Michel Bosshard, known to everyone as 'Bobosse', treats his restaurant as a stage and gives a tour-de-force performance every lunch and dinner. The escargots, cooked traditionally in a garlic sauce, and frog legs sauteed with tomatoes and onions, are the two house specialities to have as starters.

But save room for the hearty main courses - quails roasted with wild mushrooms, oxtail slowly simmered in red wine, rabbit stewed with white wine and shallots. The mousse au chocolat is irresistible - especially as the bowl is left on the table for guests to serve second helpings. Bear in mind that Bobosse is one of the last bastions in the war against credit cards, so make sure that you have enough cash to avoid washing up.

· Prices given are per person, for a typical three-course meal without wine.

Getting there

Eurostar (08705 186186; www.eurostar.com has returns to Paris from £59 standard class and £139 Leisure Select class. British Airways (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com) flies to the city from Heathrow, Manchester and Glasgow airports from £87.50. Easyjet (0905 821 0905; www.easyjet.com) flies from Luton airport from £48.