So long and thanks for all the memories...

I have been dreading writing this post.... my last from beloved Paris.

As people who know me know, Paris has been the land of my dreams since I was a wee young lass. I have always wanted to spend a year here and now, I have.

And what a year!

A huge change from my life in Hong Kong, I have experienced everything ranging from acute loneliness, the joy of finding a like-minded, food-obsessed blogging friend, the unexpected kindness of strangers, countless visitors, and the absolute freedom of being a flâneur, roaming the streets of Paris for hours on end with a dinner reservation to look forward to.

What was originally a six month stint turned into a 15 month stay after a proposal and subsequent marriage... um yes, that would be my own.

Now unfortunately as we begin our move to London, find a flat, go on honeymoon and return to Hong Kong to pack up my belongings, I will be on a break from blogging. I will be back end of May but for now, I leave you with a list of things I'll miss most from Paris. This list is by NO means exhaustive but may give you a taste of a few of my favorites.

• Cherry (thanks Susan!) and Salted Butter Caramel ice cream from Berthillon
  


• Peering into lit apartments and seeing wonderful decor


• Biche au Bois


• Stumbling onto an unexpected and utterly peaceful courtyard in the middle of a busy street


• Sandwiches and tarte fine aux pommes from our bakery


• Free museum days on the first Sunday of every month


• Bastille market (especially the salted butter caramels and the mediant mix)


• Special evenings such as Nuit des Musées, Fête de la Musique and Nuit Blanche


• Fresh fruit chocolates only available Saturdays from Jean Charles Rochoux


• Pretty dresses from Les Petits...


• Falafel from L'As de Falafel and the Foie de Vollaile in a pita from Chez H’anna (both on Rue de Rosiers)


• Rosewood body wash and oil from Patyka


• Meeting the boy for a sandwich lunch in Parc Monceau


• Lemon olive oil from O & Co


• Le Marais... we've been so lucky to live in the Marais


• CHEESE!!


• Being only a 10 minute away from the Seine and a view of the Eiffel Tower
  
  

I am sad to be leaving but I am so very grateful that I have had this chance to live here in this wonderful city. It has lived up to all my expectations and I have been very, very happy here.

As I walk around the city eating and drinking on my last day, sighing and making goo goo eyes at all the buildings, the boy turns around and says to me,

"We'll always have Paris."

and indeed we will. Indeed we will.

Le Petit Saint Benoit

So I thought I'd end the way I began. With food. I started with the first thing I ate in Paris and now I bring you my last evening meal in Paris.

It was at the Le Petit Saint Benoit, which I have been to on several occasions but have not yet blogged about. I have had very yummy meals there including the bestboudin and my first steak tartare in Paris.

But tonight, I had one thing on my mind. The Pot-au-Feu a l'Os a moelle. This was a lovely shallow dish of perfectly cooked vegetables with a large bone filled with meltingly fatty, rich, unctuous bone marrow, together with a large piece of what I *think* is brisket marbled with gelatinous bits. It was wonderful and rich but yet soothing and went surprisingly well with the bright warm spring day.

The boy had the special of the day, the cote de boeuf, which was a generous slab of meat with a wonderful green peppercorn sauce which kept the boy very happy indeed.

We didn't have dessert as we had luckily managed to snag the very last fresh fruit chocolate bar from the lovely Mr. Rochoux. Happily for us, it was the new season gariguette strawberries that day. Sadly for you, we ate it too quickly to take a photo.

We love the Le Petit Saint Benoit not only for the food but the wonderful atmosphere, the old bar, the interior, which looks like the restaurant car of an old train, the fun waitresses, and the old style 'patron', whose only job is to greet the regulars and make sure they are happy.

Le Petit Saint Benoit
4, rue Saint Benoit
75006 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 42 60 27 92

My Favorite Sammich

One of the places I will miss the most in Paris is my friendly neighborhood bakery. Although it is part of the chain, Ronde des Pains, although oddly, it doesn't seem to be listed there. I have visited other ones and still have a biased towards the one in my 'hood. After all, I've never seen the addictive paper thin apple tarts at the other ones (although they may have sold out!).

It didn't always start out being a love affair. For 10 out of the 13 months or so I've been here, they've had construction obstructing the front of the shop. And very fickle opening hours with it being open one weekend and closed the next. They were also the first one to put up a notice about an increase in price due to the price of flour. Besides the thin apple tarts I fell in love with from the beginning and have gotten many, many people addicted to, I often shopped elsewhere for my baked goods. After all, their croissants were merely passable and their pain au chocolates, while a complete fantasy while warm, were a bit tough when cold.

They won me over with the darnest thing. Sandwiches. I am NOT a sandwich person. Too many school years with soggy bread containing tomatoes and ham with a tiny stingy spread of mayo has scared me off. This is no slight on my mother, it was me who made my own horrid sandwiches. I obviously didn't know what I was doing and didn't really care.

These however, are a completely different beast. Sandwiches with a variety of ingredients and breads, all matched to complete perfection. Examples? I had one last week made with their "campaille" bread which has a soft, creamy "mie", stuffed with a soft cheese, bresaola ham, tangy, salty slices of parmesan, crisp lettuce and pickled, slightly hot cactus.

Fancy something...um... fancier?

How about the "Savoureux" made with foie gras with rocket and gingerbread? Yes, that's right, those are bits of gingerbread in the sandwich. And delicious it was.

Or a lovely simple but delicious "Rambuteau" which simply consists of rocket, delicious ham and slices of the gorgeous parmesan cheese. This was eaten too fast... twice... to take a photo.

The only which I didn't enjoy so much was the special that day of smoked trout on creme of asparagus spread, pale asparagus spears, lettuce and fresh dill. However, look at the variety of the sandwiches!

The choices kill me each time I go in. I stand in the queue, making the old ladies behind me angry as I decide which one to go for. All priced at between 4 to 5 euro, it's just perfect.

And if you like desserts, I can always recommend the tarte fine aux pomme. Or sables for those of you who are into those things! And its a very short hop, skip and a jump away from Centre Pompidou if you're visiting!

Ronde des Pain

16 Rue Rambuteau
Paris, 75003

A Day Out on the Champs

Besides the wonderful city of Paris, I will also miss my friends here.

In particular, I will miss hanging out with Umami, who is a kindred spirit in all things foodie.

Both of us arrived in Paris at the beginning of 2007 having given up our jobs back East and now finding much time on our hands, we got straight to work with the exploring. While I entertained guests and flitted around, Umami at least got down to business with the learning of French.

Having gotten down with the French comedy scene, she suggested we go see the hot movie Disco, which premiered last week.

We met after her hair appointment, bought tickets and proceeded straight to lunch at the, unknown to me, much hyped and trendy restaurant in the Toyota showroom, Kaiseki Bento.

Let me digress here a bit and ask, does anyone else know that all the automobile showrooms have restaurants? I had absolutely no idea! Apparently they all do! A bizarre concept to me but one, I'm sure, which will be welcome to those car fanatics like the boy.

Anyhow, a small cafeteria type restaurants containing 5 tables with 4 chairs each, arranged in a puzzlebox type setting, we worried we wouldn't be able to get seated. However, as it was only noon, we got in quite easily, although we were requested to vacate our table by 1pm.

It was a little bit odd. We were seated with windows on one side, a view of the 'behind' of a Prius with the table and counter area to the other side of us.

As to the setting, it was a bit bleak. There was a screen behind us but it was so very corporate, without much of the glitz and glamour, and the wall of blinking lights blending into the decor was... well a bit dated to be frank. Early 90's it would have looked all techno and cool but now it just looked a bit boring. The chairs were uncomfortable and the setting, not at all living up to the hype of "coolness". It was just so very corporate. And this is coming from someone who has worked in corporate marketing her whole career!

Ok, the food. There were 3 categories bentos, priced from 50 to 25 euros. The 50 and 30 euro bento was a set meal of various things incorporating both cooked and raw items. The 25 euro menu offered a choice of buckwheat noodles or 6 pieces of nigiri with 8 pieces of maki. This latter is what we both opted for.

It looked very pretty, with half the maki spread with crushed mango and passionfruit and the other with avocado. It tasted ok too, if a bit odd. After about the second piece, I felt that something was off... I lifted up my pieces and saw that the bottom was sitting in a thin film of oil. I thought at first they used oil so the sushi wouldn't stick to the bento box but Umami said it was a strong flavored olive oil. Sure enough, as we continued on, the olive oil soaked into the rice and I felt tasted very strange. It was a strong olive oil and I didn't think it went well with the sushi at all. I would have much preferred it without. The waitress told us that the chef was Japanese and liked to experiment with different types of sushi. I'm not fond of a lot of fusion foods and I think this is probably not something I'd like to try again.

After lunch, we wandered over to the Nespresso Boutique Star which, despite its cheesy name, is a huge 2-story showroom of their coffee, coffee machines and other products. It was rather impressive, I must say. It comprises of a number of areas such as a small bar at the front for coffee, a lounge at the back, a 'smelling salon', which was quite interesting. As you bend down to put your nose to the filters, it lights up and heats up the candle or essence (I couldn't tell what was in there) so you can smell it quite strongly. You can pick your machine to match your wallpaper and customize a machine to the way you like as well. There were people joining up Nespresso club memberships.

It all served to show you that Nespresso is no longer the tacky instant stuff you get at the supermarket but it is tres chic. It was marketed very exclusively with all the accompaniments such as sugar packets colored and labeled to match your favorite coffee. Huge walls full of tubes of coffee pods. Of course we got sucked in and had a cup of coffee at the little bar in front. How could we resist?

After a nice little cuppa, we indulged in a bit of beauty miracles at Sephora before heading towards our movie, which was as funny as promised if the story a bit disjointed and unbelievable.

It was a very, very tai-tai type of day filled with 'leche vitrine' (don't you love French for window shopping, window licking?), trendy places for lunch and coffee followed by a movie mid-day. *sigh* ... I'll miss this life!

Kaiseki Bento

at Le Rendez-Vous Toyota

79, avenue des Champs-Elysées 75008

Tel: +33 (0) 1 56 89 29 83

Nespresso

119 Champs Elysee

La France re[cuisinée]

Although I have eaten in Alain Ducasse restaurants, I always thought he was one of those pompous chefs who think they are the best there is and ever will be. However, Susan once told me of the tremendous effort he makes in giving young chefs a boost or a start and on his website, he makes a point of saying that his vision is "best expressed in his endless endeavours to make ‘Haute Cuisine’ simple, approachable and understood by everyone".

He makes good on his vision here with the (badly publicised) La France re[cuisine] which runs for 2 months from March 1st to April 30th in 100 or so restaurants offering a set lunch menu for 28euros. Now while this might not seem like the best bargain in town, they are mostly restaurants which can and usually charge more. Of the restaurants participating in Paris, all three are Alain Ducasse's associated restaurants.

The boy and I, along with Umami and her husband, decided to try out the Rech on a weekday (offer only available Mondays to Friday) and I duly made the reservation. I was a little surprised as the lady taking the booking had no idea of what I meant by La France re[cuisine] but kindly went to check with the management and confirmed my reservation.

The boys had the starter of Daurade crue on salade a l'huile d'olive vierge de Ligurie", which was really nice, fresh and delicate. The boy loved it.

Our main was salmon en aiguillettes, aux oeufs de truite et perles de hareng. There was a moment during our ordering process when we all wondered whether salmon had wings (aiguillettes de poulet refers to chicken wings) but of course it was simply thinly sliced salmon steaks. The salmon was very well cooked. I prefer my salmon raw or only partly cooked as I find cooked salmon very dry. This wasn't dry in the least and was very nice, especially accompanied by the light yet flavorful sauce. It was very nice.

Although it was slightly curious that the boys' dishes arrived accompanied by spinach while Umami and my dish came with thin haricots, tiny carrots, half dried tomato slivers and a tender radish like root vegetable. We're not sure if the kitchen ran out of sides to plate all four plates or this is done randomly or they felt that the boys weren't getting enough greens.

The dessert. What can I say except I loved it? It was named Mister Rech and described as a succes noisette glace, sauce au chocolat chaud. It arrived as an innocuous puck of ice cream dredged and crusted with finely crushed hazelnuts. The waitress then poured on a thick, thick, warm dark chocolate sauce on it. Then all hell broke loose. As in, it all went in my mouth. Every single mouthful. Umami was much more gracious and seeing how much her husband enjoyed it, pushed over the majority of it to him to finish. I was not so gracious.

It was lovely for us to come together for a dinner and a nice break for the boys in the middle of the day. As for the food, I think it was very decent value for the price, however, I fail to see how the menu itself lived up to the "symbolic" dishes of France, which La France re[cuisine] was supposed to promote.

I do highly suggest going to at least one of them during the promotion. Act quick, it ends at the end of the month! Also, this is not just limited to Paris, it is across France so check the website for a full list.

Aux Lyonnais

32, rue Saint-MarcParis (75002)
Réservation+33 (0) 1.42.96.65.04

Benoit

20, rue Saint MartinParis (75004)
Réservation+33 (0) 1.42.72.25.76

Rech

62 avenue des TernesParis (75017)
Réservation+33 (0) 1.45.72.29.47

Clos des Gourmets

As the boy and I begin to countdown our remaining weeks left in the city of light (four for those of you who are curious), we're also making a point to go to those restaurants we want to try.

One which I had previously heard raves about was Le Clos des Gourmets. So, in light of our German friends staying near the area, we decided to go for dinner on Good Friday.


I made the reservation on Tuesday. I point this out because on the phone, I emphasized that we would have a little 2yr old guest with us. However, when we got there, just a few minutes shy of our 8pm reservation, they seated us in a corner table, smack up against a hot radiator, having filled up the banquet seats earlier. This irritated me because I have worked in restaurants before (my Dad owned one.... yes, I am one of those people who grew up in a Chinese restaurant... how very cliche) and we always put children in banquet seats for convenience for the parents and the children. I would understand if we didn't reserve in advance or failed to mention it but there is a reason for reservations. It allows the staff to arrange optimal seating. Instead our friends were obliged to carry the little one on their laps the whole time. Don't get me wrong, they didn't complain about it at all, in fact they expected as much. I, on the other hand was annoyed that they gave us an inconvenient table when we had given them prior warning.


There is much I would forgive for fabulous food. Sadly, nothing they made really perked me up.


I started with their entree of the day of chicken and escargot. This consisted of 5 nuggets of chicken with escargot, covered in a cream foam sauce dotted with pesto. I found the chicken nuggets a little heavy as an entree and the escargots horribly over salted. Surprisingly, the sauce was the star of the dish, tasting light and fresh for a cream sauce.




I continued on with chicken for my main. Again, it was the special of the day, a roasted Gers chicken with black truffles. It required a supplement of 7.5euros. When it arrived, it smelled wonderful. Rich, earthy and chicken-y. It came in little Staub pot with two pieces of chicken (dark meat, thigh and drumstick), a handful of potatoes and thin slices of truffle. Of course, I didn't expect for the price to have mounds of the fragrant fungi so it was fine. It was beautifully scented but the flavor didn't translate to the chicken. But the chicken itself was very nicely cooked. I was a little surprised to see no other vegetables served with it at all.



Here I go on another tiny rant so feel free to skip this paragraph. The waiter kindly asked if he should put together a plate of vegetables for our little guest and when we said yes, he announced that they don't do very many vegetables but that he would see what he could do. While we sat there a little puzzled since he suggested it, he walked off to the kitchen. He brought out a small plate for the toddler while we were having our entrees and it consisted of small pieces of boiled carrot and potato. It looked like barely half a potato and perhaps a third of a carrot. And for this luxury? We paid 8 euro. Yes, I am outraged. For that tiny amount, they really should have comped it or at least charged considerably less. Perhaps that is just me. Any thoughts?


I finished with the crystallized fennel with soft spices and lemon sorbet topped with fresh basil. Umami raved about this dish last time. Perhaps they have changed chefs or lost their touch as I felt that the fennel tasted of nothing but sugar although the lemon sorbet was nice. That may have been only me though as one of our guests said it was the best of all of his three dishes. Although that may speak more about the other dishes. Our other guest had a vegetable risotto, which, when it came, looked like fresh pea soup but accordingly to her, tasted very nice, although the portion was disappointingly small.

I'm not sure what has happened to this seemingly good restaurant. When we met up with Umami and her husband earlier this week, they both agreed that the standards had slipped and they have not returned to the restaurant in a while.

Menu of three courses ran at 35 euros.



Le Clos des Gourmets
16 avenue Rapp
75007 PARIS
Metro: Alma-Marceau or Ecole Militaire
tel : 01 45 51 75 61
fax :01 47 05 74 20
contact@closdesgourmets.com

Murderous Fougasse

The other day, being peckish and between meals, the boy and I looked around the bakeries in our trendy neighborhood. Why so trendy, you ask? Well, all the cool boys hang out here. You know the ones...they dress well, take care of their bodies, generally talk very fast and use their hands a lot. The kind that don't even notice when you embarrassingly have one part of your skirt caught on your purse and its riding up so high, one of your butt cheeks is hanging out. Took a straight man with a gorgeous girl on his arm giggling uncontrollably to point it out. Niiiiiiiiice.


We very much like the shops around here. We are very fond of the baked goods and sandwiches from Legay bakery. That's no typo. It's Legay bakery, which on weekends, you can often purchase a 'magic' baguette, complete with decorative poppy seeds.

But that day we decided to go for something which caught our eye in the window. It was a fougasse loaded with olives. And I mean LOADED. No square inch of that thing was without an olive. We had to get it. It was delicious. On a slightly crispy bottomed foccacia bread topped with loads of juicy olives and a light hand on the cheese, it was just the thing to help us tick over to dinner.

Besides, as we found out later, the bakery has a murky past, whose story have only heightened its popularity.

Legay Choc

Artisan Boulanger Pâtissier
45 rue Ste Croix de la Bretonnerie, 75004 Paris

L'Avion Delices

32 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75004, Paris

Thai Good Lah!

I wandered around the neighborhood one day before my Bikram yoga when I stumbled across a small Thai restaurant. Being relatively early (for France) in the day, it was closed. I squinted and pushed my face close to the glass to take a look inside when a small, very friendly Thai woman appeared at my shoulder, causing me to jump back in guilt. She said hello and asked if she could help before unlocking the door. I smiled and said I was fine and looked curiously at the menu before trudging my way to another, sweaty yoga class with scantily clad men who were obviously disinterested in the female half of the population.

I have to admit, I went because of the Thai woman. She was most definitely Thai so the food must be somewhat authentic and so friendly I felt that I needed to visit. So of course I dragged the boy.

The restaurant was small but immaculate and it felt like lots of care had gone into the decor which had modern Thai touches, including a shrine over the kitchen door. The restaurant was manned by what seemed like a Thai couple and their son, who were all very friendly, sending over complimentary amuse gueules when we moved to a different table to accommodate a party of three. It consisted of a bite sized deep fried pastry with minced chicken and vegetables. Inoffensive but forgettable.

We ordered the lunch special, priced at a reasonable 15 euros for an entree, a main and an side dish. The menu seemed varied with authentic dishes, with entree choices including a green papaya salad and Tom Yum Kung and side dishes of rice, fried rice, glutinous rice or vegetables. We also ordered a Pad Thai at a horrific 13 euros but which would satisfy a craving.

Our entree of spicy Thai beef salad arrived, very prettily plated with perfectly cooked meat that was still toothsome and rare in the middle, the sauce was fabulous but not spicy in the least but very tasty with the perfect mix of tart, sweetness and kick from the herbs. It was a generous portion and so moreish and tasty, I quickly dug in, even munching the onions which had been marinated long enough to lose its normally harsh bite.

Not long afterwards, our Pad Thai arrived, looking quite gorgeous in its 'shell' of thin egg crepe with two prawns resting on top and a carrot tower on the side. I was happy to see the dried chili powder and sugar in the corner, for diners to sprinkle as they see fit.

I enjoyed the Pad Thai. Not having had too much experience, I really couldn't vouch for its authenticity. I can happily say, however, that I am quite there was no ketchup in this version!!

Our Thai green chicken curry with glutinous rice came after these two dishes were cleared. I was delighted to find the little 'eggplant' pods, bitter with a great texture in this version, which was not spicy but deliciously flavorful, wonderful with the sticky glutinous rice. The pretty vegetables were cut in very similar sized finger sized sticks, complete with lacy, wavy edged zucchini.

All in all, I loved the food, thought it was made with obvious care and attention to detail.

The restaurant was clearly a work of love, with the tables wiped down until they shone and pretty carafes of water with huge sprigs of mint inside.Mild enough for the French but tasty enough for me. I admit I also fell in love with the soft-spoken, always smiling Thai family, a component that is complimentary but so often missing with meals but which keeps me smiling all day long.

Suan Thai

41 Rue Ste Croix de la Bretonnerie

75004

Tel: 01 42 77 10 20

Closed Mondays

Ribouldingue - The yucky bits

I had been waiting to try it.

Ribouldingue was renowned for serving up innards. And I love innards. It could be the Chinese in me but after eating innards for as long as I can remember in noodle soups and the like, it does not faze me in the slightest. I never made any dishes containing innards but this was mostly due to my incompetency in cooking rather than any squeamishness.

But when Susan arrived, I knew this was the place for her. This is a woman who ate turkey balls in front of her boyfriend, although hopefully not stabbing at them viciously, knowing how men seem to hunch over at the slightest hint of pain to their nether regions.

And so we went. I even convinced the boy to go. He was willing, especially after the aperitif of absinthe he delighted in finding on the menu.

The menu is priced at 27 euros for three courses with additional costs for some of the selections. I debated between the rognons blanc and the ravioles de queues de boeuf but when for the beef tail ravioli when the boy chose the white kidneys. Susan went for the lamb's brains, which turned out to be perfectly pan fried with a lovely crust.

My beef tail ravioli were beautifully presented but I felt they were a bit boring and not as intense as they could have been, assuming they were cooked whole with the bone in so as to extract as much flavor as possible. I may also be biased, given my father's ox-tail stew is legendary with complex flavors that linger in the mouth. The boy's veal kidneys were tender and delicate and I have yet to find out what animal it came from.

For my main, I dithered between the ox tongue (continuing on the tip to top theme) and the tripes but on the recommendation of the waitress, went with the ox tongue. Again, I was a touch disappointed. My favorite, and most ghetto way of eating ox tongue is on spaghetti. Tomato sauce spaghetti the Chinese way in Cha Chan Tengs... with lots of Tabasco. So I was expecting a different preparation. Don't get me wrong, the tongue was tender and beautifully prepared to maintain the texture but the sauce was bland and a touch plain. I was expecting something a little bit different rather than chopped root vegetables. Susan's lamb sweetbreads were very rich and creamy while the boy's onglet was finished before I could snag a taste.

For dessert I chose a chocolate and ginger mousse with mango coulis and shaved young coconut paired with an airy meringue. I love all the flavors separately but together it was too much and didn't work altogether.

It seemed much like a disappointing meal but I was not in fact disappointed. I think my expectations were high due to the innards I had eaten before. I came expecting to eat innards prepared differently but found that the French preparation lacks the punch of the Chinese way. I enjoyed my meal and liked the restaurant itself. For adventurous eaters, this is a good option. For the Chinese, I say wait until you get home, much like I will!

Ribouldingue

10 rue St Julien le Pauvre

75005

Metro: St-Michel

Tel: 01 46 33 98 80

Le (TRES) Grande Venise

My cousin, during her visit to Paris, was recommended by a friend for a visit to Le Grand Venise. Having been advised by her friend that this was a particularly popular restaurant, it was booked as soon as she had her flights confirmed, which was two months before the meal was going to happen.

I was well excited that she was going to take the boy and I out as a thank you but this turned quickly to doubt and hesitation as none of the (many) food books I had so much as mentioned this apparently fabulous restaurant. A quick search online found quite a number of reviews which mentioned the poor service but huge portions, which did not sound commendable at all. I never did understand how restaurants can "make up" for the lack of quality with the quantity of food. If I wanted a huge plate of mediocre food, I can stay home because even I can produce mass quantities of crap food. Needless to say for the three of us, expectations were a low but hopes and mood was high so off we went.

We arrived at the restaurant a little late but still the first guests of the evening. We were greeted by the staff and the little Italian woman who made a huge fuss over us. Mamma, as she was known throughout the evening, immediately demanded that our waiter, a young man dressed in a slightly too large a suit, bring over our menus.

Scarcely had we sat down when a huge basket of vegetables put between us, a small plate with olives and salt, two bottles of olive oil, two types of butter, a plate of fresh basil stalks, a slice of mascapone and blue cheese and freshly toasted bread. As we stared in awe and a little bit of confusion, I asked Mamma to help describe what we were to do with it all.

First of all, we were to try her self-made starter made of marscapone cheese, triple cream and blue cheese on the toasted bread. As it had gotten slightly cool, she sent the waiter off to get it re-toasted. Then we were to split open the vine ripened tomatoes, douse them in either the rosemary or chili olive oil, sprinkle on the fleur de sel and top with a basil leaf from her garden and pop the juicy aromatic thing in our mouths whole. Then the salted and sweet butter for the radishes and the olives and other pickles to snack on. While we perused the menu.

As I was reading the menu, I noticed something quite odd. There were no prices in the menu. i started to get quite worried... even though my cousin was picking up the tab, I was starting to wonder what type of place doesn't list prices. I'm too Chinese not to want to know. So I asked my cousin, who also didn't have prices. Then it dawned on me. I asked the boy. Of course HE had the menu with prices! How old fashioned and yet how funny! My cousin was slightly outraged at the sexist assumption. I must admit, I was a little worried... after all, Italian dinners usually go through the whole spectrum of courses and foods and I wasn't all that hungry after eating a few radishes, tomatoes (sublime), some fennel and of course the olives, bread and cheese. Luckily we were saved yet again by Mamma, who came over to introduce the dishes of the day and take our order.

As she introduced her speciality, tete de veau sauce gribiche, I knew that was the dish for me. She told me how Jacques Chirac comes in especially for this dish of stewed veal head bits but I was already sold. She also introduced the seafood lasagna, which the boy choose and the duo of pasta, freshly made tortellini and cannelloni for my cousin.

First to arrive, much to our surprise, was a huge bowl of sugared and candied fruits. Figs, apricots, cherries, in their bright, shiny sugar syrup was laid down on the table, then a plate full of what the boy terms, 'grey wobbly bits' was presented, before a huge bowl of sauce gribiche, made up of mayonnaise with tarragon and chopped pickles, was slathered over the plate and laid down in front of me with the recommendation of eating them with the candied fruits. Which I found strange at first but it did help balance the richness of the dish.

Then, platter by huge, oval platter, descended on the table. There was the fried to a fragrant, chewy crisp onion rings, with eggplant, beautiful big, creamy perfect white beans, smoky chargrilled oily tendrils of red peppers and toothsome, flavorful lentils, for the table to share.

It was a huge quantity of food and while no one was keen to try my veal head, I did manage to try some of my cousin's pasta (yum with paper thin pasta sheets) and the boy's heavenly, heavenly seafood lasagne.

As for my own dish, I very much enjoyed the tongue and while the taste of the brain was a little strong and the texture slightly disconcerting, I was more troubled by the fact that there was so much rich sauce over the top of a very rich dinner. By the end, I had done well enough but could not manage the final two bits of skin and gelatin from the head.

As we sat in our plush seats, hand folded over our distended and abused bellies, the waiter came over to tempt us with dessert but first, he put down a dish of brandy snaps and caramelized nuts. In case we were hungry while deciding. I was done. Very much done and couldn't possibly eat another bite.... after polishing off most of the nuts.

My cousin and the boy heroically soldiered on, ordering their caramel ice cream, said to be their specialty. The gentleman came over with a small plate and a thimble of limoncello for the two of them before setting down a huge pot of cherries, stewed prunes, stewed figs and stewed apricots, the latter three of which were stewed with citrus fruits, cloves and cinnamon sticks, lending them a sweet, spicy aroma. This was all accompanied by the thickest, most decadent and deadly bowl of whipped heaven, cream so thick you could stick a spoon straight up in it and which the boy was seriously worried would kill him. I couldn't eat another bite but trust me, you cannot NOT eat it.

Just when we began to wonder if we had mispronounced the words for caramel ice cream, this came out of the kitchen....

That's right, its a FREAKING GIGANTIC BLOCK OF ICE CREAM COVERED IN CARAMEL! Sorry but I almost shrieked! It was the hugest block of ice cream I had ever seen! It was immense! The waiter patiently carved out chunks for the boy and my cousin, dribbled the caramel over and plated it with some of the thick cream and served it. It was unbelievable.

When we finally staggered out of the restaurant, having had coffees to help us digest (wishful thinking), I didn't know whether to thank my cousin or hit her for having shown us a fabulous but over-indulgent time. I finally mustered up the energy to hug her.

So finally, yes, huge amounts of food but luckily, good food. The final bill came to approximately 80 euros a head with 1 bottle of wine between the three of us.

Le Grand Venise
171 rue de la Convention
75015, Paris
Metro: Convention
Tel: 01 45 32 49 71

South of Nowhere

As a farewell dinner to one of the boy's colleagues, she invited us to dine with her at a restaurant just on the other side of Ile St Louis, charmingly, and quite aptly, given the quietness of the neighborhood, Au Sud de Nulle Part (South of Nowhere).

We found that it was a small seafood oriented restaurant, decorated with modern art sculptures, which our waiter told me were on display for a limited time and were for sale by contacting the artist, whose cards were displayed at the front of the restaurant.

We were presented with the menu and a some accras, deep fried dumplings. These were greasy and over-salted and did little to whet our appetites. The menu, however, had some intriguing combinations of flavors, with more than a smattering of Asian ingredients within.

I started with the "Carpaccio de dorade rose, vinaigrette de Yuzu, remoulade de pomme verte", which was very thinly sliced raw pink dorade with a slightly odd green apple/balsamic 'salad' on top, drizzeled in a light vinaigrette. The dorade was delicious and went went well with the tart apple although I couldn't taste the Yuzu, which usually has a suble yet distinctive taste. I liked that nothing overwhelmed the taste of the delicate tasting fish.








The boy wanted the dorade as well but since I ordered it, gallantly choose the Lobster Gaspacho with iced red peppers. It looked very impressive indeed, with a large shelled claw but I felt that the lobster itself could have been fresher while the gaspacho lacked bite.


For my main, I went for the seared tuna with green tea and spices. It came in a large meaty serving with thick cut seared tuna pieces with grilled vegetables accompanied by a small dressing on the side. The tuna was cooked well, only cooked the barest 3mm or so all around, dusted with green tea powder, which was barely noticeable above the chargrilled flavors of the tuna. The vinaigrette was a little strange and consisted mainly of what seemed like sesame oil with a mere touch of soy sauce and perhaps a splash of balsamic in there. It went well but was very oily, perhaps to counteract the slight dryness of the chargrilled tuna.



The boy had the Massale de Saint Pierre fish. We're not sure if it was overcooked or that was the texture of Saint Pierre but it was rather tough and chewy for a fish.



Overall, the food itself was a bit of a let down after the relative excitement over the promissing menu. We had expected the unusual combinations to excite but instead we felt that it had not been used to highlight anything special in the dishes. Although to be fair, this may be only our own expectations.



Although not having had an unpleasant time, we opted to skip dessert in favor of walking over to Berthillon's for ice cream instead.


Entree and main with a bottle of wine between four was approximately 50 euros.

Au Sud de Nulle Part
16 Bd Saint Germain
Paris, 75005
Tel: 01 43 54 59 10

A la Biche au Bois

This entry has been a looooooong time coming. Because I have already been three times and have so far not said a peep about the place. But my return custom says only one thing about it:

She likes it, she really likes it!

For a few reasons: good food, good value and good service.

The first time I went, it was late, the restaurant was crowded (we were only able to get into the 9pm sitting) and it was freezing rain outside. I was unwell and feeling horrendous midway through the meal. I went outside to get some fresh air. An incredibly busy server noticed me and asked if I was alright. I assured him the food did me no harm but I wished to get some air. A chair was unearthed as if by magic (the place was PACKED!) and wiped, put in a discreet corner with a bit of a cover to protect from the rain and offered to me. When I returned into the restaurant, every single server stopped by to ask if I was alright and if they could get me anything. I was in shock. I had made no fuss, was not running through the restaurant nor pushing to get outside but was rather discrete about it but they were very kind and thoughtful without being pushy. Despite a full house of guests. I was impressed.

Even more impressed was the boy. For, despite my malaise, had polished off his starter, main, a plate full of cheese, (goading his poor Chinese colleague into taking a huge bite of blue cheese with no warning), most of the bottle of Burgundy and was sitting back like a Cheshire cat sipping his Armagnac.

The second time we went, it was with my family of Mom, Dad, Brother and girlfriend as well as the boy. Before I could get my camera out of its case, forks were flying, arms were reaching and plates were compiles so that everyone got a taste of everyone else's starter. A bloggable picture was out of the question. The boy sat, terrified of being stabbed in the eye and wisely waited until the flurry stopped before attacking his plate.

So now, the third time, we were able to finally enjoy the meal with no one feeling ill nor forks a flying.

To begin, the dinner is an astonishing good value at 24.90 euros including a starter, a main, a selection of cheese and a dessert. Some starters and mains may include extra costs but were not unreasonable in the slightest.

I started with the parfait au foie nature, a choice my Mother made last time of which I was incredibly envious. It came in two generous slices with a small salad and a pot of pickles and bread for the table. It was delicious, smooth and luscious, a delicious start to the dinner. I shared it out between others as it was a little too much for one person. Even a greedy person like me. The boy's Mother had the Salade Périgourdine which came with a generous and fabulous piece of foie gras, with a salad of haricot vert and tomatoes. After a taste, ALL of us wanted to change our entrees.

My main, which was the classic coq au vin, came in a le creuset pot, a dark, fragrant scent wafting over it. It contained three large pieces of chicken, potatoes and mushrooms. The gravy or sauce was fabulous and everyone took turns dipping their chips (fries to me) in the sauce. The white meat was a bit too try to my taste but the dark meat falling off the bone, rich and delicious.

Then come one of my favorite bits. The cheese course. A huge round platter is brought around to the table and you are asked to choose what cheese you like. You are allowed to choose as much as you would like but be warned, the portions are generous. When my brother's girlfriend came, she turned to the boy to ask how much she could have and when he answered "as much as you want", the responding smile almost cracked her face in two. The blue is delicious, as well as the Pont Leveque. I'd go back just for the cheese.

Last but not least was the desserts. Before the Armagnac and the coffee, of course. And, in an effort to feel slightly better about my choice, I had l'Ile Flottant, a beautiful light meringue in a creme anglais drizzled with caramel. I had no problem finishing it. And the boy had no problem finishing the custardy creme anglais.

So, finally, my verdict is go. But if I can't get a booking next time, I'm pulling this post!

A la Biche au Bois

45 av Ledru Rollin, 12th

Metro: Gare de Lyon

Tel: 01 43 43 34 38