paris, je t'aime

There are so many things that I love about Paris. The relaxed pace of life. Sitting on terraces for hours drinking wine. Strolling through the different arrondissements and finding hidden corners, markets and cafes. Picnics in the parks. The first crunchy bite of a baguette. Runny cheeses! The butter! Those pastries! Macarons! I miss Paris so much already. 


Some of my favourite eats this time around:

(clockwise from top left) 

Salade gascon from Le Relais Gascon: Under that layer of garlicky fried (probably in duck fat) potatoes was a large chunk of foie gras, slices of smoked duck and then the usual salad stuff.

Falafel from L'As du Fallafel: Crispy falafels topped with pickled cabbage, fried eggplant, cucumbers and hummus. The sandwich makers here have their technique down pat: they layer falafels, vegetables and sauce throughout so everything gets mixed properly.

Rotisserie chicken + potatoes from Rue Mouffetard: There are vendors along the Rue Mouffetard that have rotisseries full of chickens. As the chickens cook, their juice fall onto a huge tray of potatoes. It's easy to get mesmerized watching the rotisseries turn, turn, turn. Oh, and the chicken and potatoes are da bomb.

Pâtissier stohrer

Pâtissier Stohrer is supposedly one of the oldest pâtisseries in Paris. I had a hard time deciding on what to get, but settled on a croissant (flaky and perfect), a chocolate eclair (not shown, but believe me, delicious) and a puits d'amour or "well of love", a flaky pastry shell filled with vanilla bean studded custard and topped with a layer of crackly caramel similar to a crème brulée.

(clockwise from top left)

Millefeuille from Fauchon: layers of puff pastry and pastry cream (Joe's fav Parisian treat).

Canelé (a custard-y, slightly chewy pastry with a deep, caramelized outer shell) and Chausson aux pommes (apple turnover) from Paul a chain of boulangeries/pâtisseries (this was for the train ride back to London.)

Macarons from Pierre Hermé. The ones pictured above are lemon, pistachio, salted caramel and asparagus with walnut oil (a seasonal flavour that surprisingly worked!). 

Some of our best meals were spent sitting in a park eating cheese, bread and fruit from a local market. This spread was bought at La Grand Epicerie.

* Le Relais Gascon

6 rue des Abbesses (18th)

Paris

* L'As du Fallafel

34 rue des Rosiers (4th)

Paris

* Pâtissier Stohrer

51 rue Montorgueil (2nd)

Paris

* Fauchon

24-26 place de la Madeleine (8th)

Paris

* Paul

over 300 locations 

* Pierre Hermé

72 rue Bonaparte (6th)

Paris

* La Grand Epicerie

38 rue de Sèvres (6th)

Paris