Weekend In Paris

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So my lovely pal, Margaret was in England for a work trip, so we decided to hop on the Eurostar to Paris of course! Here’s what we got up to last time when we were in the city together.

Funny story, so we changed our tickets the night before, only to miss our train the next morning. Face palm. I was most concerned about forfeiting our lunch reservation at the just opened Jòia (by Hélène Darroze) but they managed to push back our time. Phew.

WE STAYED AT

Maison Breguet, a good looking gaff in the 11th arrondisment, walking distance to many a food / drinking spot, including Clamato, the much hyped Septime and hipster’s paradise, La Buvette. It’s a lovely boutique hotel but in my mind isn’t quite a 5 star hotel as it bills itself – perhaps I’m old school and expect all facets of the hotel to be luxurious which the gym and spa aren’t – however, I do think it’s a well priced hotel for what it offers. Read more here.

WE ATE

Pretty well in Paris, not quite as well as our last trip but not disappointing at all. Highlight for me was definitely C.A.M.

C.A.M

I was curious to check it out because a bunch of big guns from Ducasse to Ottolenghi, Bertrand (Septime), Tatiana (Le Servan) had all eaten here and praised it. However, I was a little cautious as it had been slammed pretty hard online by a couple of peeps; personally I enjoyed the food, the vibe and the space – wait times were a little slow but not painfully so. ⁣

EELS

So we had dinner at Eels on our first night in Paris. I was distracted by the bright lights in the restaurant; they could have created more a mood with lower lighting but our meal was proper nice as was the service, so you know, I’m cool. Also the tart I had, whoa, absolutely heavenly.

CAPITAINE

Full of people speaking French = not a tourist trap. Service was good and the starter of scallops was promising but our mains were pretty disappointing. My duck dish looked great but sadly tasted of nothing. Perhaps, they had an off day.

JOIA

Hélène Darroze opened her 2nd restaurant in Paris in the 2nd arrondissement earlier this year, round the corner from that quintessential French brand Sézane. No surprise then to see lots of chic Parisiennes lunching here when we visited. Service was chilled – food overall quite good, I’d go back if I fancied an easy lunch in an attractive space. In fact, keen to check out their rather nice cocktail bar nestled on the 2nd level. The one dish you should try is the mushroom x confit egg yolk.

WE DRANK AT

a few places, not much raving this time round.

LA BUVETTE

It’s lauded by lots publications and even features in the Munchies series, ‘From Paris With Love’ where Action Bronson and Ochin Clovis, natural wine aficionado, hit a bunch of their fave restos and bars in Paris. My friend Margaret is the wine whisperer out of the pair of us – she lives in Cali for goodness sake – so she did all the picking of wine when we were out and about. La Buvette is a Cave à Manger and you need to order some bits to eat alongside your wine. The space is TINY, so if you wanna talk about who you banged last night, best know the whole room will hear your convo. A low key intimate space for late arvo / pre dinner drinks. The dude managing the counter was kind of obnoxious but I didn’t let that bother me too much as I was on a chilled vibe.

HOTEL BOURBON

Yes this bish is CLASSSSSY but also a bit naughty and rogue. Supposedly this is where the cool Paris kids are hanging out currently for late night cocktails and dance times. Beyond that, the space is gorgeous – dark, moody,  hella sexy. Had a mezcal cocktail for 14 euro, so not cheapy cheapy.

LE MARY CELESTE

This drinking / small plates spot has been around for a few years and is by the folks behind Candelaria, Hero and Les Grands Verres. I’d always wanted to check it out but never had a chance until we were in the Marais at fab jewellery store, White Bird, which is literally a 2 mins walk away. We had some cocktails here before our dinner reservation at 9:30pm. At first, it was quite quiet for a Fri evening but it rapidly filled up with locals and tourists alike. Marg ordered a cocktail with larger, I don’t like larger but I had a sip of hers and it was delicious, so we ended up swapping drinks as she preferred my option. Win. It’s a vibrant bar and I’d definitely revisit if in the area but wouldn’t say it’s a must visit (though few places rarely are to be honest, my thinking generally is pick an area that has a bunch of stuff you want to see, so you don’t overhype one spot as a destination and then invariably be disappointed).

SHOPPED

Marg managed to snag a few #OldCeline pieces before Hedi Slimane rolls out his wares. Lol. Also, we checked out an awesome jewellry shop, White Bird as mentioned above; discovered some new brands like Pascale Monvoisin – feminine, organic but with a proper edge. Another shop we visited was The Broken Arm in  Rue Perrée. It reminded me a bit of LN-CC / Brown’s (East) in London with its curation. We had some drinks at their cafe which is GREAT for people watching – get a seat on the terrace. Just don’t order any pastries – had a rather sad banana bread here – tasted healthy. I want full fat cake, all the damn time.

WE HIT UP ATELIER BRANCUSI 

So, we weren’t complete philistines. Really one of my favourite bits of the trip was visiting Brancusi’s Studio. His works were bestowed unto The French State before he passed on, in order that they preserve it as he intended – he was fascinated by the works as a whole and their relationship with each other; reportedly replacing sold pieces with plaster copies to maintain their spatial harmony.

His works alongside his tools now rest in a space designed by Renzo Piano which is up a flight of stairs from the Centre Georges Pompidou. Super good. Go.

We also just spent a lot of time ambling around the streets of Paris which is my favourite thing to do. Till next time Pareee…