Paris 2019

At the start of April 2019 my fiancée (N) and I took a long weekend in Paris. Paris is a city I have always enjoyed going to and visiting. It is a city that has been glamourized by the film industry so much so that Paris positively reeks of romance. Yes it can be seen as a cliché, I prefer to say a classic. Paris, every time I have visited has offered me something new whilst feeling unshakably true to its own Parisian style. 
This is why I love this city it feels familiar at the same time as revealing new secrets yet to be discovered. 

On this trip we ate from different cultures in many arrondissements, we did some ‘classic’ things to do in Paris and spent time enjoying the atmosphere of Paris in the spring. Although I have always loved Paris this was the first time in Paris together and so we enjoyed being tourists in the sunshine.

The first thing we ate in Paris was of course from a bakery, we travelled to one of my favourite arrondissements the 18^th, home to the artists district of Montmartre. We picked up a pain au chocolat each and happily ate whilst scaling the steps to the Sacre Coeur. Flaky buttery pastry that left your fingertips with a slight film on and rich chocolate, we had arrived and this was Paris.

We spent our morning around Montmartre exploring the back streets, walking up and down more steps than we could count (in fact by the end of the day we had done 20,000 steps and climbed 39 floors according to my health app) The views from the Sacre Coeur are fantastic and the back side of the church is beautiful and so so quiet. The park there is also a great place to take the weight of your feet. We certainly worked up an appetite so we went on the hunt for food. I wanted to try the Hardware Societe, I’d heard rave reviews and there was a queue outside – always a good sign. Whilst not typically Parisian as the Hardware Societe started in Australia, Paris is easier to get to for us, and believe me I’d return in a heartbeat. The staff were friendly and attentive and the place was buzzing with locals and tourists. I had an iced coffee and duck leg confit with butter beans that was cooked beautifully. The duck and butter beans both had a comforting richness that was offset with a herb oil and spinach, a crumb topping to the bean bed added another texture. ‘N’ had an iced tea and baked eggs with chorizo and toasted bread, this really was a taste sensation, this was comforting whilst being exciting definitely a must order if you go. We also shared a dessert of French toast with lemon curd, berries and cream; this was their ‘special’ although there was a version of French toast on the menu. This place is perfect for brunch and fills up quick. You won’t feel rushed though. Also visit the loo to see a view over the rooftops of Paris. The food was the star here and the relaxed cool atmosphere made it all the better, now off to explore more of Paris. 

We spent time admiring the majesty of Notre Dame and onto the stunning Jardins des Plantes with trees covered in blossom. We fished with a stroll along the river watching the dance classes before heading back to our hotel in Bastille.

That evening we didn’t travel far from our room and went to Sous Les Etoiles, which was connected to our hotel. This served French classics done well, in a modern setting covered in fairy lights – the name translates to under the stars. I had Beef Bourguignon that had been slow cokked and fell apart perfectly, this came with sweet potato mashed with orange. A combination I am happy to report works well and the orange cut through the deep rich beef tones great. Steak and potato dauphinoise was the dish of choice for ‘N’ and she seemed to want to dive straight into her potatoes and live in that creamy world. 

This ended our first day in Paris.

The following day we woke to yet more sunshine and headed out to the street market that happens every 2 weeks. Everything from fresh fish to flowers, bread to rugs, there was almost nothing you couldn’t buy. The hustle and bustle was fantastic and very different to the laid bake Saturday vibe of the previous day. We headed to be cliché tourists and visited the Eiffel Tower; we didn’t go up as we have both done that before but spent time exploring the river and bridges nearby. 

Our stomachs needed food and we wanted brunch so headed to one of the go to brunch spots in Paris Holybelly. This company have two locations on the same road doing different things and both had a queue! We ended up in Holybelly 5 and I got the savoury stack, this may be misleading as although it says savoury the maple butter that melts over the pancakes and bacon says otherwise. It was a good meal and I loved my pancakes, with bacon and eggs – that’s a combo that is impossible to taste bad. I would have to say though if I’m choosing a brunch spot in Paris to return to The Hardware Societe would win for me. If you do go to Holybelly 5 though you will still have a great meal.

We spent the rest of the day doing more tourist-centric things, The Louvre and Palais-Royal. The revelation of the trip was Laduree! Both ‘N’ and myself consider ourselves connoisseurs of afternoon tea having partaken in them almost everywhere we go. Every macaroon we have had at an afternoon tea has tasted of marzipan thus forcing us to believe that we didn’t like them. We couldn’t resist looking into the Laduree macaroon shop and the smells and flavours called out to be tried. We loved them, the light crispy texture the hit of flavour from the filling as well as the shells. We loved them so much that we bought some more the next day for the plane journey. We are complete macaroon converts – I do wonder if this is like believing you don’t like driving then getting behind the wheel of a Ferrari, driving other cars just wouldn’t be the same comparatively. Is Laduree the Ferrari of macaroons?

We had ‘tea’ at the famous Angelina and I had to try their hot chocolate. This was thick and dark, it came with whipped cream on the side and that addition lightened it up and was really welcome. Our tea was a mini afternoon tea with a madeline, fruit tart, macaroon (nothing on laduree) and sandwiches. The food here was fine, the tart was lovely, madeline was perfectly serviceable, it seemed to me that whilst the service is personal the food felt kind of ass produced. I guess really you are there for the atmosphere the setting is beautiful and the service was good. Their patisserie store was stunning and completely irresistible. We bought some more desserts for late night snacks (because the three each we had just had weren’t enough) as well as some tea and jam. I had a Mont Blanc made with chestnut and biscoff, which added something else to this dessert but I couldn’t finish, as it was very very sweet. We took an evening stroll through the city back to our bed with our sweet treats. 

The next day we packed and stored our luggage in the hotel before heading out to see some more of Paris, Coulee Verte Rene-Dumont & Rue Cremiueux. We were craving something savoury after a day of sweet food and so ‘N’ suggested burgers! Perfect. We headed to Bistro Burger Montorgueil, this honestly could be one of the best burgers I’ve had. Beef patty that was cooked to your preference and was so juicy and flavourful. When a burger is done well it forces you to enjoy it and take your time. We got a huge bowl of onion rings with a fantastically crispy coating and I was a very happy man.

As you probably can tell we have a sweet tooth and we felt to call of dessert. When in Paris it has to be crepes. A new creperie that has been making quite the impression in Paris is CrepoloG. You can choose from a menu of crepes they have designed or you can create your own, from ingredients you see. ‘N’ had banana and Nutella a tried and tested combo, and I went for an even more classic combo lemon and sugar – an old faithful. The crepes we great lacey with a little bit of chew and the coffee I had was one of the best coffee I have found in Paris. The service here was great the owner is very passionate and keen to please. If you are near I would encourage you to try it out. This is a modern feeling airy place that some may say feels slightly sterile, but the service is friendly and crepes are great. If however you want classic Parisian romance then get one to go and wander the streets with it I’d say.

The time ticked on and our time in Paris was finished so a final stop at Laduree before boarding our flight back home to London. Paris we will be back.