Paris by addresses - my growing list of places in Paris to eat, to drink, to snack and to shop. Something I can add to on subsequent visits - which, there will be many of. Without a doubt most of these places are going to centre around my favourite area - Le Marais (3eme and 4eme). I am biased as this is the area I have spent the most time in, but, after my most recent trip, also extends to the 1eme and 2eme, around the Rue Montorgueil area.
Being able to spend a full week in Paris with no real agenda, with could dos, not must dos and having the time to just soak in the Parisian charm, people watching and sipping aperitifs is a luxury that I could relive again and again. There is a certain joie de vivre in Paris that you just can't escape.
The best beef tartare in Paris? Fameux Tartare de Limousine au Couteau - Hand-cut steak tartare. The meat was drizzled with olive oil and mixed with fresh basil and aged parmesan. I hadn't had French beef tartare until now so I have no point of comparison but the beef was hand cut and the dish resembled an Italian beef carpaccio with the addition of basil and parmesan, Whilst nice, I do prefer the Czech version though sun and lack of appetite detracted from this meal. However, equally it was one of these so called bar a vins, housed in a beautiful building near the Place des Victoires, where you could have an aperitif in the afternoon.
L'avant Comptoir was easily one of my favourite places of my most recent trip - so much so, that I went twice and the waiter recognised me and gave me a frequent visitors card. If only I could. It was a mixture of the food, service and experience on both occasions. It is a tiny tapas bar, next door to the well known bistro - Le Comptoir, but unlike its neighbour - you can walk in anytime of the day. With only standing room at the bar, you would have a better chance in the off hours where you could stand leisurely and have the place almost to yourself - as we did. The menu is hung on the ceiling with laminated cards and ranged in price from EUR3-7 for bite size, tasty, and some creative tapas. A perfect way to wile away a wet afternoon.
L'avant Comptoir
9 Carrefour de l'Odeon
Paris, 75006
Metro: Odeon
Recommendation and a craving for Japanese lead us here. A udon place in the Japanese area around Rue Sainte-Anne. A small line was formed outside the restaurant when we arrived, and like all places Parisian, we were greeted by a small dining space with just a few seats around an open kitchen. Whilst the udon was good, we perhaps did not choose the best, ordering the Natto (fermented soy beans) version, and the Katsudon was the better dish. The highlight however, was the Onsen Tamago (Hotspring egg)- a super creamy egg cooked slowly at a low temperature. I first had this at an Onsen in Japan and whilst it created a curiosity of how to replicate this homestyle, sans hotspring waters, the taste in Japan actually did not compare to the one in Paris. It's just an egg you say - it is, but an extremely creamy and tasty one. We tried to order more, but they said no. I don't think it was personal, the kitchen was just closed.
Kunitoraya Sainte-Anne
39 Rue Sainte-Anne
Paris, 75001
Metro: Pyramides
http://kunitoraya.com/ste-anne/
Supper club, Hidden Kitchen, run by an American couple has been turned into a restaurant/wine bar called Verjus. The menu at the bar a vin consists only of 7 or so small savoury plates, some cheese and a handful of desserts. Only open in the evening, the dishes are all heavily Asian influenced. Worth a stop perhaps if you are in the area for a glass of wine and a craving for buttermilk fried chicken or dumplings, Oriental style.
Verjus
52 Rue deRichelieu
Paris, 75001
Metro: Pyramides
http://www.verjusparis.com/
French heavy, hearty fare does exist in Paris - we just really didn't eat much of it on this occasion -instead preferring little wine, tapas bars, picnics or Oriental eateries. On a previous occasion a group of us had a meal of duck and foie gras - that was essentially what the menu consisted of. So if you don't like duck, foie gras, or really, if you don't like artery clogging, fattening food - I would suggest you don't visit this place. Duck itself being already a highly fatty meat, combined with large portion sizes makes for rolling out of this place - but great service and a private room/cellar/storeroom made for an enjoyable evening.
Au Petit Sud-Ouest
46 Avenue de la Bourdonnais
Paris, 75007
Metro: Ecole Militaire
http://www.au-petit-sud-ouest.fr/
To be Continued.....
Being able to spend a full week in Paris with no real agenda, with could dos, not must dos and having the time to just soak in the Parisian charm, people watching and sipping aperitifs is a luxury that I could relive again and again. There is a certain joie de vivre in Paris that you just can't escape.
On an unrelated note, I learnt a new French phrase yesterday - "Plus ca change, plus c'est le meme chose" - The more things change, the more they stay the same. Whilst can be applied to many things, my love for Paris is certainly one of them.
A manger (To eat) - The lines are rather burred given the large number or Parisian 'bar a vins', that also serve meals but nonetheless these are my distinctions.
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| Les Fines Gueles - beautiful building |
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| Les Fines Gueles - Beef Tartare |
The best beef tartare in Paris? Fameux Tartare de Limousine au Couteau - Hand-cut steak tartare. The meat was drizzled with olive oil and mixed with fresh basil and aged parmesan. I hadn't had French beef tartare until now so I have no point of comparison but the beef was hand cut and the dish resembled an Italian beef carpaccio with the addition of basil and parmesan, Whilst nice, I do prefer the Czech version though sun and lack of appetite detracted from this meal. However, equally it was one of these so called bar a vins, housed in a beautiful building near the Place des Victoires, where you could have an aperitif in the afternoon.
Les Fines Gueles
43 Rue Croix des Petit Champs
Paris, 75001
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| L'avant Comptoir |
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| Savoury macaron of black pudding and pig trotter croquette |
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| Ham croquettes and Fried foie gras |
L'avant Comptoir was easily one of my favourite places of my most recent trip - so much so, that I went twice and the waiter recognised me and gave me a frequent visitors card. If only I could. It was a mixture of the food, service and experience on both occasions. It is a tiny tapas bar, next door to the well known bistro - Le Comptoir, but unlike its neighbour - you can walk in anytime of the day. With only standing room at the bar, you would have a better chance in the off hours where you could stand leisurely and have the place almost to yourself - as we did. The menu is hung on the ceiling with laminated cards and ranged in price from EUR3-7 for bite size, tasty, and some creative tapas. A perfect way to wile away a wet afternoon.
L'avant Comptoir
9 Carrefour de l'Odeon
Paris, 75006
Metro: Odeon
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| Kunitoraya Sainte-Anne |
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| Onsen tomago - highlight of the meal |
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| Natto udon |
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| Katsudon |
Recommendation and a craving for Japanese lead us here. A udon place in the Japanese area around Rue Sainte-Anne. A small line was formed outside the restaurant when we arrived, and like all places Parisian, we were greeted by a small dining space with just a few seats around an open kitchen. Whilst the udon was good, we perhaps did not choose the best, ordering the Natto (fermented soy beans) version, and the Katsudon was the better dish. The highlight however, was the Onsen Tamago (Hotspring egg)- a super creamy egg cooked slowly at a low temperature. I first had this at an Onsen in Japan and whilst it created a curiosity of how to replicate this homestyle, sans hotspring waters, the taste in Japan actually did not compare to the one in Paris. It's just an egg you say - it is, but an extremely creamy and tasty one. We tried to order more, but they said no. I don't think it was personal, the kitchen was just closed.
Kunitoraya Sainte-Anne
39 Rue Sainte-Anne
Paris, 75001
Metro: Pyramides
http://kunitoraya.com/ste-anne/
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| Verjus |
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| Crispy Basque pork belly, pickled chillies and spicey mayo |
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| Celery Root Dumplings with dan dan sauce |
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| Verjus - interior |
Supper club, Hidden Kitchen, run by an American couple has been turned into a restaurant/wine bar called Verjus. The menu at the bar a vin consists only of 7 or so small savoury plates, some cheese and a handful of desserts. Only open in the evening, the dishes are all heavily Asian influenced. Worth a stop perhaps if you are in the area for a glass of wine and a craving for buttermilk fried chicken or dumplings, Oriental style.
Verjus
52 Rue deRichelieu
Paris, 75001
Metro: Pyramides
http://www.verjusparis.com/
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| Au Petit Sud-Ouest |
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| Foie gras cru (raw) |
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| Foie gras poelee (fried) |
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| Margret de Canard (Duck breasts with Cepes) |
French heavy, hearty fare does exist in Paris - we just really didn't eat much of it on this occasion -instead preferring little wine, tapas bars, picnics or Oriental eateries. On a previous occasion a group of us had a meal of duck and foie gras - that was essentially what the menu consisted of. So if you don't like duck, foie gras, or really, if you don't like artery clogging, fattening food - I would suggest you don't visit this place. Duck itself being already a highly fatty meat, combined with large portion sizes makes for rolling out of this place - but great service and a private room/cellar/storeroom made for an enjoyable evening.
Au Petit Sud-Ouest
46 Avenue de la Bourdonnais
Paris, 75007
Metro: Ecole Militaire
http://www.au-petit-sud-ouest.fr/
To be Continued.....
Take me back there NOW!!
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