[Paris] Bones (2)

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[Paris] Bones (2)

Bones

Add: 43 rue Godefroy Caviagnac, 75011 Paris
Tel: +33 9 80 75 32 08
Hours: [Tue-Sat] 7pm-2am (closed Sun & Mon)
Price: €55~63/set
Visited on: Jun 2015

Bones, a hip neobistro by Australian chef James Henry, opened sometime back in early 2013. I have been there once shortly after its opening, and the meal was pleasant if not without some kinks to be worked out (understandable and expected for new restaurants). Bones has since then became wildly popular and difficult to reserve, but recently the word is out that it will be closed permanently on August 7th. Oh my, what happened?

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So finally, I decided to come back for another visit one and a half years after to see how the restaurant has evolved. We were there during the second service on a Saturday night, the place was packed and the ambience very lively, no sign of a restaurant that’s closing in just weeks. The menu (€55 or €63 with cheese) is composed of 4 small bites and 3 courses, with a choice of main course.

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The meal started with “artichaut breton”, half of a Brittany artichoke served with some kind of tuna (?) dipping sauce. Eeexcellent.

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[Paris] Des Gâteaux et du Pain (8)

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[Paris] Des Gâteaux et du Pain (8)

Des Gâteaux et du Pain

Add: 89 rue du Bac , 75007 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 45 48 30 74
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 9am~8pm [Sun] 9am~6pm
Website: www.desgateauxetdupain.com
Price: [pastries] €6~7
Tasted on: Jun 2015

Thanks to Lindsay from Lost In Cheeseland, I had the pleasure of meeting chef Claire Damon from Des Gâteaux et du Pain earlier this week. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that I’m a huge fan of her pastry creations, and that Des Gâteaux et du Pain is by far my most-visited pastry shop is Paris. Needless to say, I was more than excited to chat with the mastermind behind all this, and the morning got even better when she packed each of us a box of pastries to take home with. Oh boy.

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Paradisi (€6.50), a tart composed of shortcrust pastry, almond biscuit, vanilla cream, fresh pomelo, and rhubarb compote flavored with timut pepper. Just another example of Claire Damon’s style – clean, fresh, not too sweet, always balanced in terms of flavors and textures. Loved this one.

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[Paris] Café Kitsuné (2)

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[Paris] Café Kitsuné (2)

Café Kitsuné (2)

Add: 109 rue Amelot /18 boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, Paris 75011 (two entrances)
Tel: 01 58 30 12 36
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 9:30am-6pm [Sun] 10am-6:30pm
Website: kitsune.fr
Price: [drinks] €2.50-6 [pastries] €3.50-5
Visited: Jun 2015

Maison Kitsuné just opened their newest boutique and cafe in the 11th arrondissement, steps away from Le Marais. Yup, one more stylish place in Paris to get good coffee.

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Latte (€4).

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[Paris] Boot Cafe

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[Paris] Boot Cafe

Boot Cafe

Add: 19 rue du Pont aux Choux, Paris 75003
Tel: 01 73 70 14 57
Hours: 10am-6pm (open everyday)
Website: cargocollective.com/bootcafe
Price: €2.5-4
Visited: Jun 2015

This tiny hole in the wall is one of my favorite cafes in Paris. The original “cordonnerie” (shoe repair) facade is kept, while the interior has been renovated into a charming space filled with color block chairs, eclectic collages, and gorgeous flowers in full bloom. Delicious coffee and handsome-looking pastries, but of course.

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For a while the coffee machine here was manned by Lloyd from Australia, and when he recently left to start another cafe venture in Paris, the spot has been taken over by Yuu from Japan.

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[Paris] Mori Yoshida (3)

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[Paris] Mori Yoshida (3)

Mori Yoshida

Add: 65 avenue de Breteuil 75007 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 47 34 29 74
Hours: [Tue-Sun] 10am~7:15pm
Website: moriyoshida.fr
Price: €3.40~5.80/patisserie
Tasted on: Jun 2015

It’s been over two years since Japanese pastry chef Morihide Yoshida opened his shop in Paris, and it seems like he’s doing quite well. The pastry display is as good-looking as ever – his chaussons aux pommes are especially gorgeous – making it really hard not to leave this place with a little more than originally planned. Here are some recent tastings.

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“Érable Caramélisé” (€5.80), a recent addition to Mori Yoshida’s pastry display, is a tart composed of maple syrup caramel cream, maple syrup chocolate mousse, hazelnut biscuit, and hazelnut nougatine. It’s a simple and elegant design perfectly assembled together, though the flavor isn’t an instant hit with me.

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[Paris] Hexagone Cafe

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[Paris] Hexagone Cafe

Hexagone Cafe

Add: 121 rue du Château, Paris 75014
Tel: N/A
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 8am-6pm [Sat-Sun] 10am-6pm
Website: www.hexagone-cafe.fr
Price: [coffee] €2.5-4.5 [pastry] €4-5
Visited: Jun 2015

In the past few years, specialty coffee shops have been popping up in Paris like bamboo shoots after the rain. Unfortunately for us left bankers, most of these wonderful choices are located on the right bank…and that’s why I was extra delighted to discover Hexagone Cafe, a charming space that opened up three months ago in a residential neighborhood of the 14th arrondissement. Clean decor, quiet ambience, delicious coffee – love it.

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Pastries at Hexagone are supplied by a Korean patissier, who apparently also has a talent for illustrations. I wasn’t in the mood for pastries on this particular morning (gasp!), but there was a chocolate tart that looked quite tempting – saving that for next time.

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[Paris] Saturne

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[Paris] Saturne

Saturne

Add: 17 Rue Notre Dame des Victoires, 75002 Paris
Tel: 01 42 60 31 90
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 12-2:30pm, 8-10:30pm
Website: www.saturne-paris.fr
Price: [lunch] €45 [carte blanche] €70 / €135 (with wine pairing)
Visited: Jun 2015

A very good lunch at Saturne. This modern restaurant is the joint effort of chef Sven Chartier and sommelier Ewen Lemoigne, offering creative cuisine and natural wine in a beautiful space filled with blonde wood and plenty of natural light.

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[Paris] 52 Faubourg Saint-Denis

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[Paris] 52 Faubourg Saint-Denis

52 Faubourg Saint-Denis

Add: 52 rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, Paris 75010
Tel: N/A
Hours: 8-12am (continuous service, open daily)
Price: [appetizers] €9~12 [main courses] €16~19 [sweets] €8
Visited: May 2015

Restauranteur Charles Compagnon of L’Office and Le Richer has opened up 52 Faubourg Saint-Denis, and from what I could tell on this first visit today, it is just like Le Richer: open daily, continuous service from 8am to midnight, no reservations, with light, refreshing, and creative dishes. The meal didn’t wow, but it was a pleasant experience.

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[Paris] Le Cafe Chinois

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[Paris] Le Cafe Chinois

Le Cafe Chinois

Add: 7 Rue de Béarn, 75003 Paris
Tel: 01 42 71 47 43
Hours: [Tue-Fri] 12-5pm [Sat] 12-6pm
Website: www.lecafechinois.fr
Price: [lunch] €11-13/plate [tea] €2-5
Visited: May 2015

I wasn’t sure whether to put Le Cafe Chinois on the blog or not. I’ve passed by this curious little place a few times when it was closed, and as I peered through the window, I couldn’t help but be  intrigued by the decor inside. I finally came by for lunch and tea this past week, curious to see what this “Chinese Cafe” is about. It turns out that while the interior is indeed charming and the service quite lovely, the food and desserts here really aren’t made for my taste…

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What we tried: riz rouge au curry de tofu, sauce coco (€11.50), red glutinous rice with curried tofu and coconut sauce, and riz au thon sauce gigimbre (€11), rice with tuna and ginger sauce. We also added a side order of “tomyam” (+€2) thinking that it was something like Thai tomyam soup, but it turned out to be just pork floss flavored with lemongrass. Meh.

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[Paris] Chez Graff

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[Paris] Chez Graff

Chez Graff

Add: 62 rue de Bellechasse, 75007 Paris
Tel: 01 45 51 33 42
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 12-2:30pm, 8-11pm (closed on Sun)
Price: [lunch] €21-25 [dinner] €35-45
Visited: May 2015

Casual dinner at Chez Graff, a charming little restaurant on the quiet rue de Bellechasse. Opened in 2013 by Thomas Loustaut in collaboration with Laiterie Sainte Clotilde just next door, with Japanese chef Koji Tsuchiya in the kitchen. I’ve passed by this restaurant a few times and have always been attracted by the warm glow oozing out of its floor-to-ceiling windows, and this week I finally stepped in for dinner.

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Appetizer: ceviche de bar asiatique (€9), seabass ceviche with coconut milk and pomegranate. Refreshing, delicious.

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Seiches et asperges blanches au miso et yuzu (€9), squid and white asparagus in miso and yuzu sauce, topped with parmesan crisps. Loved the texture of the squid, and the flavor was perfect with miso and yuzu.

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