Skip to main content

Top 5 Things to Eat in Paris

When I planned my trip to Paris, I paid little attention to museums and art and all those things first time tourists think about. In fact, I only had two spots on my to-do list - Pierre Herme and Laduree. But because you can't live on pastry alone (well, you can, but let's say you need some variety!), I also bookmarked this highly informative post from my favorite American in Paris, David Lebovitz.

I stayed pretty close to the program, even though an occasional trip to Eiffel Tower or art gazing at a museum crept in, a temporary diversion from the feast in Paris. From all those meals, I've culled for you five things you should not even think about missing if you find yourself in Paris:

1. Start your day at Pierre Herme with a fantastic croissant. Or better still, a kugelof or a buttery koign amman.

2. If you find yourself at Pierre Herme after breakfast time, treat yourself to an ishpahan.

3. Or go to Laduree instead. You can linger in their tea room. But what's the fun in that. Instead, tell them to pack you as many salted caramel macarons as you can carry and eat them as you walk around the city or sit in a park.

4. People will tell you Angelina has the best hot chocolate in the world. On this, I disagree. But I urge you to go there anyway and eat a pain aux raisin. What makes this flaky confection different, and better, at Angelina is the addition of candied orange peel.

5. This is going to sound like really strange. But the best meal I had in Paris was a falafel. Guided by David to L'As du Fallafel, I found a crowded hole in the wall making the most amazing falafels.

But then, the best meals of Paris are not in any of its restaurants or cafes. What you need to do is make your way to Rue Cler, a pedestrian lane near Eiffel Tower. And there, you buy a grainy baguette, some soft cheese (tell the cheese shop what kinds you like, and let them find the perfect one for you) and fruits. Mirabelle plums were in season when I was there, and so were little wild strawberries. Add a bottle of wine and take it all back to your hotel for a picnic. Or better still, do as Parisians do - find a sunny spot on the bank of Seine and spread your picnic. A better meal you will not find anywhere else in the city!

Comments

Unknown said…
Going to Paris just to eat... sounds interestin :-) i have been there and suffered with the food dear... good post informative and like the fact that you have given your honest opinion

Priya
Rose Celebration Cake for Husband
CurryLeaf said…
I am too excited after reading this. Did u try the chocolate chaud from Herme?!
I did not know about Angelina at all. I must try the pain aux raisin. Ofcourse not there, but right in my home. :(. I know you had a nice time. I too will prefer a foodie trail in Paris. I am imagining the Laduree tea room.
A picnic on the banks of Seine, now I know what I am missing...

Popular posts from this blog

I've found my perfect cookie

It's a bite sized cookie, with flavors of a pie, shape of a croissant and a pretty, pretty name. It's Rugelach. I first heard of this cookie when it became the baking pick for Tuesdays with Dorrie a couple of months back. The looks, the concept - everything was fascinating. And I've dreamed of making this cookie ever since. I ditched hundreds of recipes floating around and went straight to the master. It's Dorie Greenspan's recipe that I used, and ain't I glad I got it so perfect the very first time. So what's rugelach? It's cream-cheese pastry dough, rolled then cut into wedges, spread with jam and sugar and fillings of choice, rolled into crescents and baked. First the dough. Dorie did it in her processor, but I just went and did it by hand. Put 100 gms cream cheese and 100 gms butter out of the fridge until they were soft but still cold. Added both to a cup of plain flour (I omitted the salt because I use salted butter). Rubbed the flour and but

Aloo Paranthas

In all these years of blogging, I've somehow never managed to talk about aloo paranthas, the potato stuffed flatbread that's a standard breakfast in North India. Possibly because they are such a staple in our home, I found there wouldn't be enough interest in the recipe. But I've also realised over time that my mom's recipe is unique, using a combination of flavours and spices that make these paranthas delicious. But that's not the only reason for this post. I also wanted to tell you about a super cool party and some ways we found to make aloo paranthas even better and believe it or not, healthier. The party in question was hosted by Rushina at her cooking studio a few months back. For a while now, Rushina has been talking about the merits of cling film, parchment and something called cooking foil made by Asahi Kasei. Because we won't believe that you can really cook without oil but using science, she invited a bunch of us over for a potluck lunch.

Mystery Fruit

This only happened a few times every year, just when the rainy season kicked in. A street hawker will come by, straw basket on head. He will yell "kaul chapni" and I will run out to buy a bundle of these. Stuck together like flowers, they looked like a bouquet. Every hole contains a little fruit. You break out the package, peel the tiny fruit that pops out and eat it. Done slowly, it can take you an hour to eat an head. Or did, when I was about 12 years old. That was the last time I saw this fruit. I've never seen it again, didn't even know what it was called or where it came from. Three weeks back, Vikram Doctor wrote about a store in Khar that sells Sindhi foods. He described this fruit and I knew it came from my vivid childhood memories. And finally, I knew we were talking about lotus fruit. Now talk about coincidences. Last weekend, I was passing by a lane in Bandra and for the first time in many, many years I saw the straw basket filled with my mytery fru