48 Hours in The City Of Lights

Postcard from Paris

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I just landed back in London after a flying visit to Paris, one of my favourite cities in the world, and whilst the visit was short, I did manage to fit in a good amount and I wanted to share everything I did (okay everything I ate).

Paris has always held a special place in my heart, being a city that inspired my love of baking and a place which I have visited more times than I can count, starting when I was just 18. Living in London, and especially in North East London, the Eurostar makes the whole process a breeze, plus it feels like an easier and shorter journey than visiting family here in the UK (it’s sometimes cheaper than British train travel too!). Unfortunately, my regular visits came to a sudden halt, thanks to covid, so it was wonderful to retrace my steps and visit some favourite spots and discover a few new ones too.

I would never normally visit for such a short period, just one night, but there was a special purpose to this trip, it wasn't just eating as many pastries as I could over two days. I was in town to celebrate the launch of my friend Jane Bertch’s debut book, The French Ingredient. I have known Jane for about a decade, she runs the brilliant La Cuisine Paris cookery school, housed on the banks the Seine in the heart of Paris, so I really wanted to be there to celebrate in person. This book is the story of Jane’s journey from Chicago to Paris, via a brief stint in London, from a career in finance, to opening a cookery school in Paris. Jane has now lived in Paris from two decades and her journey has been far from simple, just think of everything that has happened in the city over that time, it has been a rollercoaster. Visiting a different country to attend a book launch might seem extreme, even if that country is only a hop, skip, and a jump over the Channel, but I really wanted to be there to celebrate with Jane and I am so glad I was able to be there. Giving myself two days solo in Paris, I wanted to have a break, an enjoyable mooch around the city, a chilled escape from London. Because that was the aim, on my second day, I spent the last two hours of my visit sat on a terrace, drinking a coffee, which should have been a rosé, reading Jane’s book. I was enjoying the book so much that I was almost glad when my train home was delayed by two hours, it gave me just enough time to finish the book. Considering it has been years since I have read a book, cover to cover, in just a single day, you can tell that I really loved this book. It made me laugh and it made me cry, the book is imbued with Jane’s personality, her humour, her warmth, her determination to make the school a success. The book was released this week in the US, so I highly recommend giving it a read (its not currently available in the UK unless you buy an import copy but hopefully that will soon change).

Dreamin Man
140 Rue Amelot 75011 Paris

Quite possibly my favourite coffee shop in Paris, this place is a shoebox, incredibly small and slightly hidden away, but that is all part of its charm. Run by a couple, with Yuichiro on the coffee and Yui on the baked goods, both of which are top notch, the place feels like it has been there for decades, with a rustic charm that makes it feel so welcoming. As this place is so small, there’s only a few seats inside but, regardless of the weather, the regulars happily spill out onto the street to enjoy their coffee. On this visit I enjoyed my coffee, alongside a fabulous matcha macaroon.

Chez Aline
85 Rue de la Roquette 75011 Paris

Both the name of this hole in the wall spot and the illuminated horses head, which hangs above the shop, should give you an indication of what this place was in a former life. Housed in a former horse-meat butchers (Chevaline being the name of butcher shop who specialises in horse-meat) this place would be so easily overlooked. Inside, you will find the self taught chef, Delphine Zalpetti, making whatever she fancies that particular day, a rotating roster of sandwiches, salads and desserts. Whilst there was a lot to choose from that day, I was in the mood to eat and walk so stuck to a classic Jambon Buerre, a sandwich consisting of just ham and butter (lots of butter), served inside a perfectly crisp and chewy baguette. A fabulous example of the famous Parisian sandwich, it was exactly what I was craving. On my next visit I will strive to try something else from her menu, maybe the poulet en pot eu feu (poached chicken salad), it did look fantastic, but a great jambon beurre is hard to beat.

Maison Aleph
20 Rue de la Verrerie 75004 Pris

A long time favourite, this diminutive patisserie, in the heart of the Marais, takes inspiration from Chef/Owner Myriam Sabet’s Syrian roots, then infuses it with French technique and ingredients. The resulting pastries are unlike anything else you’ll find in the city. Often lighter than their French counterparts, the desserts use flavours you might expect, like cardamom and rose, but also those you might not, like zaatar and sumac. The patisserie specialises in small bites made with kadaif pastry and they are the perfect little treat. Over the years, the range has expanded and now includes many different styles of pastry, a range of chocolates, plus beautiful puff pastry tarts, like the one I enjoyed on this visit. Filled with a sharp lemon paste, the tart was topped with a light cardamom cream, so simple but just incredible to eat. Whilst the original location in the Maris is where I visited this trip, since my last visit they have opened a second location in Monmarte.

Mamiche
32 Rue du Château d’eau 75010 Paris

Not new to Paris, but new to me, I finally visited this incredibly popular boulangerie, in Paris’ 10th arrondissement. You can tell this place is popular by the sheer amount of people that queue up to visit, throughout the day. I visited around 11am and the line was short and moved quickly. On my final day, I happened to spend my last few hours in the city sat on a terrace opposite the bakery and even then, for two hours before they closed, the queue was significant. I hear from friends that the breads are excellent, and whilst grabbing a sandwich, and heading to the nearby Canal St Martin to enjoy it, sounds like a great idea, I settled on two treats on the sweeter side. They serve what appears to be a simple chouquette, sugar coated choux buns, but inside what is normally just a hollow cavity was filled with a light vanilla cream. At $1.50 this also might be the best value treat in the city. I also tried the chocolate viennoise, which is like a chocolate chip brioche, which would be absolutely perfect dunked into your morning coffee.

Dumbo
14 Rue des petites-écuries 75010 PARIS

In the years I have been away, Paris seems to have become obsessed with smash burgers, but then so has London and so has New York. Travelling on my own, I wasn't in the mood to eat solo, in a more formal restaurant setting, and since it’s within walking distance of the Gare du Nord, I decided why not see what the fuss was all about, before I headed back to London. This spot, in the Strasbourg-Saint Denis area (they’re also in Pigalle) is perfectly located for a quick bite to eat, before heading to the Eurostar terminal. They serve a pretty classic double patty smash burger and while it might not blow you away with originality, it’s a solid burger and a nice speedy option should you need it.

Tapisserie
65 Rue de Charonne 75011 Paris

Part of the restaurant group that includes the wildly popular Septime and Clamato this patisserie has a high bar to meet, considering the reputation of its siblings. My reason for visiting was to try the famous maple tart, a long time staple from the Clamato menu. This was a bakery where literally everything was calling my name, but I stuck to my original plan and ordered the tart. A simple sweet pastry case is filled with what I would describe as a maple syrup caramel, not liquid like maple syrup but slightly thicker and with a bit of stretch, it is topped with a large quenelle of very light whipped cream, to balance the sweetness of the maple. Very restrained in its component parts, it is a tart that has style and flavour for days. This is, by far, my favourite thing I ate on this trip, it’s a total knockout. I am in Paris again next month, for a longer visit, and I have already told my partner, Mike, that we will be visiting here so he can try it. I will also be trying to replicate this at home very soon.