Café Tartine fills a gap left wide open with La Boulange’s demise in Soi Convent. While some may picture French food as incredibly complicated, smaller Parisian cafés don’t even have a kitchen, and do little more than a sandwich, a croque monsieur and some kind of salad. Have it with an Orangina or a Perrier and you’ve got a typical French student or busy professional’s everyday lunch. Is it the kind of stuff you’d want to enjoy with your date, in the evening? Probably not, and Café Tartine closes at 8pm anyway. But we’re jealous of office workers within walking distance of Café Tartine’s solid sandwiches, soups, quiches and salads, and of residents who can pop in for breakfast (café latte, orange juice, croissant). The rest of us will probably head here for leisurely weekend lunches, although you’ll have to make it early to enjoy bestsellers like quiche Lorraine or the pain au chocolat. (Get a stiff Bloody Mary, too!) The French manager is half the ambience, greeting one and all with a triumphant “Bonjour!” and calling orders out to the chef. The beige wood cabinets, rows of Ricard bottles and Gallic soundtrack do the rest. But while Café Tartine gets an A on atmosphere, the food is only a notch above average. The salad Nicoise, although generous and well-seasoned, contains fairly bland vegetables, and we’d have liked anchovies to brighten things up. (Tip: ask them for bread to go with that.) The croque madame (a grilled ham, cheese and béchamel open sandwich) may come on a tasty slice of sourdough bread, but neither the ham nor the béchamel are anything to write home about. Desserts are very solid though, like the tarte tatin, a pleasant combination of acidic applies and a blend of slightly bitter caramel, sweet caramel sauce and crème Anglaise on the side. The crème brulee, too, is great. This is a café: manage your expectations and you’re in for an affordable, very chill and very Francais moment.