The restaurant at the Musée d’Orsay
[This is a continuation of my Paris posts on our recent trip at the end of May]
It is June and we have been receiving many visitors to London. Not only that, there are three birthdays and Father’s Day to celebrate this month. In all our meet-ups with friends and family, over conversations around the dinner table, the question most frequently asked about our Paris trip was whether there was a favourite restaurant.
The simple answer is that I enjoyed walking and sightseeing a lot, and as part of this I was most happy when we ate something unplanned. The meals at the restaurants we booked (listed at the end of the post) were all very good, but nothing that would prevent me from trying out a new restaurant for my next trip. This is unlike Otto in Berlin which I have just called to see if they open in July/ August, in the event that I can fit in a trip. I am also thinking of REMI.
What would I cross the Channel to eat again? The pain au chocolat aux sésame from Petite île, a French-Taiwanese bakery, and its small but perfectly formed bread roll filled with a thick slice of jambon. To accompany this Saturday morning breakfast we had tea and coffee from their neighbour Typica. Both shops share the same address: 8 rue des Filles du Calvaire, 75003 Paris.
One unique feature of the drinks from Typica is that they are served in heavy bottomed glasses from notNeutral (Vero glasses). I didn’t take a side-view photo but should have: you can see them here.
After our walk around the Marché couvert des Enfants Rouges (39 rue de bretagne, 75003 Paris) we returned to have their mini sandwich with ham and Comté cheese. By then we had spotted many more artisan bread and pastry shops in the area. I will have a think about writing an entire post about the shops we came across.
How much can you eat on a short trip? We had two lunches and three dinners at restaurants, and two on-the-go lunches where we picked up food as we went along. I exercised great restraint and did not once buy a macaron, an eclair, a tart or any of the beautiful and highly-crafted patisserie for which Paris is renowned. One reason is because all the great names from Paris have set up camp in London. I know people say it’s not the same as eating these delights in Paris, but there is only so much one can eat. Also, I almost always sense the shadows of my doctors in the background whispering continuous warnings of narrowing arteries and high blood glucose levels.
On a walk around the place des Vosges, we chanced upon the modest but almost too-good-to-be true Brigat. One side of their corner shop sells bread and pastries, the other side sells gelato (6 rue du Pas de la Mule, 75003 Paris). We shared an artichoke, black olive and potato focaccia, then walked next door for some gelato in flavours of pomelo with hibiscus, mango with passionfruit and rhubarb with ‘Mara des Bois’ strawberries. Like most of the food shops here, there are only a few seats at each place so be prepared to take away your purchases. I carry hand sanitiser and wet wipes in my rucksack.
The English-style teashop Le Loir dans la théière, (3 rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris) was packed when we visited at tea time, but I suspect it is packed at any hour. They have a very good tea selection, served in silver teapots, and an extensive selections of cakes and tarts.
We shared a large piece of Tarte Tatin and admired the neighbouring table who ordered a slice of Lemon Meringue Tart each
I am certainly returning one day to try the savoury tarts and other lunchtime items (top list) and to sample another sweet tart/ cake (bottom list)
I read a few online guides and lists to eating out in Paris before our trip. After our first meal upon arrival (Brittany buckwheat crepes at Breizh Café) I thought I should abandon the eating places I marked and instead go – what would the word be? – freewheeling or off-piste. In particular, I decided not to eat at any of the typical French bistros recommended seeing as Brasserie Zedel in London is almost my canteen.
We did reserve tables at Le 975 (to fit in a visit to the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur in the same area) and Cafe Compagnon (one of the few restaurants near us that open on a Sunday night). Our Monday lunch before leaving Paris for London was at Hanabi in the Hotel Hana (don’t laugh, we cannot go four days without a bowl of rice).
The food and service at Le 975 was very good, but we sat by the window and the diners who popped out for a cigarette dampened my dining experience somewhat. Cafe Compagnon had a good menu but they were short-staffed and I am too much of a Londoner to not get edgy when my dessert (just some gelato) takes 20 minutes to arrive.
Hanabi served us a Japanese meal à la française. That is to say, before the main course arrived, we were treated to some beautiful bread with miso/ seaweed butter and an amuse-bouche of Japanese egg omelette (tamagoyaki) with pickled vegetables. The dessert of tiramisu was snowed under a dome of whipped mascarpone. The staff were quite taken aback when we asked to have our green tea with lunch, and instead dispatched a bottle of Evian to our table. Tea, like coffee, is served with dessert. Next time I’ll know.
Outstanding dishes: octopus at Le 975 (top) and bread with miso/ seaweed butter at Hanabi (bottom)
The meal we enjoyed most was in the restaurant at the Musée d’Orsay, in a grand salon under a beautifully ornate ceiling and lit by natural light as well as chandeliers. I think we enjoyed this meal very much as we were already on-site, the tables were well spaced apart by Paris standards, service was excellent and there was a good choice of dishes on the menu. We shared some sorbet from Alain Ducasse for dessert, in flavours of grapefruit with vermouth and candied lemon.
Many times during this trip I wondered how my parents managed to find food during their travels in Paris. They did not speak or read French, they had no travel guides or local friends. This was in the late 1970s and early 1980s. What I think they had was a real spirit of adventure and a healthy attitude of ‘let’s just try this’. I am more cautious as I don’t like making mistakes when it comes to food. Eating out is expensive and it is a pity to waste your daily calorie intake on badly-prepared food.
I have just received The Eater Guide to Paris (published by Abrams Image, ISBN 978-1419765841) for my birthday. This will be a good read in preparation for my next trip. Eater also publishes on-line recommendations.
I did have a look at the Michelin Paris Guide but with 195 restaurants alone in the ‘moderate spend’ category, I decided not to spend long on it. As I said earlier, how much can you eat on a short trip?
In the next post I will share some thoughts and photos of bread/ cake/ coffeeshops in Paris.