paris | Sugared & Spiced

2015/05/262015/08/05

[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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2015/05/252015/08/05

[Paris] Chez Graff

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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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2015/05/242015/08/05

[Paris] Steel Cyclewear & Coffeeshop

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Steel Cyclewear & Coffeeshop

Add: 58 Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 75011 Paris
Tel: 06 47 58 32 46
Hours: [Tue-Fri] 8:30am-6:30pm [Sat] 9am-7pm
Website: shop.steelmagazine.fr
Price: €2.5-4/coffee, €2.5-6/pastry
Visited: May 2015

Steel Cyclewear & Coffeeshop, the newest addition to Paris’ cafe scene. Exactly as the name suggests, it combines cyclewear and coffee under one roof – a place for bike lovers to meet over good coffee, basically. I mean, why not?

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Cafe creme (€4), beans from Belleville Brûlerie.

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2015/05/192015/08/05

[Paris] The Parisian Kitchen

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The Parisian Kitchen

Add: 4 rue de Tocqueville, 75017 Paris
Tel: 06 16 93 34 06
Website: www.theparisiankitchen.com
Price: €120/person
Visited: May 2015

After years of working in the luxury industry (most recently at Louis Vuitton, where she stayed for seven years), Bénédicte Mesny decided that she’s going to make a change in career – by starting her own cooking classes. When I received her invitation to experience one of her menus, I took a quick look on her website to see what the program is about – market visit, 2-hour cooking class with starter, main course, and dessert, followed by lunch with cheese and wine included…and all is held in her beautiful Parisian apartment in the 17th arrondissement. How could I say no to that? Let’s go.

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We arrived at Bénédicte’s apartment around 10am, and after some tea and chouquettes which she thoughtfully prepared for us (in case we didn’t have breakfast), we went off to Marché de Lévis to pick up things we needed for our lunch. From the three options Bénédicte offers, we chose the poultry menu, which included salmon tartar as appetizer, poultry roll as main course, and chantilly cloud as dessert. As I’m not a big fan of meringue, we decided to change the dessert to chocolate soufflé instead (Woohoo!)

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Back at the apartment, we started cooking. There was some chopping, rolling, simmering, boiling, searing, and baking…I won’t give much details here lest you want to experience the class yourself.

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2015/04/262015/08/05

[Paris] Ellsworth

paris

Ellsworth

Add: rue, 34 Rue de Richelieu, Paris 75001
Tel: 01 42 60 59 66
Hours: [Mon] 7-10:30pm [Tue-Sat] 12:30-2:30pm, 7-10:30pm [Sun] 11:30am-3pm
Website: www.ellsworthparis.com
Price: [lunch] €18-24 [dinner/brunch] €30-40
Visited: Apr 2015

A newly opened neo-bistro by the folks behind Verjus and Verjus wine bar. I first visited on a Sunday for their brunch special menu, which consists of a dozen or so small plates designed to be shared. The famous buttermilk fried chicken is delicious as usual, and everything else we tried was quite pleasant as well, especially the chicken chilaquiles and the malt ice-cream.

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2015/04/202015/08/05

[Paris] Boris Lumé

paris

Boris Lumé

Add: 48 rue caulaincourt, Paris 75018
Tel: 01 46 06 96 71
Hours: [Tue-Sun] 7:30am-8:30pm
Price: [pastries] €3-5
Visited: Apr 2015

A cute boulangerie/patisserie/confiserie in the Montmartre neighborhood. This isn’t my usual hangout, but I made the effort to trek all the way up here one early morning after seeing this video (go to 0:50 min) – this place just looked too charming to pass.

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The chef, Boris Lumé, is French by origin and was trained in Paris before he spent 2 years in Tokyo with his Japanese wife, also a boulanger by profession. He’s been through a few big names like Joël Robuchon, Cyril Lignac, and Frédéric Lalos before setting up his own place here in Montmartre, and his pastries stand somewhere in the middle between haute patisseries (e.g. Pierre Hermé) and your corner boulangerie.

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2015/04/182015/08/05

[Paris] Des Gâteaux et du Pain (7)

paris

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: Apr 2015

Some recent tastings from Des Gâteaux et du Pain. “Pamplemousse Rosa” (€6.80), a new creation from Claire Damon, is composed of rose-flavored mousse, grapefruit segments, grapefruit jelly, and rice flour biscuit. The rose flavor is rather strong, almost too much for me if not balanced by the bitter freshness from the grapefruit. Not one of my favorites from Des Gâteaux et du Pain, but quite nice nonetheless.

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“Kashmir” (€6.80), an intriguing combination of saffron, orange, and date. The bottom is a moist almond biscuit, topped with orange and saffron-flavored date compote, saffron crème brûlée, and vanilla mousse. The flavor combination is very unique and memorable indeed, though I personally am not swooned by it. That said, this could still be a fun try for those with an adventurous palate.

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2015/04/142015/08/05

[Paris] Bears & Raccoons

paris

Bears & Raccoons

Add: 21 rue Richard Lenoir, 75011 Paris
Tel: 09 51 67 87 71
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 11am-6:30pm [Sat] 11am-9pm
Website: bearsandraccoons.com
Price: €7.50/sandwich, €7.50/formule, €2-3.70/tea and coffee
Visited: Apr 2015

A cute gluten-free cafe/epicerie fine in Paris 11eme. Pleasant ambience, friendly service, tasty (though rather small in size) sandwiches made to order, not bad pastries and ok coffee.

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2015/04/092015/08/05

[Paris] Lily of the Valley

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Lily of the Valley

Add: 12 rue Dupetit Thouars, Paris 75003
Tel: 01 57 40 82 80
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 8:30am-6:30pm [Sat-Sun] 11am-7pm
Price: €4-5/tea, €2-4/pastry
Visited: Apr 2015

This shoebox of a tea bar in the Northern Marais called “Lily of the Valley” has an upside down garden hanging from the ceiling, lush and lovely enough to attract any passerby. What’s more: floral prints on tea pots, banquette seats, curtains, and bathroom walls. Très mignon.

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From the elaborate tea menu I chose a pot of Tentation (€4.50), a soothing blend of white jasmine tea with bergamot. With that I tried a piece of their house-made gluten-free lemon poppy seed cake (€3), which unfortunately wasn’t all that appetizing as it had a strong taste of baking soda.

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2015/04/082015/08/05

[Paris] Treize

paris

Treize

Add: 16 rue des Saints Pères, Paris 75007
Tel: 01 73 77 27 89
Hours: [Tue-Sat] 10am-6pm
Website: 13abakersdozen.fr
Price: €15-25/person
Visited: Apr 2015

A charming little cafe hidden deep inside the courtyard of a 6th arrondissement building, right near Boulevard Saint-Germain. It’s run by South Carolina native Laurel Sanderson, and needless to say that the menu is filled with homey Southern comfort food, albeit in lighter and healthier versions. Buttermilk biscuits, homemade savory pies, (not fried) fried chicken, fresh salads…a nice spot for lunch.

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