P Map There's something rather Parisian about the bustle and brusque service here, but then this is a long-standing favourite lunchtime haunt of the local business and political elite as well as tourists.

Expect cool Moorish décor, brusque service and succulent skewered lamb kebabs.

You can make for a slightly neater experience by eating in, but aside from the cramped tables and the brusque though not unfriendly service, there is something about this sandwich that begs for it to be eaten outdoors.

Take a trip to Paris without leaving the prairie at this small bistro that's authentic right down to the at-times brusque service.

An extremely popular bistro, it has traditional French main courses handwritten on a yellowing menu and brusque service - Paris in true form!

Perhaps it was an aberration, but a visit to the well-known Cantinetta di Palazzo Antinori (3 Piazza degli Antinori, 292234) produced brusque service and unwarranted high prices for undistinguished food, despite a guidebook listing as a first-class restaurant.

Same Aegean sea disaster murals, same brusque service, same all-cheeseburger menu.

The company initially installed American managers, who made some well-intentioned cultural gaffes, like offering to bag groceries for customers (Germans prefer to bag their own groceries) or instructing clerks to smile at customers (Germans, used to brusque service, were put off).

"I think of Essaouira as the beach of Marrakesh," said an American transplant, Nancy Bridger, over coffee in Pâtisserie Driss, known for its brusque service but Paris-worthy croissants.

Efficient if brusque service.