Friday Five Things: More foodies finds in Paris…

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to take a petit pause from the mildly stressful pace of college to hop across to Paris for a couple of days. I was travelling with my Italy companion Orla, so of course, plenty of food was on the agenda. We had planned out in advance all the places we just needed to see, and apart from a minor crisis when I realised my old favourite local boulangerie had gone out of business (no more papillons au chocolat – the horror), everything went swimmingly. So here I am sharing 5 great places that we visited over the weekend (Credit for most of the photos goes to Orla and her Iphone 🙂 )  Enjoy…

1. Angelina
As clichéd as it may be, I insist on bringing all those who come to Paris with me to queue outside Angelina on Rue de Rivoli. And each time, I have to convince them that yes, the hot chocolate is worth it, and no, you won’t mind that you paid the same amount for it as you paid for lunch. I know all the tricks – when there is a huge queue or you are in desperate need of a chocolate hit, go into the patiserrie and get one to go – cheaper and immensely quicker, but with less ceremony (it doesn’t taste quite the same out of a paper cup). There are branches elsewhere around the city, and we frequented the Luxembourg one – it was the best treat after braving scary French exams (or just a tough day of lectures).

Haters gonna hate, Angelina has to be done.

2. Relais d’Entrecote
Another clichéd, quasi-touristy entry. Yes, there will be as many Americans as French in the queue, and yes the prices (26 euro a head for a salad and steak-frites) are most definitely not the best value in Paris, but honestly, a trip to Relais d’entrecote (either Montparnasse or Rue Marbeuf) is worth having.

There is only one item on the menu, and as you are seated, the waiter will likely bark ‘la cuisson?’ at you. Many a ‘I got an A in the LC’ french-speaker has been flummoxed by this – she is just asking how you like your steak cooked. For those who eat it medium-well in Ireland, respond ‘Bien-cuit’, for those who like medium-rare, ‘à point’, and for those who like it rare to mooing, ‘saignant’ or even ‘bleu’ (Literally bloody (rare) and blue – you’ve been warned). You will get a nice walnut and frisée salad to start, and plenty of bread – don’t eat it all now, you will want it to mop up the deliciousness that is the mystery sauce that comes with the steak. Also, don’t be alarmed when the waitress comes over and shovels more food onto your plate – the portion comes in 2 halves. I’ve never tried the desserts, as I’ve always been full to the brim with steak-frites, but I can say with certainty that the choux pastry thingy with ice-cream and chocolate sauce looks absolutely divine. Maybe next time?

3. Popelini
A great find stumbled upon by accident when Jane came to visit last February, Popelini sells mini choux buns filled with creme-patissiere of all varieties, and sold individually or in beautifully packaged boxes for your most chic of Parisien hostess gifts. Having discovered the branch on Rue des Martyrs in Montmartre, I then scoped out the more convenient one in the Upper Marais. I’ve tasted almost all they have on offer, my all time favourites being the Chocolat au lait avec confit de passion (Milk chocolate with passionfruit), Praliné (tastes like posh nutella), Citron (lemon, of course) and the Fruit de la Passion (unadulterated passionfruit goodness). I love these so much, I brought a box of twelve home, via 2 taxis, a plane ride, a bus journey and in the car down to Clonmel. They did look a little worse for wear, but tasted amazing. So worth it.

4. Les Cocottes
A little more upmarket than we expected, Les Cocottes turned out to be a cool, buzzing winebar style of restaurant, surprisingly close to the tourist trap of the Tour Eiffel and Les Invalides, an area notoriously difficult to find quality food at earth-prices. Given that the walls of the bar were home to laden shelves bearing hundreds of copies of the proprietors cookbook, we cleverly deduced that said proprietor must be a celebrity chef. In French, a ‘cocotte’ is a little earthenware dish, used to bake gratins/cassoulets in the oven. So naturally, we both went for cocottes – mine a langoustine ravioli with an unbelievably rich aubergine foam thing, and Orla for the more sensible vegetable gratin. Both were delicious, and judging from the constant stream of customers jostling for seats, they must be doing something right. One I’d go back to.

5. Dose, Dealer de café
This last one is a bit random, because it is totally un-French. It is styled like a typical posh Australian/American/Irish coffee shop – similar to Café Grey or Fixx on Dawson Street. However, it is a rare gem in Paris. I don’t know where I came up with the idea that the French were good at coffee, but it is a fallacy – they rejoice in bad coffee – and God forbid that you were someone who prefers their coffee with milk? This is one of the few places near me that would serve a latte or a cappuccino that resembled something close to what the Italians intended. The prices are Starbucks-style, but so much better than resorting to the dreaded MNC when trying to be all sophis and urban. It is on the charmingly tacky Rue Mouffetard, which incidentally is one of the best places to head to on a Sunday morning – enjoy banter with the stall-holders on lower Rue Mouffetard before popping over to Marché Monge to pick up some goodies

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Musashi

As I mentioned in my last post, I am lucky enough to live close to a great sushi restaurant. I’ve been three or four times, and each has been wonderful – the fish is fresh, there is enough variety to keep things interesting, but it is also accessible for the sushi-newb in that there are ample dim-sum type options, as well as cooked sushi rolls such as tempura prawn and crab.

The decor is Ikea mixed with your local Chinese restaurant, but the plating of the food is lovely – really clean presentation and interesting crockery. Another nice touch is that they give you green tea upon arrival. There is also a smaller Musashi on Capel Street which is hugely popular – this one is great in that there is plenty of room -the place would be regularly  3/4 full even on a week day night.

We usually get 1-2 dishes each and share – my favourites are crab and avocado rolls, and spicy tuna (though it does have a major kick). I also have a soft spot for the pork or prawn gyoza – it is just delish, and really pretty! This is definitely a place to try, especially if you are unsure about how much you like raw fish.

Staple Foods

I actually love Temple Bar. All through first and second year, I pretty much avoided it – I associated it with tourists, vomit and nightclubs (not necessarily in that order). However, since coming back, I’ve explored it quite a bit – there are fantastic shops and even better in the line of cafés and restaurants. When we were headed to the Dublin Theatre Festival to pick up tickets for A Girl is a Half-formed thing (absolutely fantastic), I spotted Staple Foods and took a quick snap of the menu to remind me to go back for a visit whenever the opportunity next arose. Fortunately I didn’t have to wait long – the following weekend, the younger sister and I decided to treat ourselves to lunch after a difficult and stressful morning perusing the food stalls and vintage shops around the area (I know, you don’t know how we do it, right?).

The menu in Staple Foods is based on the principles of Paleo eating (basically caveman style, protein good, refined carbs = poison), and there are several vegetarian and vegan options. There is even green juice for those of you whose body is a temple. It is six euro though (Almost 2 whole nutella crepes worth. Just sayin.). The place is actually a bar, operating as a cafe during the day. Though slightly more grungy than some of the other cafés around, most of the touches are pinterest-friendly in a familiar way i.e. mason jars on the window sills, mismatched chairs and tables, and waitstaff with large-framed round glasses. You know the type.

Both Sarah and I chose the meaty vegan-unfriendly options. I had a chinese sticky pork salad with crunchy celeriac and chinese cabbage, while she chose the mexican chicken salad with chickpeas and tabouleh. Both were lovely, but we decided that the pork worked better than the chicken given that the salad really needed the crunch of the vegetables in what is otherwise quite a rich and one-textured dish. The flavours were good, particularly of the meat. All in all, they were healthy, filling lunches that were a little different to what you are usually served up.

The dishes were simply enormous – if it was me, I would cut the portions by half and bring the prices down (I am sure some people would then complain – you can’t please everyone!). It was 10 euro each, which I feel is steep for a salad, but then we did have at least enough between us to fill a pot to bring home for lunch the following day.

I’d go back – the atmosphere was very chilled, and the menu was interesting enough to make me want to try other dishes. There is also the fact that it is just a stone’s throw from my new favourite browsing spot (Folkster) – who could resist? Cue slightly demented gif of me digging in.. 

https://www.facebook.com/staplefoodsdublin

http://www.folkster.com/clothes/vintage

Roma: Pizza da Baffetto

In an 8 day trip to Italy, not stopping south of Rome, it would be foolish to claim to have scratched the surface of the foodie delights the country has to offer. Countless Italians have told me that nothing north of Naples is worth talking about in terms of Italian cuisine, and though Rome has its own treasures, it can’t touch the regional styles of other areas. All of this aside, we ate incredibly well over the week, and even lay claim to stumbling across some of the finest pizza in the Eternal City.

 

Pizza da Baffetto was strongly recommended to us by some good friends, but we had kind of forgotten to look up its location or anything. It was more by serendipity that we wandered past, and it was hard to miss given that a queue stretched out the door, down the street. Following my rule of thumb from Paris (follow the queues), we joined the back of the snaking line.

The street, Via del Governo Vecchio, is not far from the magical Piazza Navona, and was buzzing at 9.00pm on Thursday night. The queue moved quickly enough, and we were hustled briskly to a table around the corner, almost on top of an Italian couple already enjoying their pizza. We had a cute jug of house red, but the pizza was the reason we were there, and did not disappoint.

In Roman style, the pizza base was wafer thin, and irregularly shaped – no concessions to form were made here. While in the queue we got a good look at the chef churning out pizza, and most excitingly, the beautiful wood burning oven that they shoveled pizza in and out of at an alarming rate. Incidentally, we had been warned prior to our trip that one of the worst tourist faux pas in Italy is to order pizza for lunch. Italians would never do this, for several reasons, but the most pertinent being that the wood burning ovens take a long time to heat up, and depending on when the restaurants light them, are at their prime cooking temp late in the day.

We shared 2 pizzas, one with salame, and one with grilled aubergines and courgettes. In reality, there is probably no beating a simple Margherita – anything else is gilding the lily. The pictures were rushed – we feared provoking the wrath of the waiters. It seemed like the customers were more of a hindrance to their art of pizza making than much else. Don’t expect to linger – this place turns tables at a rapid tempo.

http://www.pizzeriabaffetto.it/default.asp

 

Patisserie round up…

In this post coming after a long hiatus due to various technical glitches, I am returning to the topic (inexhaustible to me at least..) of Parisian patisseries. Here, I’ll go through three of the best places to sample the most decadent creations the city has to offer. The three establishments are Cafe Pouchkine, an inimitable and creative Franco-Russian collaboration; Pierre Hermé, and Carl Marletti.

 

First, Cafe Pouschkine. This was one of the places that spent the longest on my to-do list of Parisian patisseries, and it is probably because I had heard so many reports that the staff were a bit scary and did not indulge uncouth foreigners traipsing into their pristine boutique. However, the impending exams brought about a huge rise in my motivation to visit cake shops naturally (procrastination by any means..) so I made the trip one very rainy afternoon in June over to the Place des Vosges, and dared to rush into the shop totally and utterly soaked, and not at all the sophisticated Parisian/Moscovite I had intended to portray.

In actual fact, the serveuse was lovely and didn’t even mind as I sneaked some photographs of the counter. She also gave me her opinion on the various pastries as I hesitated, and upon her recommendation I forewent my usual chocolate/hazelnut choice for a Caramel-Vanille St. Honoré which I devoured out of the box while taking shelter under the arches outside.

http://www.cafe-pouchkine.fr/

 

Second, Carl Marletti. This patisserie is probably the least well known of the three mentioned, and is actually very close to where I lived in Paris, just off Rue Monge. Note that like many patisserie, Carl Marletti does not open on a Monday! Here I shared a delicious mille feuille with Ali, which while very very difficult to eat with any elegance, was one of the best examples of how amazing  pâte feuilletée (puff pastry) can be. On my next visit, I definitely intend to sample some of the specialty eclairs.

http://www.carlmarletti.com/

 

Last but certainly not least, my beloved Pierre Hermé which has branches dotted all over the city, 2 conveniently located within a stones throw from my university campuses (Rue de Vaugirard, and Place St. Sulpice). I first went to Pierre Hermé upon the insistence of two vraies Parisiennes Claire and Alice that they held the best macarons on offer in France. To be honest, though I loved picking out my flavours of choice (Chocolate and Passionfruit), my eye was more taken by the other pastries displayed. Of course, there was ample time to sample, and I returned at the next opportunity to try the enormous and amazing indulgent Deux Milles Feuille. This was one of the best decisions I’ve made – I’ve yet to taste a dessert that comes close to the perfection that is the Deux Milles Feuille. To be fair, it is my classic flavour choice (chocolate and hazelnut) but the real triumph is in the construction; in one fell swoop you get creamy creme patissiere, crunchy praline, smooth chocolate and crispy pastry. Heaven.

 

http://www.pierreherme.com/

Broccoli and Hazelnut Pasta (plus dessert naturally..)

 “..suffice it to say that the existence of broccoli does not, in any way, affect the taste of chocolate.”

Bearing in mind that a large part of my readership ( almost everyone?) is my three sisters, I hardly need to explain the above quote. But how and ever, it is from John Green’s beautiful “The Fault in our Stars”. And though I totally agree with the sentiment, I have to say that I adore both broccoli AND  chocolate.

Here, I made a quick pasta dish with bits and bobs I picked up at Marché Monge (how I will miss this when I leave!). It is simply pasta, roasted chopped hazelnuts, barely cooked broccoli and roast chicken, with a garlicky herby butter. I include also a picture of a truly epic Feuilletine praliné that I got on the way home from school as a celebratory end of TDs (travaux dirigés/seminars) treat.

                                    

Broccoli and Hazelnut Pasta. 

-Handful of broccoli, broken into reasonable chunks.

– 75g Short Pasta (Shells, Fusilli, Torsades etc)

– 1 clove of garlic

– Chopped mint/basil/parsley (you could even use pesto in a pinch)

-Handful of hazelnuts, toasted.

– Knob of butter

-Leftover roast chicken (could leave out altogether, or substitute with smoked bacon)

Boil the pasta with a good pinch of salt. Crush the garlic, and add the butter to a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic and the chopped herbs. Add the chicken (including skin for a better flavour).

When the Pasta is about 2 mins from being done, throw the broccoli in the pot on top of it, leave for literally 80-90 seconds and drain. Mix everything in the pan, add the toasted hazelnuts, and a decent grating of parmesan (I won’t judge!). Serve immediately..

And so after, I almost skipped the photography all things considered, but here are a few snaps before demolition occurred. The patisserie is on Rue Saint Jacques, and is run by a widely acclaimed patissier called Sébastien Degardin. It is basically a number of different textures of chocolate and nuts, a chocolate genoise sponge base, 3 layers of tempered dark chocolate, and 2 different kinds of chocolate mousse, with a crunchy coating of roasted nuts sandwiching each layer. It was at least 3 times as good as it looks!

                  http://www.sebastien-degardin.com/

This little piggy went to the market…

Obviously, a huge part of life in France, is food, and quintessentially the fantastic market culture that exists (even in swanky Paree..) Though people generally wouldn’t do an enormous part of their weekly shop at their local marché, it is the often the place to see and be seen, and especially so on a Sunday morning.

My market is Marché Monge, though I generally combine it with a visit to Lower Rue Mouffetard and the fantastic array of stalls and foodie shops there. Here are a few tips, solely from my personal experience, about how to marché..

1. Follow the queue. The French, especially the older women have an innate sense of quality, and value. If you see a stall that has a large queue seeming to contain mostly elderly women with their rolly shopping bags, you have struck gold. They know what you (as an uncouth foreigner will never know..) where exactly the best, freshest produce is. This is particularly important when you see 4 – 5 Fruit and veg stalls all overflowing, and you can’t spot a single difference!

2. Be careful with prices: in the bustle of the queue and the stress of trying to remember the french for asparagus, it is easy to check the prices or ask how much things are. Generally, there should be no nasty surprises – it may be slightly more expensive than your average supermarket for certain products, whereas some will be great value. Beware the sneaky €6 melon out of season – it is there to lure the tourists, don’t succumb!

3. The rotisserie chicken is King: This has been one of my best discoveries in France. Even if the huge rotating birds look intimidating and/or enormous – don’t be put off. You can get the marchand to give you a half, or even a quarter chicken depending on what you need. Roast chicken leftovers are super versatile, and you will more than get your value for the 3-odd euro you spend. Tip: Always, always accept the offer of ‘de la sauce avec?”. Not only will this magic greasy liquid transform your chicken, you risk offending the marchand and his entire family if you refuse – you have been warned…

                                         

4. If something smells amazing, it is probably amazing: This is particularly apt regarding the lebanese galette I am devouring in the picture below. These are amazing (ginormous) soft dough parcels of lamb, pine-nuts, tabbouleh vert and feta cheese. They smelled amazing, and they are – use your nose!

                                        

5. Smile and try to speak French: Last but not least, this is pretty obvious. The market sellers generally love their job – they love having the banter with the customers. Smile, try out your French (even if it atrocious) and chat to the vendors. My Irish twang speaking french has got me a free bag of figs, and an extra tomato on more than on occasion, so it is well worth the effort!

 

 

A moveable feast

To err is human. To loaf is Parisian. -Victor Hugo

One of my favourite things to do in Paris is just to walk around and get lost in the streets. For me, two things are certain when I set out for a walk: one that I will definitely get lost, and two that I will in some way end up in a food-related establishment. Parisian streets are therefore glutton for punishment – it is a notoriously difficult city to navigate, and conversely is home to some of the most exquisite foodie haunts.

The area around Rue de Bac is a favourite of mine – there is so much here that you could do 2 trips; one for exclusively sweet things, and then return to try all of the beautiful fromageries and boucheries.

Start at Sèvres-Babylone metro station; and pop into the Grande Épicerie

I waited no longer than 3 days in Paris to seek out the famous Grande Épicerie, adjacent to the swanky Bon Marché. At first glance, this is an Ali Baba’ s cave of goodies, if slightly overwhelming. I would advise going for a browse, and maybe to pick up a few things for a picnic.

I have found that the bakery section is nothing special, but they have an amazing selection of dairy products; really great yoghurts and fantastic cheese of course. There is a well-situated park just down the street, at the entrance to the Sèvres-Babylone Metro stop, where the local nannies and au pairs bring their charges for an after school ‘goûter’.

Head down the side of the Grande Épicierie, between the two buildings of the department store, on Rue de Bac until you reach La Patisserie des Rêves.

Further down Rue de Bac, however, there are several other must-see establishments. First, some dessert! La patisserie des reeves et des gateaux et du pain both were on my ‘list’ for a long time until I ventured over.

These two upmarket patisseries are beside each other, and both are as well worth a peek as the other. These are serious pastries – come here for a treat! My student budget has only stretched to the delicious “J’adore la Fraise” from Des Gateaux et du Pain, whereas I have on very good authority that the Paris Brest from la Patisserie des Rêves is among the best of its kind!

Here you come to a trio of great shops; Boulangerie Secco for delicious bread and viennoiseries; and opposite Ladurée, facing Dalloyau; two of the grandes dames of Parisian patisserie.

A branch of Ladurée, the maison de patisserie renowned for its macarons is situated just off Rue de Bac, on Rue Royale. Even though the queues can be long, and the prices steep, this is an ‘inconturnable’ for your first time in Paris. Of course, the macarons are de rigeur, and my favourites include Vanille, Praliné and Citron. The chocolate is lovely, but only if you like intense cacao flavours! You can sit in in the beautiful tea room, and enjoy a pot of tea, or a café at one of the sumptuous banqueted tables.

Last two stops bring you back on to Rue de Bac: Chapon Chocolatier, and Maison Kayser.

Further on down the Rue de Bac, amble towards Chapon Chocolatier. Though his first shop opened only in 1985, Chapon has a very old-world feel. Honestly, everything here is good, but the pralines are to die for; a smoky blend coated in real chocolate.

Last stop, before you collapse on the banks of the Seine, or carry on towards the Louvre, Musée D’Orsay or Notre Dame; all of which are less than 15-20 mins walk; is Maison Kayser. Eric Kayser has a number of premises around Paris (and luckily one in very close proximity to my Uni) and is the perfect stop for either a sandwich, a baguette or one of his delectable desserts.

If, by any chance, you still have room for a patisserie, I would highly (and strongly, and emphatically…) recommend the Tarte Passion-Framboise. Buttery crumbly pastry encases a silky curd that bursts with passion fruit tang. To be honest, I could take or leave the raspberries, but then again, it is all in the aesthetics!

                

http://www.lagrandeepicerie.com/

http://blog.lapatisseriedesreves.fr/

http://www.desgateauxetdupain.com/

Boulangerie Secco, 20 Rue Jean-Nicot 75007 Paris

http://www.laduree.com/en_fr/

http://www.dalloyau.fr/

http://www.chocolat-chapon.com/boutique/?gclid=CLzs5fTqqb4CFYXKtAod4TQAKA

http://www.maison-kayser.com/