Travel Log - Paris, France - Issue 6 - 24th April 2022
This week’s newsletter will be a relatively short one as I have had a jam-packed week with some productive struggle, an incredible time in Paris and tonight, some loud live music. I spent three nights in Paris and I pondered how struggle can be incorporated into a holiday and I think I have sussed it out. You may be thinking: “oh god, now he wants us to embrace struggle even when we’re on holiday.” But I’m not suggesting you go out for runs or continue working, just that you embrace discomfort somehow. For me, that means fully embracing another culture and their norms. The typical Paris holiday includes jamming as many tourist attractions in as you can so you’re constantly running about to adhere to a schedule that includes too much and eating mediocre croque-madames at tourist-trap cafes by the Eiffel Tower or the Norte-Dame. What I would suggest with any city is to avoid what the majority do or at least question what they do because you might think you’re having a good time but once you question it you realise: “I don’t like modern art at home so why would I like it here?” To me, Paris especially, is a walking city. A place to meander through the side-streets, gazing at the intricate architecture and stopping whenever feels right for some wine, some cheese or some coffee. Embracing a culture does not have to be seeing the Mona Lisa or walking up the Eiffel Tower, it could be finding an exciting, experimental restaurant off the beaten track, with a small menu and a great wine list.
With any holiday, I always watch or read up on what Anthony Bourdain recommends.
Moving away from the tourists spots can feel somewhat uncomfortable because it’s not familiar but that’s where the gold is. Trying unfamiliar cuisine will most definitely be uncomfortable precisely because it’s unfamiliar but you might just find a dish that is so overwhelmingly different to everything else you’ve stuffed into your mouth, that everything else pails in comparison. You most definitely will not love it all, but you’ll be glad you tried it. I tried oysters and snails with squid ink for the first time at Au Passage and didn’t hate the oysters but the snails were exactly what I imagined they would be: not for me. I tried eel during a six course wine and food tasting at Restaurant Eels (detailed below) and absolutely loved it. I tried rabbit (yes rabbit) at Atelier Maître Albert and loved it. I had incredible bread, pistachio pastries and croissants at Du Pain Et Des Idees (below) and cherry sorbet and salted caramel ice cream at Berthilon (below), granted these were not uncomfortable because I knew I’d love them.
The point is that even though you’re on holiday or resting, there are still opportunities to be uncomfortable and come home knowing you’ve fully embraced another culture rather than gazed at it from the top of the Eiffel Tower
I am dedicating this newsletter to the wonderful places that we ate and drank at in Paris as they are all I can think about as I attempt to integrate back into normality here in Scotland.
Keep on Struggling,
Gregor
Best Place for Pastries & Bread - Du Pain Et Des Ideés
Before we went to Paris and before I travel anywhere I watch or research what Anthony Bourdain recommends. This place was featured in his Layover episode in Paris, in which owner Christophe Vasseur states that you should go to somewhere that is either a Patisserie or a Boulangerie but not both because no one can be world-class at both, so Christophe specialises in bread and pastries and it most definitely pays off. It is described as a traditional French Boulangerie specialising in pastries & signature "pain des amis" bread in an 1875 shop with painted ceilings. We ordered a croissant, pain au chocolat, a chunk of bread and a pistachio and chocolate pastry and everything was exquisite so this is a must for anyone travelling to Paris.
Best Ice Cream in Paris - Berthillon
Berthillom is a French manufacturer and retailer of luxury ice cream and sorbet, with its primary store on the Île Saint-Louis, in Paris, France. This place was also recommended by Anthony Bourdain. I ate the same flavours that he did: cherry sorbet and salted caramel ice cream. If cherries are in season, the sorbet is even better. It’s without doubt the best ice cream and sorbet I have ever had. Queues can be large but it is worth the wait.
A Great Tasting Menu Restaurant - Resturant Eels
It is described as a “Neo-bistro delivering creative French dishes & tasting menus in a cool, pared-back space.” We had a six course tasting menu here with paired wines and cheese. It was sublime. I’m not a big fish eater but I deliberately ate outside my comfort zone and the majority of what I ate I loved. From eel to octopus, this is definitely worth every penny. The staff were also extremely knowledgeable and helpful.
Incredible Restaurant - Chez Michel
Here, “Masahiro Kawai, the Japanese chef, plays a joyful, flavoursome traditional score, in which nothing is forbidden, from iconic Brittany stew (kig ha farz) to Paris-Brest pastry, without forgetting roast foie gras.” We went here for dinner before attending the famous Moulin Rouge and although it is down a side street, off the beaten track, it is incredible. It’s a small restaurant but the staff were extremely helpful with recommendations and the food was delicious. I had a fish and chorizo soup to start, then caramelised heart veal sweetbreads then we shared a Paris Brest for dessert.