Le Mary Celeste

Le Mary Celeste
1, rue Commines (3rd)

Paris, France

This was so long ago (April) that I can't tell you what we had with any detail, but the one dish that really sticks out in my mind is the deviled eggs. I kind of wished I wasn't sharing that with C & A. We also had some nice cocktails - it's an attractive space and the food was all interesting and good - but some months on I only remember the eggs and the horrifically slow service, which was almost comical by the end. Don't go if you want any semblance of speed or order to your meal - if you're happy to spend three hours getting a selection of small plates out then it is perfect. P.S. A's coworker was there a week after us and experienced the same level of service so at least I know it wasn't just us.

Chez Paul

13 Rue de Charonne
75011 
Paris, France

So in a bizarre feat of scheduling, I was back in Paris a couple of weeks after my day with K and J. This time it was to see new family, namely nephew G who had just arrived in the world about a month earlier. This trip also coincided with C's birthday, so on a Sunday evening, C, A and I headed out for a traditional French bistro experience. Again I placed our trust in David Lebovitz, who so far has not done anything to make me think he is anything up a genius, and Chez Paul was agreed upon, since it was within walking distance of where we were staying. Due to a day full of eating, we skipped starters and went straight for mains - C chose cod, which she was delighted with, and A and I shared a lamb shank for two, which was so incredibly tender and full of flavor that the two of us finished off the whole thing, even though it was enormous. Some side dishes accompanied the lamb - mushrooms, and giant beans in a tomato sauce - all of it just right for a relaxed dinner. We couldn't decide on dessert or cheese, so decided to get some cheese and then see how we felt. The cheese selection was again very well judged - served at the right temperature with some lovely crackers and breads, I think. And while we would have ordered dessert if a server came by, for some reason after cheese we were completely ignored. There are worse things than being ignored in an alcove in a lovely French bistro - but it did mean that by the time we got someone's attention we were ready to depart so we headed off without a little sweet to finish off the meal.

A La Petite Chaise

36 Rue de Grenelle
75007 
Paris, France

K and J were in Paris so I nipped over for a day to see them (justifying it as cheaper than a flight to LA). Obviously if you're in Paris you should try to eat well - using David Lebovitz as our guide, we ended up at A La Petite Chaise, which is a very old, very classic French restaurant. Charming old fashioned waiters, a decor that looks like it could have been unchanged from when it opened in the 1860s, and a menu that reads like you'd expect. Escargot, French onion soup, and for me, an avocado and citrus salad (my slight nod at trying not to have a heart attach). I made up for that starter with the duck breast main, which was executed well and came with a lovely puck of dauphinoise potato. Creme brulee to end, with an appropriately shattering caramel top - though I should point out that the portion was absolutely enormous and I was sadly unable to finish, which disappointed our waiter. K picked out a great wine (though I can't recall exactly what it was) and it made for the perfect three hour dinner after a long day of walking.

Le Marché du Quartier

Recently my brother J and his wife A came to London for a visit before heading off to France for the rest of their holiday. This meant that I wanted to show off some cool things about London that I thought they would enjoy, and one of those things was Borough Market. I know there's a lot of controversy surrounding the changes that are being made to the market traders there and you can read all about them elsewhere - it's still a nice place to bring visitors since you get to see and try so many strange foods in one place, and the potential for deliciousness is high. I saw a few people go by with duck sandwiches, which meant I was searching for where to buy them while walking around, and finally when we made it over to Brindisa, I saw it - a giant pan (much like those enormous paella pans) filled with duck confit. The shop is called Le Marché du Quartier and I think they sell imported French goods. I went straight for the sandwich and asked for some extra crispy bits, which the guy manning the pan was happy to oblige with. Salty, fatty, crunchy ducky bits on a roll with some rocket and a swipe of mustard - my idea of heaven for a measly 5 quid. Others complain that the duck is dry - I did not have any issues with its juiciness and would highly recommend it if you love duck.

Le Bouchon Breton and Androuet

Old Spitalfields Market
16 Horner Square
London
E1 6AA

Groupon was offering steak frites at Le Bouchon Breton for a bargain price, and J agreed to come along on a Saturday lunchtime to give it a try. We had a bit of difficulty finding it - it's actually upstairs in Old Spitalfields Market (don't even bother looking for any signs for Horner Square). With a couple of bloody marys and some spinach and peppercorn sauce on the side, it made for quite a relaxing lunch - I only wish the market was open on Saturdays so that we could walk around afterwards. My other tip - there is a fantastic cheesemonger called Androuet in Old Spitalfields Market and they do a cheese called Brillat Savarin, which is some of the creamiest, most deluxe cow's milk cheese I've had, and quite reasonably priced at 2.75 for a quarter of a round. Go forth and eat!

Le Saint Julien

62 - 63 Long Lane
London
EC1A 9EJ

J and I had tried to go here maybe two years ago - for whatever reason it didn't happen, so when we were picking a place to meet up recently, it resurfaced and was quickly chosen. A 50% off deal from Toptable was booked, and we headed off to have a decadent French meal. J chose better for her starter - the trout rillette with avocado mash was fantastic and a good balance of fresh seafood against the fatty avocado. I had the rillette of rabbit with mango chutney which was good, but much heavier than J's dish. For mains, J chose a Beaujolais style rabbit which came on a bed of incredibly buttery mash, while I had the pressed lamb with mustard crust served with white beans. You can't really tell how big the dish is in the picture above, but it was enormous - and so tasty I finished the entire thing, even though I probably shouldn't have. We were terribly full but couldn't resist some dessert, so we shared a chocolatey thing, I think (my memory is a bit hazy at this point). Point is, the cooking is good here, and with the Toptable deal, it is really good value as well.

Le Mercury

140a Upper Street
London
N1 1QY

Le Mercury is one of those places on Upper Street that I walk past all the time but never go into. I remember being surprised by the prices on one of my walk-bys, and making a little mental note to try it out, but then as usual, other things came first. Well, I finally made it there and while it was certainly a decent meal, I am not sad that I haven't been there earlier. It is basically well-priced French food that is executed the way I imagine a competent home cook would do it. My lamb was tender and came with nicely grilled courgettes, and the cheesecake above was a bit light and bland for me, though the sticky toffee pudding was gooey and decadent as it should be. Good for a casual dinner, but nothing to go out of your way for. Thankfully it is not out of my way at all.

Kettner's

29 Romilly Street
London
W1D 5HP

A Toptable deal for 50% off food seemed like a good opportunity to try out Kettner's, now that it's been revamped, so P, N and B came along with me to catch up over wine and some dinner. This place is a bit of an institution so I was curious as to whether the food would be any good, and surprisingly enough, I thought it was. I started with a bowl of steamed Cornish mussels in creamy broth, which were fresh and tasty, though a tad oversalted. For a main, I chose the duck confit with sarladaise potatoes, which were beautifully presented. Again, I thought the dish was just slightly saltier than it needed to be, and there was an unannounced bed of spinach that came with the dish, making my side order of rocket salad a bit extraneous. Still, it's hard to go wrong with crispy, tender duck. The food bill was very reasonable, but we drank quite a bit of wine, pushing our bill up - so a good place to go with the Toptable deal, but I expect it could be quite a pricey night out without the discount. I would also note that it was incredibly loud and noisy in the restaurant - all glass surfaces and mirrors inside made it impossible to hear people without shouting. So keep that in mind, if you're going for dinner in order to have a conversation.

Crêperie Bretonne

67 Rue Charonne, 11e
75011 Paris

T & A's upstairs neighbors recommended this place for dinner, so we gave it a try and loved it. The menu is very simple - savory and sweet crêpes are available, and there is Bretonne cider to drink alongside. I had a very traditional crêpe - ham, cheese and egg - while others at the table experimented with ham and mushroom, egg and cheese, and tomato, cheese and mushrooms. Everyone scarfed their crêpe down quickly as they were so delicious, with crispy edges. We couldn't resist dessert crêpes as well - I had one smothered in Nutella, of course. Read all about the amazing cider here - all in all I think this was my favorite meal in Paris due to the quaintly decorated restaurant, the great food, the reasonable prices, and the company.

French Farmer's Market

Avenue Daumesnil, 12e
Paris, France

Every Sunday morning, there's a farmers market outside of T & A's flat. We went out for a wander and I took these pictures of some of the many beautiful items for sale. T & A get their vegetables here each week, and A & I obviously couldn't go to a French market without picking up some cheese (Comte to be exact). It was nice to see a lot of people out doing their shopping - I would love for a market like this to be on my doorstep. 

Convention Cafe

Convention Metro
Paris

I know, I know. Second place in a row where I don't have an address (or even a proper name). It's right next to Convention metro stop though - one of those corner cafes. Basically, we were starving after we finished at a photography exhibition and this place looked decent (and was still serving lunch). I went with one of the daily specials, a salad that was like no other salad I've ever seen. A giant plate came out, heaped with lettuce, then fried potatoes, cheese, ham, croutons and a poached egg. If all salads were like this salad, I'd be happy to eat salad daily! This was reasonable for 10 euros, but my friends felt a little more ripped off when their bowls of French onion soup rang in at 8.50 each, and a croque monsieur was 15 euros. Still, for a corner cafe, I suppose these prices aren't ridiculous, and I would recommend the salad, so I guess I'll give this one a pass.

A et H Jourdan Patissier

Rue de la Convention
Paris

Apologies for the lack of firm address, but I can't find this patissier anywhere online, and the photo I took of the exterior only says "A et H Jourdan Patissier". Anyway, we were walking along Rue de la Convention from Commerce metro to Parc George Brassens, so it's somewhere along there. I was on the lookout for macarons, having found a canele the day before, and this was the first one we spotted. It was larger than I expected, almost filling the palm of my hand. A nice, crispy exterior broke through to a smooth, sweet chocolate filling. A tried a pistachio one and liked it as well - I have no idea how she restrains herself from eating these goodies every day! It definitely satisfied my sweet tooth though - one of these large macarons is more than enough for a snack.

Brasserie Au Metro

8 Place Felix Eboue
75012 Paris, France

Something about being in France makes me crave steak tartare. I very rarely order it anywhere else, but once I step foot onto French soil, watch out. This was a lovely rendition, with plenty of capers, finely chopped onion, and egg mixed into the raw steak. Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco came on the side and I generously added both. The salad was dressed with a tangy mustard dressing that made it taste much nicer than a pile of leaves normally does, and the fries were wonderfully golden and crisp on the outside and soft and potatoey on the inside. Pretty good, considering this was a hastily thought up destination after the Cambodian place we had planned to go to was rammed. A found his bavette steak a little chewy and perhaps a tad too rare for his liking (but polished off the whole thing regardless), T had what looked like a pretty decent vegetarian lasagne, and other A said her duck breast with risotto was good. So, not destination dining, but if I found myself in the area craving steak tartare again, I'd go back.

Aux Désirs de Manon

129 rue St Antoine

75004 Paris, France

While rambling around the Marais, I kept an eye out for canelés. I happened to see Aux Désirs de Manon and lo and behold, a lovely pile of canelés were inside. A plumped for a pistachio éclair, and the other A got a pistachio marshmallow. What a nice way to keep your energy up when on a long walk. My favorite of these three was the pistachio éclair, surprisingly, as I'm not always that fond of pistachios. It may be blasphemous to admit this, but I preferred the canelé I had in Primrose Hill to the one here - this one was larger and dare I say, blander, with a less crunchy exterior. Ah well, I am just being picky, it was still good.

Paris Cheese Fest #1

Lucky us, T and his girlfriend A live in Paris now so Eurostar tickets were booked for a weekend visit. Upon arrival, we quickly agreed that cheese would make for a nice lunch, so we popped out to the local grocery store and grabbed some interesting looking ones. From top and clockwise, they are a Mont d'Or, a St. Marcellin, and a cheese that resembles Comte (bought on the recommendation of an old man who was also cheese shopping). Next stop was Stéphane Vandermeersch's boulangerie for some baguettes (278, AVENUE DAUMESNIL, 75012, 12ÈME ARRONDISSEMENT, PARIS, FRANCE).

We dug in once we were back in T&A's adorable flat - I liked all of the cheeses, but I think the faux-Comte was my favorite. I have just now realized that perhaps the Mont d'Or could have been baked with white wine, which might make it a very different proposition - it was a bit dense and thick when we ate it straight out of the container, and I think baking it into an oozy creamy gushing cheese might be what it needs to reach its full potential.

French Onion Soup

French onion soup is one of A's favorites, so when I had a glut of onions in the house I decided to attempt making it. After looking at a few different recipes, I settled on this one since it looked simple and I liked the idea of "secret" ingredients. It turned out well, but was even more delicious the second day so I would suggest making this the day before you want to eat it. The resting time really gives all the ingredients time to meld into a sweet and savory whole.

French Onion Soup

Makes four servings

6 medium onions, thinly sliced

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/8 cup port wine

1 quart chicken stock, boiling

4 pieces of toasted bread, preferably something crusty

1 cup of grated Gruyère cheese

salt

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions. Cook slowly over low-medium heat as the onions caramelize. This should take a while (20-30 minutes) as you don't want the onions to cook too quickly - you are aiming for a sweet, sticky golden mess of onions. Once the onions are caramelized, add the balsamic vinegar and port and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the chicken stock at this point, salt to taste and then simmer for another 30 minutes. If you can, let this all cool down and refrigerate it for a day before serving. Heat up the soup again, and then get 4 oven-proof bowls and ladle soup into each bowl. Float a piece of toast on top of each bowl and then 1/4 cup of grated Gruyère on top of each piece of toast. Put the bowls on a baking tray and place them under a hot grill or broiler for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Boulevard Brasserie (revisited)

36 Wellington St
London, WC2E 7BD

Since we enjoyed our meal here last time, when A and I needed a good pre-theater restaurant before we headed off to see Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, we decided to come back. This time the Toptable deal was 16.50 for three courses and a kir royale. We ordered the gravalax (home cured salmon with chive cream and country bread), spinach salad (with feta cheese, tomato, cucumber and black olives), minute steak with frites, trout with mash and watercress sauce, and crème brûlée and pot au chocolat. Just as great as we remembered - everything tasted fresh and was well-seasoned, and I was particularly impressed with how perfectly my trout was cooked and how the crème brûlée had a lovely crackly top. Highly recommend this if you need somewhere to eat around Covent Garden, especially if you're tight on time - service was attentive and we were in and out in 50 minutes.

PS. I recommend the play as well - we had 10 quid tickets but were upgraded to the top price seats when we arrived at the theater. The second and third acts are particularly gripping and just flew by. Excellent performances all around.

Boulevard Brasserie

36 Wellington St
London, WC2E 7BD

Another day, another free Toptable meal. This time it was two courses at Boulevard Brasserie, near Covent Garden. A and I started with a goat's cheese and caramelized onion tart and a rocket and parmesan salad. A thought there was too much oil on the salad, but the parmesan was generously shaved on and the onions in the tart were delicately sweet in contrast to the sharp goat's cheese. For mains we had the minute steak with a gigantic bowl of frites, and the salad Nicoise pictured above. The steak was very well seasoned and managed to stay medium rare even though it was a thin cut, and the bowl of frites was delicious and it was hard to stop eating them. The salad Nicoise was good as well - fresh greens, a strongly flavored anchovy on top, briny black olives, firm new potatoes and perfectly boiled eggs. The menu we were allowed to choose off of is their daily lunch and pre-theater menu which is 11.95 for two courses - I think this would have been good value even if we had to pay. It's certainly better than a lot of the tourist traps around Covent Garden.