It is just a weird co incidence that the time difference between my last entry and the one prior to that is about the same length of time between this one and the last one... I really could not believe that it has been that long!! Too many things have happened in the last 3 years, some great and some not so... I won't dwell on the negatives too much as I think we learnt from our past mistakes and strive to make the future an even better one. I believe that is the only way that we could move forward in life.
At the end of December 2012, I went to Paris during the holiday season. One part was to relax and wind down after a year of slogging my ar** off at work. And what better way than going away somewhere, in fact anywhere with great company! Paris during the holiday season is such a enchanting place to be in. Everything and everywhere looks charming and elegant but at the same time so unassuming and understated. I have been in this great city countless of times and every time it never fails to enthrall me... There are always new things to see, new places to eat, new hotels to experience and new shops and boutiques to discover... And yet everything and everywhere feels and look familiar. Every street corner, every back alley, metro stations, patisseries all have an air of familiarity to it. To top it all off every place has tonnes of fond memories attach to it. Places where birthdays and anniversaries were celebrated as well as places where a broken heart was mended...
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| Merci's Tea room |
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| Merci 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais 73003 Paris |
2 weeks ago I once again boarded the early morning Eurostar to Paris. It was a dreary morning in London - cold, misty, damp and miserable! I really could not wait to jump on that train and leave London behind. London is a great city in it's own right. But when the weather gets the better of it, you really want to turn your back on her.
This time round the area of choice is Bastille, raison d'être, birthday celebration and reacquaintance of old friends. As always, never one to have an itinerary, we just walked and walked until we could not walked anymore. When the feet needed resting, we stop for lunch, or for tea. This time we did both. We had sushi for lunch at our favourite joint Planet Sushi on Boulevard Richard Lenoir. Although it is similar to the Yo! Sushi in London, somehow theirs is a tad better in my opinion! Around 5 pm we decided we needed another break and went for tea at Fauchon in Place de la Madeleine. I am in search of the ultimate Millefeuille experience and their's is just to die for! The lightness of the chantilly cream slathered in between the finest layering of flaky pastry is just divine.
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| Millefeuille |
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| Chez Omar 47 Rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris |
Dinner is always an organised affair as there are places that must be revisited - and there are no two ways about it! And one of those places is Chez Omar 47 Rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris, located in the super trendy Marais district. In the Zagat review of this place, it says that "couscous is king in this busy, noisy and fun Moroccan". Apparently, it is also a good joint for a bit of celeb spotting. I must admit that I am completely clueless on who's who on the Parisian social scene so the only bit I'm interested in this vast old Paris room is the food that is being served. Couscous royale is always the order du jour, mounds of semolina, platters heaving with grilled and stewed meat and harira, the vegetable laden broth and the fiery harissa. Another recent favourite is steak au poivre. To round it all off, it is always a fight between the classic crème brûleé, crème caramel or the Moroccan pastries to go with Thé à la Menthe or mint tea to you and me!
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| Couscous, meat, vegetable laden broth and harissa |
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| Thé à la Menthe |
Now that I am back in Hertfordshire another new adventure awaits me and will keep you updated soon xx.
This time round the area of choice is Bastille, raison d'être, birthday celebration and reacquaintance of old friends. As always, never one to have an itinerary, we just walked and walked until we could not walked anymore. When the feet needed resting, we stop for lunch, or for tea. This time we did both. We had sushi for lunch at our favourite joint Planet Sushi on Boulevard Richard Lenoir. Although it is similar to the Yo! Sushi in London, somehow theirs is a tad better in my opinion! Around 5 pm we decided we needed another break and went for tea at Fauchon in Place de la Madeleine. I am in search of the ultimate Millefeuille experience and their's is just to die for! The lightness of the chantilly cream slathered in between the finest layering of flaky pastry is just divine. 
Dinner is always an organised affair as there are places that must be revisited - and there are no two ways about it! And one of those places is Chez Omar 47 Rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris, located in the super trendy Marais district. In the Zagat review of this place, it says that "couscous is king in this busy, noisy and fun Moroccan". Apparently, it is also a good joint for a bit of celeb spotting. I must admit that I am completely clueless on who's who on the Parisian social scene so the only bit I'm interested in this vast old Paris room is the food that is being served. Couscous royale is always the order du jour, mounds of semolina, platters heaving with grilled and stewed meat and harira, the vegetable laden broth and the fiery harissa. Another recent favourite is steak au poivre. To round it all off, it is always a fight between the classic crème brûleé, crème caramel or the Moroccan pastries to go with Thé à la Menthe or mint tea to you and me!
