[Paris] Steel Cyclewear & Coffeeshop

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[Paris] Steel Cyclewear & Coffeeshop

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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[Paris] Ellsworth

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[Paris] Ellsworth

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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[Paris] Boris Lumé

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[Paris] Boris Lumé

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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[Paris] Des Gâteaux et du Pain (7)

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[Paris] Des Gâteaux et du Pain (7)

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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[Paris] Bears & Raccoons

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[Paris] Bears & Raccoons

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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[Paris] Treize

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[Paris] Treize

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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[Paris] Dersou

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[Paris] Dersou

Dersou

Add: 21 rue Saint Nicolas, 75012 Paris
Tel: 09 81 01 12 73
Hours: [Tue-Fri] 7:30pm-12:30am [Sat] 12-3:30pm, 7:30pm-12:30am [Sun] 12-4pm (closed on Mon)
Website: www.dersouparis.com
Price: [lunch] €20-30 a la carte [dinner] €90-130/set
Visited: Apr 2015

Please note that as of this week, Dersou is no longer open for lunch on weekdays. 

Last week’s lunch at Dersou. This neo-bistro in the 12th is the joint effort of Japanese chef Taku Sekine (Ducasse Tokyo, Fish, Saturne, and Clown Bar just to name a few) and cocktail specialist Amaury Guyot (Sherry Butt, Prescription Cocktail Club). Dinner here is an elaborate cocktail pairing menu (five courses for €90, seven courses for €130), but lunch or the after 9:30pm seating is a much lighter affair with a one-page a la carte menu, and that’s what we went for.

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The food here, probably best described as free-style, is a mix of the chef’s past experiences and changes everyday according to what he has on hand. Here’s the menu on the day of my visit to give you an idea of what you can expect. I really came for the Japanese curry with Chanllandais duck because I had seen a delicious photo of it on Instagram just the evening before, but alas by the time we arrived Dersou for our late lunch, the curry was already out.

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So instead I stole plenty of bites from my friend’s “Ma Po tofu, poivre de Sichuan” (€14), spicy tofu with Sichuan pepper served over rice. I probably ate half of this plate…could barely stop my hand for diving in for yet another spoonful.

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[Paris] Clown Bar

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[Paris] Clown Bar

Clown Bar

Add: 114 Rue Amelot, 75011 Paris
Tel: 01 43 55 87 35
Hours: [Wed-Sun] 12-2:30pm, 7:30-10:30 (closed on Mon & Tue)
Price: €40~60/person
Visited: Mar 2015

Clown Bar is a historical, Belle Epoque-style bar near Cirque d’Hiver, and it’s been a real hot spot since it was revamped last year by a team from Saturne. In the kitchen is Japanese chef Sota Atsumi (previously at Vivant), who sends out plates after plates of small bites, delicious and just creative enough to keep diners on their toes. The prices are not cheap, but the food is quality, plus this place is open on Sundays which automatically earns extra points in the Parisian dining scene.

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[Paris] Le Servan

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[Paris] Le Servan

Le Servan

Add: 32 Rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris
Tel: 01 55 28 51 82
Hours: [lunch] 12-2:30pm [dinner] 7:30-10:30pm (closed on Sat & Sun)
Price: [lunch] €25/three courses [dinner] €40~50 a la carte
Visited: Mar 2015

Le Servan is a bright little bistro in the 11th arrondissement, opened about 6 months ago by the Levha sisters. Inside the kitchen is Tatiana, a young chef previously trained at Michelin three stars L’Arpège and L’Astrance, while her sister Katia manages front of the house. The cuisine is modern French with Asian touches (the Levha sisters are half French half Filipino) and is directed by whatever is fresh in the market. Prices are reasonable especially during lunch time – €25 for three expertly executed dishes, in the company of friendly service and a beautiful space. Definitely somewhere to come back to.

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For lunch, a few small appetizers (called zakouskis on the menu) are available in addition the three-course set. We tried “wonton de boudin noir frits” (€8), fried blood sausage wonton served with sweet chili sauce, which was quite nice. The table next to us had a bowl of “coques, piment, basilic thai”, shells sauteed with chili pepper and Thai basil, which looked pretty amazing as well.

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Among the four entree options in the lunch menu, we first tried “maquereau cru, endives, orange, cacahuetes”, raw mackerel with endive, orange, and peanuts. A refreshing start, though the fishy taste was slightly strong.

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“Langue de veau, poireaux, sauce piquante”, veal tongue with leek and spicy sauce.

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[Paris] Tea Time at Shangri-la

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[Paris] Tea Time at Shangri-la

La Bauhinia, Shangri-la Paris

Add: 10 avenue d’Iéna, Paris 75116
Tel: 01 53 67 19 91
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 3:30-5:30pm [Sat-Sun] 4-5:30pm
Website: www.shangri-la.com
Price: [tea set] €39/one person, €70/two persons [a la carte] €12-14/pastry, €12-16/tea
Visited: Jan 2015

I kind of fell in love with La Bauhinia at The Shangri-la the moment I stepped in. Crowned with a gorgeous glass cupola, the entire two-story space is bathed in soft natural light, its mint green walls and royal red sofas in soothing harmony with one another. The tranquil ambience has an immediate calming effect, and when paired with the perfect service – warm, attentive, but not in the least bit intrusive – this has got to be one of the loveliest venues for afternoon tea in Paris.

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As it is January, François Perret (head pastry chef of Shangri-la Paris) has galettes des rois ready for guests. I didn’t try any this time, but there was a clementine marmalade galette that sounded very tempting.

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