A Very French Weekend

Last weekend I went for a long overdue visit to see my cousin and her family in Paris! I haven't been to Paris in years so I was very excited about actually spending time there with someone who:

1. Speaks the language - my French is basic at best (although I’ve been told my accent isn’t bad).
2. Knows their way around - although its ridiculous I hate to be the tourist walking round with their head buried in a map.
3. Knows the best places to eat - let’s face it this is probably the most important factor, how can I go to Paris without having amazing food?!

I arrived on Friday and met Jane for lunch in the 4th district / Le Marais - thoroughly recommended for a good shopping expedition as I left my heart with a beautiful cashmere dress! We went to eat at a great little place called Au Petit Fer à Cheval so named for its horseshoe bar to have a ‘pichet de vin’ and super cheesy crouton-topped french onion soup. My only piece of advice is beware the loos - I won’t go into detail as this is a food blog but I’ve not experienced a toilet like that in Europe since I last went skiing!

We spent a lovely afternoon wandering round the shops including a great vintage fair full of designer-ware that sorely tempted me. Having resisted picking up a pair of vintage Dior sunglasses we moved on to the more purse-friendly shops along with a few pitstops for another cheeky glass of wine or two. We also wandered down the Rue Saint-Louis en I’lle to pick up some of the best cheese I’ve ever eaten and some lovely bread for dinner - the truffled cheese was particularly delicious. Take note the cheese shop also offers a vacuum packing service for those who wish to take a little piece of Paris home with them. To my great pleasure our walk ended by crossing the Seine and catching a cab from right next to Notre Dame.

The following day we headed out to Montmartre with the kids for a strenuous workout walking up all the steps and a brief view over Paris followed by a more lengthly (and delicious) lunch at Chez Plumeau. I had a classic steak tartare with salad and chips while the kids went for burgers followed by crepes smothered in chocolate and chantilly. Unfortunately I was so busy stealing bits of crepe from the children and drinking vin chaud (mulled wine to you and me) I totally forgot to take any photos - very bad form!

After an afternoon nap - necessary after a huge lunch with wine - we were ready to head out again! We went for a few drinks and an explore followed by an absolutely delicious dinner at Comptoir Gormet. Don’t let the picture fool you, while this might look like a mere sandwich or wrap it is one of the tastiest dinners I’ve had in a very long time - and in my line of work that’s saying something! The piadina was especially good with a generous helping of porchetta, a mix of lovely mushrooms in truffle oil and a good pile of rocket. It was messy eating but the best combination - I’ll definitely be trying to recreate this one at home!!

If you’re looking for a post dinner drink in the area I would thoroughly recommend Les Etages. Although their drinks menu is limited they are more than happy for you to go off menu whether you’re looking for a cocktail or a cheeky glass of fizz. The other equally lovely option is to head further down the same road to La Belle Hortense for a post-dinner digetif.

Sunday was a walk from near the Eiffel Tower, down the Seine to the Musée d'Orsay. If you get a chance to go there I’d really recommend checking out the view through the clock face!

Monday everyone was back to work and school so I took myself off to Le Bon Marché for a shopping expedition. Not surprisingly I ended up spending almost all my time in La Grande Épicerie de Paris aka foodie paradise! It was full of the most delicious smells, products and testers - as you can see from the below I particularly enjoyed the fruit section. If you’re in Paris and have a couple of hours to kill I’d recommend having lunch there too - annoyingly I had a train to catch so I just filled my basket and legged it to the Metro.

All in all a very satisfactory long weekend - bring on the next visit!