A pâtissière, eating around the world
Other than photographing pastries and flowers, I also have a penchant for capturing the sky. Here is the Paris selection, starting with the sky as seen on my flight out from Shanghai…
A sunny afternoon on top of Notre-Dame.
Le Tour Eiffel, view from the terrace of Galeries Lafayette.
Sky on fire, in Le Marais.
![[Paris] Lockwood](https://www.sugarednspiced.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/R1072114.jpg)
Follow me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, & 微博!
Lockwood
Add: 73 Rue d’Aboukir, 75002 Paris
Tel: +33 1 77 32 97 21
Hours: 8am~2am (closed on Sun)
Website: www.lockwoodparis.com
Price: [coffee] €2.50~5 [pastries] €2~5 [plates] €6~14 [cocktails] €6~10
Visited on: Jan 2014
Lockwood: coffee shop by day, cocktail bar by night. Just opened a month ago in December 2013, this “espresso/aperitivo” spot is a collaboration between three Lehoux brothers (ex-Ten Belle, Silencio, and a few bars in London and Sydney). I visited on a calm Saturday afternoon and was an immediate fan of the decor, the music, the food, and already I can’t wait to come back at a later hour for aperitivo.
But what initially drew me here was AJ (you’ve already read about him here and here), an uber talented classmate from Ferrandi and now the man in Lockwood’s kitchen. He alone whips up all the pastries, lunch plates, and light bites for aperitivo. Good food, guaranteed.
January
Hello 2013! The year started with counting down and feasting in London, followed by a Ferrandi end-of-the program trip filled with oysters, Grand Manier, and other good stuff.
Continue Reading "2013 In Retrospect"
![[Paris] Maison de Thé George Cannon](https://www.sugarednspiced.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/R0095338.jpg)
Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!
Maison de Thé
Add: 12 Rue Notre-Dame des Champs, 75006 Paris
Tel: +33 1 53 63 05 43
Hours: [Mon] 12~7:30pm [Tue-Sat] 10:30am~7:30pm (closed on Sun)
Website: www.georgecannon.fr
Price: €5~16/pot of tea, €4.50~8.50/pastry
Tasted on: Oct 2013
Just steps from the busy intersection of Boulevard Raspail and Rue de Rennes sits Maison de Thé George Cannon, a dainty little tea house run by the Scala family. It’s rather curious how I had never stepped into this place given how close it is to Ferrandi, where I spent my first 5 months in Paris, but I’m glad I finally did. One of their staff members happens to be a reader of Sugared & Spiced, and graciously invited me over for tea on a sunny afternoon.
A brief history on George Cannon. The company, first established in 1898 by a British man (Mr. George Cannon himself), was bought by Raymond Scala, and the company remains a Scala family business till today.
Upon seating, customers are greeted with a complimentary cup of tea that is “in degustation”. On the day of my visit, the tea in degustation was “l’eau”, a blend of Dong Ding Oolong, Tie GuanYin, Darjeeling, and Long Jing.
From a wide array of single-origin tea and perfumed tea, I chose Assam (€12.50/pot or €15.50 with tea desserts) from India, which gives off woody notes of moka, malt, and tobacco. Do note that not all teas on the menu are this pricey – most are in the €5~8/pot range.
![[Paris] Spring Snapshots](https://www.sugarednspiced.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/R0075755.jpg)
Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!
Spring has finally settled in Paris, and the city is back to its charming self again after months of melancholy. Sunshine, blue sky, light breeze, flowers in full bloom…’Tis the season for picnics!
Parc Monceau.
![[Paris] Ten Belles](https://www.sugarednspiced.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/R0071171.jpg)
Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!
Ten Belles
Add: 10 rue de la Grange aux Belles, 75010 Paris
Tel: +33 6 22 71 28 15
Hours: [Tue-Fri] 8am-6pm [Sat & Sun] 9am-7pm
Website: www.tenbelles.com
Price: [coffee] €3~5 [sandwiches] €5.50 [pastries] €1.50~4.50
Visited on: Mar 2013
A cozy little artisan coffee shop in the quirky Canal Saint-Martin neighborhood, put together by famed Parisian barista Thomas Lehoux and the folks behind Le Bal Café. This place is almost always packed for many good reasons – glorious coffee, delicious pastries, and friendly faces. I really love how I hear “à bientôt/see you soon” instead of “au revoir/goodbye” every time I leave the cafe…yes, see you again soon.
A counter lined with cookies, scones, brownies, crumbles, and more!
![[Paris] Akrame](https://www.sugarednspiced.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/R0049134.jpg)
Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!
Akrame
Add: 19 rue Lauriston 75016 Paris
Tel: 01 40 67 11 16
Hours: 12~2:30pm, 7~10:30pm (closed on Sunday)
Website: www.akrame.com
Price: [lunch] €35 [dinner] €60~80 [dinner with wine pairing] €90~120
Visited on: 2012/10
Akrame Benallal’s small dining room in the 16th is known to be spontaneous – there’s no menu, guests only have a choice between 3 courses (lunch only, €35), 4 courses (€60/$90 with wine pairing), or 6 courses (€80/€120 with wine pairing). I was really looking forward to trying this restaurant after hearing so many good things from both friends and online reviews, but in the end my personal experience turned out to be less than impressive. The dishes were indeed quite intriguing, but didn’t exactly taste all that delicious.
On another note, I’m also not a fan of the tattooed women on the walls…
Sourdough served with house-made lime tarragon butter.
![[Ferrandi] Orientation](https://www.sugarednspiced.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/R0040294.jpg)
Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!
Officially started the Intensive Professional Pastry Program at ESCF-Ferrandi this week. Hip hip hurray!
The first thing we did was to meet our admins, chefs, and fellow chef wannabes. Among the 49 students – 24 in cuisine, 25 in pastry (not sure why this session has one extra) – the two most represented countries are USA and Taiwan, then there are Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Greece, India, Indonesia, Italy, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, and the UK. Diverse? Very. Age ranges from 18 to around 44, with most of the students clustering around 20~30.
Passed by a few chefs/cooks preparing desserts for restaurant service.
Received our uniforms. Each person has his or her full name stitched on jacket! Very cool.
![[Paris] Merci](https://www.sugarednspiced.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/R00401601.jpg)
Follow me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, & 微博!
Merci
Add: 111 boulevard Beaumarchais 75003 Paris
Tel: 01 42 77 00 33
Hours: 10am~7pm (Closed on Sun)
Website: www.merci-merci.com
Visited on: Sep 2012
Merci, a three-story concept store in the fashionable and quirky Marais neighborhood, is a lavish showcase for the style of its founders Marie-France and Bernard Cohen (who also created Bonpoint) across fashion, home ware, cuisine, and the likes. Merci is also the first “Charity Store” in France and donates 100% of their profit to a charity association helping women and kids in Madagascar. Now how about that?
Ground floor: central atrium display and fashion goods. Brands like Stella McCartney and Paul Smith helped to create Merci by offering some pieces 30 to 40% below the selling point of their own store.
