Paris Envy

It's been a while. A rather long one. Missed out on writing about Bali. Missed out on reporting on new Batavian treasures in Jakarta. (Twice!)
But I'm back.

It's been two weeks. And I'm still suffering post-holiday blues. They were SO severe the first few days I only lay in bed, ate chocolates and cried for the weather. It didn't help that He had been shipped off to Tokyo for some meetings. Thank god for friends who enticed me with an evening of...card games!

When we left for Paris on 18th May I prepped myself pyschologically (?). I brought clothes that would take me through my gastronomic adventures! Thank the fashion world also, for making the empire-line and baby-doll silhouette the summer rage. At least I didn't look Un-fashionable while I piled on the kilos. But I think I never did put on enough - I was still feeling cold all the time.

Arriving in Paris early on a cold, windy (and grey) Saturday morning was not the most pleasant. But as soon as we opened the door to our little room on the 5th floor of LeGrand Hotel Intercontinental, all was forgotten. It was cosy and dark-red everywhere, albeit too small for his liking. It was PERFECT for me. I always wanted a room with a slant roof - yes, kick me to the attic anytime! And the petite balcony ala Paris! And of course...the white-and-chrome bathroom was clinically-perfect too. I was Home.

Best hospitality item: Plush, velveteen white slippers.

Best way to test a room: take a nap. A few hours later, I was ready.

The concierge recommended a little local haunt a few blocks down. But by the time we found our way there, they had closed after lunch. What's the next best alternative? Galeries Lafayette (GL) of course!

L’Archicafé:

The cafe on Level 1 (which is actually the 2nd floor!) of Lafayette Maison is a bit tourist-y because of the area but it's great for first-day people watching if you sit by the window like we did. And TRY not to stare and gawk at the naturally- and and plastically-beautiful Parisian tai-tais who convene for their tea. I had my first encounter with REAL fresh foie-gras. SO YUMMY! Duck and goose liver pate with toasted brioche. Goodness in a jar. Artery-damage in a jar too. But oh what the hell...

For more varieties of food, try Lafayette Gourmet (laymen's term: Food Heaven) on Level 2 of Lafayette Homme. It has something for EVERYBODY. And it had MANY somethings for me ;)

You will find a gorgeous Dallayou counter to start the drool-fest. It is a whole circle-counter of pastries, cakes, chocolates and of course...macaroons! I made two rounds and couldn't decide. If you don't get enticed by their cellars, venture into the main food hall. But it is definitely NOT for the faint-hearted. It's food, food, and MORE food. For as far your eyes can see. (It really makes our supermarket look lame(?))

There is a Japanese patisserie you must try - beautiful cakes and cookies. And if you're like me, I love hearing someone non-native speak the beautiful language, ask them what some the ingredients are! Funny how a Jap pastry chef tries to explain something in French interjected with Jap. (Was I wearing my Hello Kitty hairband?)

In gratitude and wonder, I bought two cakes. Superbly chocolate-y. Superbly-abfab.

The other Must-See: The CHEESE COUNTER. All the goat cheese I could ever want. If I bought 1 type each day, it would probably take a month to try all the different goat cheese. After limiting ourselves to 4 types of French goat cheese and a wedge of Machengo, we proceeded to check out the shelves.

And found...a punnet of fresh (and blood-red and sweet) strawberries for S$4! our fave Belgian chocs! Galler! Immediately we knew we would be buying quite a bit of chocolates home...

After what seemed like hours, we finally made it around the other parts of GL for some more retail therapy.

When the shops closed, we made our way back to the little restaurant the concierge pointed out - Au Petit Riche at 25, Rue Le Peletier, 75009 Paris, France (Tel: 01 47 70 68 68). Please be warned that this place is NOT for the claustrophobic. It is so cramped in some parts of the restaurant that you can smell the garlic breath of the guest at the next table! And no intimate whispers because you wouldn't be able to hear yourself!

Entrées - Starters:
In the spirit of all things French, I had to have the snails! Escargots de Bourgogne, Beurre Fin à l’Ail (Burgundy snails cooked in garlic butter). Very fresh. Very garlicky. Very salty. Very French. Not to be outdone, He had Foie Gras de Canard Maison (their homemade foie gras) which was perfect in every way. We decided that it HAD to be the freshness of the ingredients. Deepu was adventurous too (but decidely healthier!) and picked the Thon frais mi-cuit au sésame,tartare de betterave et coriandre (basically fresh red Tuna with sesame, beet and cilantro). She really enjoyed every bit of it - and the novelty of beetroot!

Viandes - Meat:
On the plane we had a discussion. And I had pledged to eat as much duck as I could. I was going to be in Duck Country! ;) So it was natural when we both grinned when we perused the menu. We knew we were both trying the Magret de canard au basilic, vinaigre de Xérès (roasted duck filet). Gorgeous. I have to say it now. It was THE BEST duck I had had. (Warisan, look out!) It was Perfect in every sense. Technically cooked to perfection both inside and out. Just the right amount of glace so that you can dip the little morsels in but not too much that the meat soaks it all up and becomes stewed duck. And the duck was just nicely-fat too! Just the way I like mine. I was almost sad when I put the last piece into my mouth...

Desserts:
They categorised their desserts into "regular" and "Les grands classiques Au Petit Riche" so of course I had to do my French chef test: I had Crème brûlée à la vanille Bourbon. For the record, we had TWO of it because we enjoyed the first one so much. It must be the French cows.

Disclaimer: We had two superb bottles of French red. But in all fairness, I was so taken in by the food, I forgot what the labels looked like. (He is going to laugh so hard and insist I touch up my blonde roots.) Will update on this if we ever get to recalling them.

Great start to a Parisian adventure? Definitely. But wait till you hear what else Paris had in store for me...