Category Archives: Restaurants

Wednesday’s Blogger Round-Up: Michelin star restaurants – Chrysanthemums in France – All Saints’ Day

November 6, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 3 Comments

This week, The Good Life France, appearing for the first time in my Wednesday’s Blogger Round-Up, explains the origin of the Michel star award to French restaurants, while two Aussies, whom I’ve often quoted here – Wendy Hollands from Le Franco Phoney and Phoebe from Lou Messugo – share their experience of the chrysanthemum tradition in France. Enjoy!

What does Michelin star restaurant mean?

Written by The Good Life France, an independent on-line magazine about France and all things French, covering all aspects of daily life including healthcare, finance, utilities, education, property and a whole lot more.

Most people are aware of Michelin the tyre company and their famous logo Michelin Man the roly-poly tyre man – or Monsieur Bibendum which is his real name. His image is known the world over and he does an excellent job of promoting the company’s tyres.

Michelin is also famous for ranking restaurants – achieving a Michelin star status is like the Holy Grail for chefs – to have one is to be acknowledged as amongst the elite, to have reached the pinnacle of one’s profession. For customers it is in an indication that the restaurant that has been awarded a Michelin star status will almost certainly guarantee an epicurean experience, a high quality meal, a great ambience. Read more

Chrysanthemums and Death in France

by Wendy Hollands from Le Franco Phoney, an Australian who writes about all things French in La Clusaz, Annecy and Haute Savoie as seen by an outsider

There’s a reason that faux pas is a French phrase. As a non-French person, I’m constantly making mistakes with both the language and the culture. I reckon they invented it for foreigners.

As mortifying as it can be to mix up ‘chiot‘ (puppy) and ‘chiottes‘ (toilets), or ‘canard‘ (duck) and ‘connard‘ (idiot), failing at French cultural etiquette can be equally as bad.

For example, a French breakfast with friends is no fast meal. Expect to spend hours absorbing your food — dunk your croissant into your bowl (yes, bowl) of coffee and break off a bit more baguette while you all catch up. That butter, jam and Nutella is on the table for the baguette, not the croissant. Do not apply these products to the croissant! They might not say anything, but they’ll think you’re weird: croissants are eaten without spreads in France. Read more

All Saints Day – Flowers and French traditions

by Phoebe from Lou Messugo, a traveller, francophile, expat, mum and foodie now living in Roquefort les Pins where she runs a gîte after many years of travelling and living in Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia

This weekend has been all about Toussaint, a Catholic holiday honoring all Saints. It is a time when French pay respect to their deceased relatives. All Saints’ Day, the 1st of November, sees families gathering to visit cemeteries to clean and decorate tombs. And they decorate them mainly with chrysanthemums.

The tradition of using chrysanthemums is a relatively recent one, dating from 1919 when the then President, Raymond Poincaré, declared that all war memorials should be decorated with floral tributes. As one of the rare flowers still in bloom in November it became the flower of choice for cemeteries, with hundreds of thousands of widows laying blooms at their fallen husbands’ memorials. Read more

Blois, Loire Valley, Restaurants

Douceur and Le Coup de Fourchette in Blois – two new places to try!

November 5, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 2 Comments

It’s a rainy Sunday afternoon and we’ve finally taken the time to collect our Blésois passes so we’ll have free entry to Blois Royal Castle and the Magic Museum plus lots of other places. The pass will also give our friends a reduction if we’re with them. “So, where do we go for afternoon tea?” says Jean Michel. A Facebook friend from the Loire Connexion has told me about Douce Heure (literally Sweet Time and a pun on Douceur meaning something sweet to eat) on the Loire side of Place Louis XII, so we decide to go there.

As we’re coming down the steps from the castle, a child says, “Look – a duck!” but in fact it’s a mosaic swan which I had never noticed before. We go past some pseudo sumos that are part of a Community Party festival of some sort. We watch for a while. They are exceedingly funny. Now why didn’t I take a video?

We arrive at Douce Heure and regret that we can’t use the attractive lollipop terrace but we go inside and it feels very inviting and cosy after the awful weather outside.

There is a large choice of tea, coffee and hot chocolate. We choose a cake each – a candied fruit cheese cake and a fruit tart – and are halfway through eating them when it occurs to me to take a photo!

We both order hot chocolate. It comes in a special chocolate pot and is thick and creamy. We have two very decadent cups each! That solves the problem of what to have for dinner tonight – nothing!

It’s a little more than a week later and we’re back in Blois with nothing in the fridge for lunch. It’s raining again. “Let’s try that restaurant our last guests suggested,” I say. “The one near the market on the river side.” I phone Le Coup de Fourchette to make sure there’s a table.

We park in the underground parking lot so we don’t get too wet going to the restaurant. Its red, white and black décor is very inviting and there is a large Bienvenue on the door. Inside there is a perroquet (parrot – why parrot?) coat stand. What an excellent idea. I hate having to sit with my coat draped on the back of my chair.

The welcome is warm and friendly and we are shown to our table. For the moment, the dining room is fairly empty but it soon fills up with locals – mainly men – with big appetites as befits a restaurant whose name means “a hearty appetite”.

The waitress explains the menu and shows us the blackboard with the day’s specials. Prices start at about 10 or 11 euro for starter plus main course or main course plus dessert. We choose an entrecôte + French fries + green salad + dessert (café gourmand) each and a ½ bottle of local Touraine Vieilles Vignes red wine for a total of 39 euro.

The French fries are excellent and the meat is tasty. We have three mini-desserts with our café gourmand.

This is not a gastronomical restaurant. It’s a local eatery, frequented by locals all year round and savvy tourists during the summer, attracted by the terrace. It’s been open for just a little over a year and has already earned the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence, ranked 2 out of 103 restaurants in Blois, just after Les Planches which is next on our list!

Chef outside Le Coup de Fourchette as we leave

The service and atmosphere are friendly, the food is simple but good and hearty. The servings are copious. Excellent value for money. We’ll definitely be back!

Douce Heure, place Louis XII, 41000 Blois. Open all year round. 10 am to 7 pm. Closed Mondays.

Le Coup de Fourchette, 15 Quai de la Saussaye, 41000 BLOIS, 02 54 55 00 24. Open Monday to Wednesday, lunchtime only and Thursday to Saturday, lunchtime and evening.

Food, Paris, Restaurants, Wednesday's Blogger Round-up

Wednesday’s Blogger Round-up: New places to shop in Paris – Reserving a restaurant in Paris – Chocolate Tasting

October 23, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp Leave a comment

This Wednesday, we’re staying in Paris. Australian blogger Jo Karnaghan from Frugal First Class Travel, whom I had the great pleasure of meeting up with during a recent trip to Paris, shares her latest find – three new shopping streets in Paris; well-known foodie Wendy Lyn from The Paris Kitchen, which I have just discovered, gives us ten excellent tips for reserving a restaurant in Paris, while published author Tom Reeves from Paris Insights takes us on a chocolate tasting. Enjoy!

THREE GREAT NEW SHOPPING STREETS IN PARIS

by Jo Karnaghan from Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a First Class trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!

When visiting Paris recently, I was keen to get out and discover some new places and experiences – all about making familiar Paris seem brand new. Part of that was exploring some new and different shopping experiences. I found three great shopping streets I’d never visited before that I’d love to share with you. Whether you are a serious shopper or just love a bit oflecher la vitrine (window shopping), I hope you find my finds as interesting as I did. Read more

Top 10 Restaurant Reservation Tips for Paris

by American “insider” Wendy Lyn from The Paris Kitchen™ , one of the ten top food guides in the world, who gives savvy, globe-trotting foodies local introductions and an off-the-beaten-path experience of Paris’ food scene.

Calling for restaurant reservations can feel intimidating with the language barrier and time difference, but it doesn’t have to be.

While it is do-able to walk into a cute little corner bistro without reservations, if you are headed this way on a mission to eat through your list of Paris’ top spots, reservations are essential – even for a casual dining.

Thank you to all the Facebook fans, restaurant staff & clients who helped me create this top 10 list for making reservations in France.

One of the questions I’m most often asked is, “Why is it so hard to get a reservation? I don’t want anything fussy or expensive.” Read more

An Evening of Chocolate Tasting with Les Amants du Chocolat de la Couronne Parisienne

by Tom Reeves from Paris Insights, whose love of French language and culture inspired him to create Discover Paris!, a travel planning service that caters to Americans interested in cultural travel to Paris and to write Paris Insights – An Anthology

One of the advantages of blogging about chocolate tastings is that one meets people who invite you to…more chocolate tastings!

It was at the hot chocolate demonstration at Mococha where I met Sabine Malet, secretary of the chocolate appreciation club Les Amants du Chocolat de la Couronne Parisienne. Sabine told me about her club’s tasting that would feature the chocolate of Laurence Dali, who operates O Mille et une Fèves in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. Naturally, I wanted to be part of that. Read more

Loire Valley, Restaurants

Auberge de Launay – an excellent restaurant in the Loire Valley

October 22, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 1 Comment

“This is the best dining experience we’ve had in the Loire”, says Laszlo, halfway through the meal, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

It’s always tricky choosing a restaurant for overseas visitors and I wasn’t sure which of our other favourites in Blois our lovely American/Hungarian/Romanian friends Anda and Laszlo had already tried. My Aussie friend Jane and I enjoyed eating on the terrace at Auberge de Launay in the summer of 2012, but Jean Michel and I have never been there together. It’s located about 20 minutes from Blois and 10 minutes from Amboise, just off the highway that runs along the Loire.

The light, airy dining room is nearly full when we arrive, which is a good sign. The staff are very pleasant and keep coming back to take our order as we are so busy catching up that we don’t seem to be able to get round to even look at the menu.

We finally order our drinks from a list of local fruit juices, wines and spirits. They come with some tasty little nibbles – a sort of puffy cheese stick and a light verrine.

For starters, we choose John Dory tartare and avocado purée, game pâté and wild mushrooms, and rillettes, a first for Laszlo. Rillettes are made with meat, usually pork or goose, finely chopped and cooked and preserved in fat. They are a speciality of Le Mans and Tours. I had the fish tartare and it was delicious.

Our main courses are duck with aniseed and celery purée, suckling pig trio (ham, rillettes, fried pig fat) with Brussels sprouts (Jean Michel’s choice but a little rich!), and lamb shoulder with aubergine caviar. I am a little disappointed in the lamb because I didn’t know that effilochée means that the meat is shredded.

Jean Michel and Laslo are having cheese. The platter of local cheeses all matured by Rodolphe Le Meunier at La Croix de Touraine, is very tempting. Laszlo is served first and chooses a blue-vein cheese. “You can have at least three”, I tell him, so he orders a couple more. Jean Michel proceeds to choose FIVE (my husband is a true gourmand!) so Laslo selects another one.

Anda and I are having dessert. We choose dark chocolate ganache and fig tart, both of which are very tasty.

At the sommelier’s suggestion we choose a bottle of saumur-champigny as everyone wants red.

A little extra point to mention – free wifi, which we appreciated because Anda was able to show me some of her lovely photos on Laszlo’s iPad. I’m waiting to see her Loire Valley collection now particularly if they are like her Amboise at sunset!

Auberge de Launay, 9 rue de la Rivière 37350 Limeray, 33(0)2 47 30 76 82, info@aubergedelaunay.com

Closed Sunday, Monday lunchtime and Saturday lunchtime

Lunch menu:

Entrée of the day + dish of the day + coffee : €19

Entrée, dish and dessert of the day: €20

Dinner menu:

Main + dessert: € 22

Entrée + main: € 23

Entrée + main + dessert: € 27

Entrée + main + cheese: € 30

Entrée + fish + meat + dessert: € 39

Cheese platter: € 8.50

Architecture, Bulgaria, Restaurants, Travelling

Off to Plovdiv in Bulgaria

October 16, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 2 Comments

We leave our home exchange apartment in Sofia around 10 am. It’s a short walk to the central bus station. We go past a group of bystanders and see three men lying on their sides on the ground, hands handcuffed behind them and surrounded by police officers in front of a police station. I’m not brave enough to take a photo unfortunately. It’s the first sign of crime we’ve seen since we arrived.

Our walk takes us past the Lion Bridge and along the first bike path we’ve seen too. It’s a very good bike path, much frequented by pedestrians and perfect for our roll-on bag. We only see one bike. We arrive at the very modern bus station. I buy the tickets (14 lev each) from a window on the right as you walk in and am served by the rudest person you could imagine. That, too, is a first in Bulgaria.

I go to the Ladies (0.5 lev) and we make our way to platform 6 to take the 11 am bus. The buses leave every hour on the hour. We climb in and I am surprised to see there is no one down the back. We take the first two available seats together. The bus fills up and a very big, loud woman arrives and is obviously saying I’m in her seat. She shows us her ticket and we discover, to our surprise, that ours are numbered too! The lady behind us says to stay put and says something to the other lady who goes off to find another seat. We’re relieved because our seat numbers are not together!

A surprising housing estate in the middle of nowhere

The trip itself, mainly along the motorway, is fairly monotonous and takes a little over 2 hours. When we get out, it already feels different from Sofia. The sun is shining and it’s a bit warmer. We find Yvan Vazov street and start walking the 15 minutes to our hotel. I immediately feel good in Plovdiv. The street is lovely and shady and there is a definite vibrancy in the air. It is less run-down than Sofia.

We arrive at the Romantica Hotel and the friendly receptionist takes us to our room. It was the last one available when I booked several days earlier and although there are twin beds, I was told they could be pushed together. Considering the size of the room, right next to reception, I might add, there isn’t much hope of that. But the real surprise is the bathroom. The toilet is IN the shower area with a curtain in front of the toilet. I’ve never seen that one before! Definitely not as romantic as its name.

I like the look of the restaurant opposite, which is called Hemingway, so we decide to eat there. Our initial plan to sit on the very attractive terrace is thwarted by construction work just next to our hotel. Oh dear, I hope it doesn’t start too early in the morning.

When the waiter hears us speak French, he goes off to get another waiter who speaks excellent English (learnt from the movies) and a smattering of French. We order a couple of delicious vegetarian dishes and a glass of excellent wine. I choose some divine foccacia-like bread served in a paper bag. It’s the best meal we’ve had in Bulgaria so far, all for a mere 30 lev (15 euro) for the two of us. I’m liking Plovdiv more and more.

After lunch, we set off for the old town. But that will be another post!

Hemingway, 10 Gurko Street, Plovdiv. 9 am to 1 am. Tel 032 267350. Mobile 0894490636. http://hemingway.bg/en. office@hemingwaybg.net

Architecture, Art, Bulgaria, Restaurants, Sightseeing

Sofia – Alexander Nevski Cathedral and Saint Sofia

September 23, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 2 Comments

We wake up very late and I am relieved that my toe is no longer swollen and painful. I can now move it which is reassuring. The Nurofen, the three ice-cold foot baths and not going out for dinner and walking on it again yesterday seem to have worked. Alexander Nevski Cathedral and Saint Sofia are on the programme today.

People filling bottles with spa water near the old baths — People filling bottles with spa water near the old Baths

The first thing we do is to go back to the Baths to find the warm mineral water springs where the locals apparently form long queues. There are no queues today but quite a lot of people are filling up water bottles of all shapes and sizes. We test the temperature and it does indeed seem to be 37°C. Maybe I should get some for my toe!

The honey market in front of the old Baths

Just next to the springs is a honey market. Yes, just honey – about 25 to 30 stalls. It turns out that honey is very popular in Bulgaria and this is honey week.

Sculptures in the National Art Gallery grounds

This time, we walk behind the former Tsar’s palace, now the National Art Gallery, towards Alexander Nevski’s Cathedral. The park behind the gallery has a lot of outdoor sculptures, some very modern.

Viennese-style houses behind the National Art Gallery

The Viennese-style houses lining the street are in much better repair than the ones in our neighbourhood.

Celebrates in front of Nevski Church on St Sofia's feast day — Celebrations in front of Alexander Nevski Church on St Sofia’s feast day

As we near the Cathedral, which is just next to the church of Saint Sofia, we see that something is going on and we can’t access the church. There are rows of soldiers in different uniforms and people are crowding towards a podium. Soon, someone starts speaking over the PA system and an official-looking man starts walking past the soldiers. I am later informed by an American tourist who’s part of a group that it’s the feast day of Saint Sofia and the man is the Mayor but it turns out this is incorrect because the current mayor is a woman: Yordanka Fundakova.

Alexander Nevski Church — Alexander Nevski Cathedral – this photo was taken about 15 minutes after the previous one – the change in the sky is quite astonishing

We head off down the road behind Saint Sofia to Alexander Nevski Cathedral. Built between 1882 and 1912 in the neo-Byzantine style typical of 19th century Russian churches, it is quite spectacular with its green and gold domes. Seventy-six metres long and 53 metres wide, it is said to up between 5,000 and 7,000 people.

Close-up of the tympan on Alexander Nevski Church — Close-up of the tympanum on Alexander Nevski Cathedral

It takes a while for our eyes to adjust to the light inside. We can finally see the beautiful murals. The ones closest to the cupola are being renovated and the colours are quite striking. Photographs of the inside are not allowed unfortunately so I can’t show you. There are three altars and people are standing in line with a candle in their hands to touch the icons.

After leaving the cathedral, we walk towards the Opera house on the corner of Rakovski and Vrabcha Streets, a perfect example of Stalinian architecture with its enormous columns and friezes built in 1950.

The restaurant near the Opera House — The AHTPE restaurant near the Opera House in Vrabcha Street

We find a restaurant called AHTPE (well, in Cyrillic anyway) close by, with a terrace next to a construction lot. Fortunately the pneumatic drill stops while we’re eating. A much better choice than yesterday with fresh grilled trout and salad with an 18 cl bottle of wine each for 30 leva. As an added bonus, while we’re eating, the chorus in the Opera House next door is practising.

St Sofia, largely camouflaged by trees – the sky has become cloudy again

By the time we have finished, the festivities at Saint Sofia are over and we’re able to visit. The simple red brick church is the oldest Eastern Orthodox church in the capital and dates back to the 5th and 6th centuries. During Ottoman rule, it was turned into a mosque but after the minaret was toppled in 1818 during an earthquake and the Imam’s two sons were killed in a second earthquake 40 years later, it was abandoned and restored as a church after liberation.

The crypt below is far more interesting and a real labyrinth, explained by the fact that the current church is the fifth to be built over the ancient necropolis of the Roman town of Serdica. There are several murals and mosaics. We go through the whole crypt twice because Jean Michel says we’ve missed some mosaics but we still can’t find them.

Fresco in the crypt underneath St Sofia — Mural in the crypt underneath St Sofia

When we come out, we walk through yet another market, this time a local flea market.

Dalek Christmas trees which are actually planters

We go home via the Theatre and what should I see near the fountains by another of Susan’s Daleks which is, in fact, a tiered planter with little white flowers up the sides!

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Bulgaria, Restaurants, Sightseeing

Sofia – Third impressions

September 22, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 6 Comments

The starting point for our third walking tour of Sofia is the Archeology Museum opposite the Presidential Palace and the changing of the guard which I described in my Second Impressions of Sofia. The oldest museum in Bulgaria (formerly the Big Mosque) has been in its present location since 1899. The building itself dates back to the 15th century and has been recently restored and the museum has an excellent reputation. We will no doubt go back another day.

Next on the list is Alexander Battenberg Square, once the site of the mausoleum of Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgaria’s first Communist leader, now completely reduced to rubble. The former Tzar’s Palace, built in 1873, stands on the other side and is now an art gallery and ethnographic museum that we’ll visit another day when my foot is not as painful.

The former tzar's palace, now the National Art Gallery — The former tzar’s palace, now the National Art Gallery

Just next door we see a beautiful building with five gold bulbs, the very ornate Russian Church built from 1912 to 1914 apparently to appease a Russian diplomat who was afraid to worship in Bulgarian churches! But maybe that is just heresay. The bulbs were recently re-guilded with gold leaf donated by the Patriarchate of Moscow.

A beautiful Renaissance-style building on the other side of Rakovski Street turns out to be the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Parliament on the right and the Military Club on the left — Parliament on the right and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences on the left with some sort of sit-in in the middle of the square

As it’s starting to spit, we head for the area in which the Routard gives the most addresses. On the way, we go past a statue of a dancer in front of a series of fountains with the Ivan Vasov National Theatre in the background. We’re definitely in a different neighbourhood. The footpaths are still full of holes, but most of the buildings are new and the people are dressed differently.

We see a couple of tables set up for chess and two men are playing behind a large statue with two figures. There is a lot of modern sculpture in Sofia.

Statues in the park with chess players in the background

Our restaurant is the Warsteiner, which is described as having a pork knuckle, stuffed capsicum and sausage ambiance with an eclectic clientele. It has a covered veranda which sounds like a good idea.

At another table, the locals are eating a copious vegetable dish served on a hot grill so I ask for one of those. We choose pork spare ribs, which turn out to be cold and lamb shank, which is luke warm. We have a local red. I have to go closer to the main dining room to get the wifi to work. Overall, not a very good address although cheap at 40 leva (about 20 euro). We later learn that it is part of a chain. We much preferred our meal last night at the local Dom Doman recommended by our hosts even though half the dishes were off the menu.

I get up and my foot screams out in pain. We head for the tourist office at Sofia University underground station to get some brochures for our travel diary and ask for a pharmacy. We follow instructions but have trouble finding it. I whip out my Bulgarian app for help. I find “Where is a pharmacy” with a recording in Bulgarian. I stop a lady in the street but she shakes her head and looks afraid.

I stop another woman and she says, “Oh, a pharmacy. You speak English?” and directs us to one near the Radisson Hotel. I can’t see any sign of an apoteka so ask reception. She sends us back in the other direction and we find one with Pharmacie on the window in addition to apoteka. I ask the lady behind the counter if she speaks English or French. “Ne”, she says. So I ask if anyone else does. She calls over a colleague who admits to speaking a little bit of English.

Radisson Hotel, one of Sofia's landmarks opposite the Parliament building — Radisson Hotel, one of Sofia’s landmarks opposite the Parliament building

She gives me some Nurofen, but no instructions on how to take it. It turns out that the leaflet is written in Bulgarian. Thank god for the Internet! At the end of the conversation, she asks where we come from. I indicate Jean Michel – French – and say I’m Australian. A large smile lights up her face. “Ah”, she says, “You’re not French. French people don’t speak English. Why don’t French people speak English?” “Bad teachers”, I answer. “Yes”, she agrees. “French people are lovely people. France is a lovely place. But no English!” Which is exactly what we were told in Ljubliana in Slovenia.

Architecture, Paris, Restaurants, Sightseeing

The Oldest House in Paris

September 11, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 33 Comments

Surprisingly for an old city, Paris has very few mediaeval houses and when someone asked me recently where the oldest house was, I had absolutely no idea even though I later learnt that I had actually been inside!

3, rue Volta, long thought to be the oldest house in Paris

For very many years, it was thought that the house at n°3 rue Volta in the 3^ème arrondissement was the oldest in the capital. All the history manuals showed it to be the oldest and it was depicted in thousands of postcards. It wasn’t until 1979 that an historian finally proved that it was a copy built in 1644 by a Parisian bourgeois. That must have been a rude shock, particularly as the historian was a woman!

I trekked off to have a look and found myself in a mini Chinatown. The half-timbered house with its stone pillars is now home to a Vietnamese restaurant called Taing Song-Heng where the same family has been serving two dishes, Pho and Bo Bun for twenty years.

L'Atelier d'Alexandre with its bike menu holder

I had also been told that there were two other mediaeval houses at n° 11-13 rue François Miron in the 4^ème arrondissement. This is not an area I know well, and I found all sorts of intriguing things on the way such as this bike doubling as a menu holder. A young man was leaning against a car smoking, dressed in chef’s attire. “It’s a very old bike”, he said. “And a very unusual way of presenting a menu,” I replied. “I saw the idea in Malta. You won’t copy it, will you?”

Mediaeval houses at 11 & 13 rue François Morin

I eventually reached N° 11 which used to have a sign with a reaper while n°13 had a sheep. The oldest records show their existence at the beginning of the 16th century but they might have already been there in the 14th century. In 1508, a royal decree prohibited jettied upper floors because of the risk of collapse. As a result, the gable was removed from n° 13 in the 17th century. It was rebuilt in 1967 when the two houses were being restored. In 1607, an edict ordered the timbering on this type of houses to be covered with plaster to prevent fire. Original drawings were used to guide restoration.

Street level of 11 & 13 rue François Morin

My last visit was to n°51 rue de Montmorency, back in the 3^ème arrondissement, to Nicolas Flamel’s house. As soon as I saw it, I remembered a Gargantuan meal there with French friends a few years ago. I suggested we have the food and wine pairing. It was excellent but I definitely wouldn’t recommend our choice. We still talk about it!

Nicolas Flamel's house at 51, rue Montmorency, the oldest known house in Paris, dated 1407

So, the oldest house in Paris only dates back to 1407. No half-timbering here. The façade is entirely made of stone, all straight lines and no curves. It was built by Nicolas Flamel, a scrivener and manuscript seller. The money he earnt from renting out the ground floor shops was used to house labourers and vegetable gardeners from the surrounding area.

The façade of Nicolas Flamel's house with its inscription

The inscription on the wall says, “We, working men and women living beneath the porch of this house, built in 1407, must each say an Our Father and an Ave Maria every day, to ask the grace of God to forgive poor sinners their trespasses. Amen.”

L’Auberge Nicolas Flamel, 51 Rue de Montmorency, 75003 Paris, 01 42 71 77 78

L’Atelier d’Alexandre, 26 rue de Beaubourg, 75003 Paris, 01 40 27 08 31

Taing Song-Heng, 3 rue Volta, 3 Rue Volta 75003 Paris, 01 42 78 31 70

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I’ve added this post to Lou Messugo’s All About France link-up. Click to find other posts about France from other bloggers

Cycling, Family, Restaurants

A Therapeutic Ride along the Marne

September 2, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 10 Comments

It’s Black Cat’s last day in Paris before she goes to New York to look for a job. I’m delighted for her, of course, because she’s following her dream, just as I did 38 years ago, but I am very sad to see her go. We’ve decided not to say goodbye at the airport so we part ways in the street. I go back upstairs and try to work. When Jean Michel phones at five to say he’s finished for the day, I suggest we go cycling along the Marne.

The cycle path from Pont de Bry to the old chocolate factory in Champs sur Marne remains our favourite ride and is filled with happy memories of when we lived in Fontenay sous Bois and could easily go there at the end of the day.

And we love stopping off on the way back for a barbecued côte de boeuf at La Pergola.

As it’s the last Friday in August, there is very little traffic so we only take about three-quarters of an hour to get there. We’ve already phoned La Pergola to check they’re open and make sure our côte de boeuf will be ready when we arrive after cycling for an hour along the Marne. The owner recognises knows us as le couple en vélo even if we haven’t been there since last summer.

As soon as we get on our bikes, I start feeling better. It’s a lovely day and the Marne is full of swans. We ride down to the chocolate factory and back to La Pergola. Our favourite table in the garden is waiting for us.

The côte de bœuf arrives and it’s enormous. Since we began intermittent fasting in June , our appetite has diminished somewhat. We manage to finish it anyway particularly as the meat is delicious. Jean Michel even orders tarte tatin for dessert! Fortunately it doesn’t have any cream with it.

It’s completely dark by the time we finish and we still have a 20-minute ride back to the car so we don our headlights and windcheaters and off we go. On the way, we pass the other, more recently opened La Pergola with its bright neon lights. I think it’s an eyesore.

Next morning we’re not even remotely hungry so decide to have a fast day. Today is the first day of Black Cat’s new life! Good luck!

La Pergola, 87, promenade Hermann Régnier, 93460 Gournay Sur Marne, 01 43 05 36 56

Paris, Restaurants

Le Comptoir des Petits Champs – a new restaurant experience in the 1st arrondissement in Paris

August 28, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 8 Comments

When Kathy from Femmes Francophiles suggests we have lunch together today, I ask if she can find something close by so I don’t take too much time off work. The downside of being my own boss is that the work doesn’t get done when I’m not there.

Fine and sunny in the Palais Royal gardens

She suggests Le Comptoir des Petits Champs, just down the road from me. All I have to do is walk through the Palais Royal gardens, up rue Vivienne and left into Rue des Petits Champs. I’ve never heard of it, despite the fact that I must have walked past it hundreds of times over the past 7 years! I arrive a little ahead of Kathy around 12.30 and am pleased to see that only a couple of tables are taken. That’s because it’s still August and half of Paris is still off at the beach somewhere.

The friendly waiter takes me to the last of three window tables. I’m amazed to see I can see right through to the Palais Royal. How come I’ve never noticed this restaurant? I later learn that it is voluntarily discreet, to encourage a neighbourhood clientele. I probably shouldn’t even be writing this post …

The interior of Le Comptoir des Petits Champs

I’m given some “reading material” but instead of studying the menu, I look out the window and discover that I have a balcony view of the Gardens and the Grand Véfour, one of the oldest and most prestigious restaurants in the area.

Kathy soon arrives so we look at the menu. At lunchtime, it’s 14 euro for a main course only, 20 for entrée + main or main + dessert and 26 for all three. An entrée or main is 10 euro. At night, it’s 19 euro for a main, 27 for entrée + main or main + dessert and 35 for all three.

I choose sword fish tartare served with sucrine lettuce, croutons and capsicum while Kathy has fresh salmon on a bed of cooked vegetables. We choose a glass of white from the south of France to go with it. It’s not a wine I know so the waitress immediately offers to let me taste first.

We follow with a café gourmand consisting of a mini-financier, a slice of one of the best moelleux au chocolat I’ve had for a long time, a small cream tart and a lemon mousse for me and strawberry mousse for Kathy, because I’m not a strawberry fan. The service throughout is discreet and friendly.

The discreet exterior of Le Comptoir des Petits Champs, with its old TV (and our reflections!)

When we leave, I take a photo of the outside and marvel that I have never noticed it. Kathy did because she was intrigued by the old television set in the window!

Despite the fact that Paris is full of restaurants and there are a lot in our area (1st and 2^nd arrondissements), we don’t often find a new one that we consider it’s worth going back to. Either it’s too expensive or the food isn’t wonderful or the service is not up to scratch. As a result, we have a little handful we return to regularly depending on what we want that particular day.

Le Comptoir des Petits Champs will be joining the list.

Le Comptoir des Petits Champs, 17 Rue des Petits Champs, 75001 Paris, 01 42 96 47 54. Open 7 days a week.

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