Paris - La Belle Cuisine

The Frenchy Salade

In four days, I fell in love with the city all over again. It was probably a combination of seeing family and friends, Ai Wei Wei's amazing exhibition at the Jeu de Paume; presidential election fever; the red Louis Vuitton summer dress and of course, the food.

The photo above depicts a truly marvellous salad; it tastes even better than it looks! My friend, Thomas, took me to 'Yuppies Cafe' on 13 rue Montenotte. Toasted almonds are sprinkled on the parma ham. Camembert is half-melted in the oven and placed on top of brown bread. The salad consisted of warmed greens, tomatoes and roasted baby potatoes. Simplicity at it's best!

Phở - Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup

Vietnamese food in Paris is legendary. In 2006, it was estimated that 250,000 Vietnamese people are living in France. The sheer number of Vietnamese living in Paris combined with high-quality French ingredients has allowed this particular Asian food to flourish in the European capital. A few years ago, I travelled to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city with Mama Wong. We were slightly disappointed with the quality of beef served at most of the restaurants. The cattle raised in Vietnam are fed on poorer foodstuff compared to their European and American cousins, leading to a poorer quality of meat.

If you are looking for Vietnamese food in Paris, you must go to 'Le Kok' on 129 Avenue de Choisy. We went with my uncle and my lovely cousin, Alexia. In addition to the Pho, they will also give you the some of the bones with beef and tendons separately - dipped in the oyster and chilli sauce with a squeeze of lemon juice .... it was superb!

     

Now for some sweet things. Our family friend, Vannessa, took me to the Jewish Quarter in Paris. Rue des Rosiers (street of the rosebushes) is situated in the 4th arrondissement of Paris and is also known as the 'Pletzl' (little place in Yiddish). I love this place for their independent labels and boutique eateries. Most of the shops here are also open on Sundays.

Vanessa bought some pastéis de nata (Portuguese egg tart pastry) from Comme à Lisbonne on 37 rue du Roi de Sicile. These babies were amazing!? The warm thin crust is perfectly crispy and the rich egg custard is lightly dusted with cinnamon. (I am smiling as I type this).

Pastéis de nata

After a hard day's shopping on Avenue de Montaigne (where I tried on this killer Christian Dior dress), we had dinner at Little Italy on 92 Rue Montorgueil. The tables are close together but the food is excellent! Good, large, fuss-free portions of Italian cooking. I had the ravioli with wild mushrooms. Creamy and rich, the dish was wonderful. (The waiters here are also quite cute ... hehe)

Little Italy

One place we did try to go to was Derrière on 69 rue des Gravilliers. Unfortunately, they were fully booked. Opened in 2008, Derrière is a 'concept-dining' venue which resembles someone's large apartment. Customers can choose where to sit - be it the dining room, salon, bedroom or boudoir. Serving simple French food, Derrière has a large following ... I will remember to book in advance the next time (+ 33 1 44 61 91 95/info@derriere-resto.com)!