Paris in the Spring – Part 2

Following on from my post Paris in the Spring – Part 1 ….Saturday early morning I headed to another cafe,  le Coutume for a quick coffee fix.  Another hipster place with a minimalist tiled deco where they sell their own roasted coffee over a nice smiley service.  Lovely!

Le Coutume
47 rue de Babylone
75007 Paris
Next stop, the Marche Maubert, Place Maubert, 75005 Paris
The oldest open air street market in Paris, established in 1547,  open on  Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Fresh produce, herbs, spices, cheeses, vibrant vegetables, meat and textiles. Worth a visit, but go early, so you don’t miss the good stuff.
massive artichoke
m: Porte Clingnancourt  St Ouen ,93400
By now my friend Fernanda arrived and together we went to Les Puces, in the outskirts of Paris, this market hosts 14 different markets which on with their own characteristics and   unique atmosphere. Steeped in history, is a real hub of creativity, antique dealers, artists and artisans. It’s a gia-normous Alladin’s cave. It will take you a whole day or more to see and dive in to all stores. Great to find props of all sorts including furniture to  fireplaces to grand staircases. The prices are a bit steep in some cases, but the originality speaks volumes. In my opinion Paul Bert, was better displayed, ample and in some stalls better quality, nice antique linen and textile too.  Its about 20 mins by underground from city centre. Easy reach. Highly recommended.
 We had a nice stop at Le Paul Bert cafe  to rest our feet and some wine and small plate of charcuterie. Nice and humorous service. A bit on the touristy side, but when you tired and thirsty…
Le Paul Bert
20 rue Paul Bert
Puces de clignancourt
93400 Saint Ouen
Feeling like going to something more upmarket we decided to go to Angelina at Rue de Rivoli. That was a tasty way to sweeten the day. Their famous hot chocolate and MontBlanc was very good but the Choc African is a must – OMG kind of experience. Angelina serves breakfasts, lunches, dinners and all good things. Yes, I know a bit on the touristy side but sooo good!
Angelina
226 Rue de Rivoli, 75001
Mont Blanc and hot chocolate
Choc African – delicious!
Next door is Le Meurice, a five star hotel part of The Dorchester collection – so chic, we had to stopped by.
 more walking
After all the eating and drinking, we decided to walk around Paris to burn some calories…we found this lovely place épicerie provençale, great products to eat and to be pampered! The lavender soups are glorious and smell the whole room…a must buy. Also, the lavender honey and the almond paste, oh!!!  8, Cour du Commerce Saint Andre, 75006 m: Odeon.
more walking around
 shopping time! Galerie Lafayette, the food department is lovely!
more walking around

 

communal garden

 

 

Le SacréCœur Basilica picking out through the buildings of Paris
Marais

Moving on to the Place Des Vosges and this was happening….


Paris Place des Vosges from Rosana McPhee on Vimeo.

one of many rooftop views from Galerie Lafayette

 

sunset over the Seine
 Next day started with a homemade breakfast and lots of laughs. By now another friend arrived and together with my other friends we then headed to Le Baron Rouge, and yes you guessed by foot…. A charming bar, where we had a nice glass of wine. Its a very casual affair, standing up at barrel-tables, wall-to-wall of wine bottles, great atmosphere and service. There’s a food market next to it, the Marche Beauvau,  but unfortunately we were late, they closed at 1pm. The Market is open Tuesday-Saturday 8am- 1pm and 4pm-7.30pm, Sundays 8am-1pm, closed on Mondays.
Le Baron Rouge 

1 Rue Théophile Roussel, 75012

Afterwards we walked a bit more and stopped at  CAFE JARDIN L’ARROSOIR,
75, ave Daumesnil, Gare de Lyon, 75012
We had a very tasty meal, we all had a good dishes and adequate portions and the service was brilliant. This place is located under one of the arches of the abandoned railway track above.  The bill came to EU$ 125, so EU$ 25 each for wine, water, mains, desserts and service. Good honest food. Recommended!

 

Steak tartare and mix grill, both with frites and salad – terrific!
seafood pasta – gorgeous, perfect for non-meat eaters
carpaccio – thinly sliced and very tasty, the pesto sauce was very aromatic and vibrant
nutella tiramisu in a 250ml jar – that was massive and delicious
selection of desserts – it was all good, including the fruit salad!

Above the arches is the Promenade Plantee, an elevated park carved from an abandoned railway viaduct that runs from the Bastille to Bois de Vincennes ( 4.7 km ), in the Promenade lies the Jardim de Reuilly. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon stroll in the sunshine.
Promenade Plantee Quinze-Vingts, 75012 Paris

Playing chess in the park

Last meal in Paris was at the Le 11eme Domaine, a hole in the wall kind of place. it’s a place for wine lovers. There’s a wine for every taste and platters of cheese and charcuterie to accompany. Reasonably priced with a knowledgeable service that could do with a smile. Recommended.
Le 11eme Domaine
14, Rue des trois Bornes, 75011

 


And that was the end of my Parisian adventure, until next time….
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2 Comments

  1. Alex Pinotti
    May 29, 2014 / 12:36 pm

    Ro lidas fotos…
    Adorei
    Alex Pinotti

  2. June 3, 2014 / 9:59 pm

    Cheers Alex. Thanks for the nice hospitality x