city

Paris: The Best Ice Cream Parlours

With temperatures reaching 28°C this week in Paris, you must be rummaging the streets for a cool and sweet delight. Sweat no more! Make your ice cream break a truly special, truly Parisian event by visiting the best ice cream parlours this city has to offer.

The traditional one: Berthillon

Berthillon is all about tradition, creation and … passion. Situated on the charming Ile Saint-Louis, Berthillon has been hailed the best ice-cream parlour in the world. Founded in 1954, the fabrication process remains unchanged, under the caring surveillance of the founder’s granddaughter. The artisanal ice creams are created on the shop’s first floor, and this institution remains the go-to place for a traditional ice cream. The flavours are also on the traditional side, and the best sellers remain vanilla, chocolate, cafe or salted caramel. Somewhat oddly, the shop is closed in August, but you will easily find places around that sell these ice creams during this month. Keep your eyes open!

Address (closed in August): 29-31 rue Saint-Louis en l’Ile, IVe.

The hip one: Une Glace À Paris

Head to the charming neighbourhood of Le Marais to taste the creations of Olivier Ménard, who previously worked for Pierre Hermé and Harrods (London), and Emmanuel Ryon, who has been elected Meilleur Ouvrier de France as well as World Champion of Patisserie. At Une Glace À Paris, the pair offers twenty-four flavours of artisanal ice creams and sorbets « à la française », made in the shop’s basement. What makes this place special is the mix of different perfumes you can find in a single spoon. If you are an ice-cream fan, try their different flavours in a single scoop such as buckwheat-nougatine or smoked vanilla-baba au rhum. If you are more of a sorbet fan, you can safely go for their best seller: orange, carrot and ginger. The menu extends to other types of patisseries glacées. To share with your family and friends, I suggest their vacherin cake, re-imagined with mango for a modern, fresh twist.

Address: 15 rue Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, IVe.

The rock and roll one: Glaces Glazed

This time, prepare to be surprised by the striking modernity and boldness of the ice-creams and sorbets you can find at Glaces Glazed. Every ice-cream title is associated with a film or song, and here are a few examples of what you might expect. The Black Sugar Sex Magic is a surprising sorbet of chocolate, wasabi and ginger. The Mojito de Tokyo has a wonderful cocktail of rum, mint and organic lemon in it. Pump up the Volume contains mango and Espelette spice. If you like ice-pops, they have a nice selection as well, including their own Smell Like Teen Spirit, which contains absinthe and apple liquor. This year, you can go even bolder and try their range of wild plant flavours ice-pops. Oh, and they’re really pretty too.

Address: 54 rue des Martyrs, IXe.

The one with a twist: À la Mère de Famille

Now that we are on the subject of ice-pops, À la Mère de Famille has also decided to take the plunge this year and make their own version. The shop is already a Parisian institution for sweets and chocolates, and a must-go for those with a sweet tooth who want to taste French sucreries. They do not disappoint with their ice creams and pops! The twist to their ice-pops is the addition of their own fruit paste, cut in chunk within the juice ice-pop. Un délice! Their ice-cream selection will be a fierce rival in your decision process against the ice-pops, with comforting choices such as my all-time favourite: chocolate-caramel coated with dark chocolate with caramelized almonds.

Address: 35 rue du Faubourg Montmartre IXe.

Bon appétit!

Paris: The Best Restaurants To Dine In This Year

When visiting a gastronomic restaurant, you may feel overwhelmed by the numerous food choices in front of you. On the other hand, you may already be well aware of the Parisian fine dining scene, but just not sure where to start. Fret no more, here are a few of Paris’s hottest restaurants for you to visit this year.

Daroco (6 Rue Vivienne) a former workshop space, serves modern Italian cuisine and has become one of Paris’s most sought after restaurants. The green marble table tops paired with designer chairs gives this restaurant a unique decoration. All the pizzas are cooked in a wood fire oven giving them an authentically rustique Italian taste, contrasted by waiters wearing typically Parisian Breton stripes. Try their grilled octopus as an appetiser or indulge in their ‘linguine alla carbonara’, before moving on to the homemade tiramisu if you still have room for dessert. This Italian eatery with modern crafted cocktails and fashionable dining will quickly become your go-to restaurant for special occasions or date nights.

For all seafood lovers who not only want fresh produce but also enjoy washing it down with innovative cocktails, head down to The Fish Club (58 Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau). The name speaks for itself. The fish-focused menu of this previously ‘ceviche’ restaurant has been revamped, now offering a selection of seafood served in a minimalist restaurant. Amidst a selection of marine dishes, the appetiser assortment includes smoked eel, grilled lobster and grey shrimp. You can even order octopus with beetroot: the menu will surely tickle your fancy! If you’re feeling more romantic, or just want to treat yourself, why not order a glass of champagne to accompany their fresh oysters.

If, after a long day of shopping, or a night of dancing in Parisian clubs, you’re looking for something more casual to satisfy your hunger cravings, head to Big Corner (143 Avenue Jean Jaurès). With melted mozzarella, fresh french cheeses, pesto, and more, slathered on an oozing beef patty between two sesame buns, this New York-style burger joint will have any meat lover drooling. It’s an artsy, brightly-coloured restaurant serving only the freshest ingredients. If you’re not a burger addict but get dragged by friends, why not go for one of their club sandwiches, hot dogs, salads or even fish and chips? There’s nothing Big Corner can’t do.

For those of you with a sweet tooth, La Crêperie Bretonne (56 Rue du Montparnasse) is the place to be. Aside from the fact that you can’t go to Paris without trying one of their world famous crêpes, this cosy little crêperie is typically French and its lovely staff will make you feel right at home. Their homemade salted caramel crêpe will leave you wanting more. In addition to crêpes, La Crêperie Bretonne also serves the Parisian speciality of ‘galettes’, which you can coat in jam, Nutella or whatever your heart desires.

To add to the Michelin-starred Parisian dining scene, Jacques Faussat, a famous Michelin-starred chef himself, recently opened what has been described as a little gem hidden away between the Parisian streets. His restaurant, aptly named Jacques Faussat (54 Rue Cardinet), has quickly become well-known for its exquisite dishes. Although very rarely discovered by tourists, this unique brasserie offers Parisian cuisine in a more luxurious environment to make your evening very special. Whether your adventurous side urges you pick the tasting menu, or you opt for ordering à la carte, the small yet carefully crafted fresh menu will not disappoint.

For a more relaxed but still exciting dinner, head to Mascotte Montmartre (52 Rue des Abbesses). The more laid-back bistro is perfect for an alternative Parisian night out and its extensive menu will satisfy all of your cravings. Though specialising in fresh seafood, choosing between their delicatessen sea products and their homemade ‘cassoulet‘, a beef stew marinated in red wine sauce, will prove a difficult choice. It is recommended to pair these dishes with a crisp French wine before topping off your meal with a selection of cheeses, or a delicious goat-milk yoghurt accompanied with sweet red fruit puree. For the chocolate addicts, try a slice of the chocolate and praline ‘love cake’, you’ll definitely love it!

Get Me A Second Suitcase, I’m Shopping In London!

Where to shop in London

Whether you’re shopping for Christmas gifts, an upcoming birthday, looking for the most trendy sustainable fashion designers or treating yourself, you’ll definitely find what you’re looking for in London. Your options for shops are so vast you’ll be stumped on deciding where to go.

Bond Street: Elegant and classy

If you’re the kind that enjoys shopping indoors and have more of a high end taste, head to Selfridge’s just up from Bond Street station where you’ll find anything and everything your heart desires. If you’re looking to bring back some sweet and savoury gifts, the ground floor offers endless possibilities of food, in designer packages that will impress just about anyone. Elsewhere on the ground floor, you’ll also discover the collection of designer handbags, and if you’re lucky enough, bags one on sale! Up the escalator, you’ll find menswear followed by womenswear and footwear. Mr Selfridges’ elegant yet affordable department store really does have it all.

Oxford and Regent Street: The luxury side

If you enjoy hopping from shop to shop in a busy and buzzing atmosphere why not explore Oxford Street and Regent Street. Somewhat busier than the average London shopping areas, especially on weekends, these two streets have all the high street shops you can think of. If you head down to the bottom of Regent Street, you’ll start to find more luxury British brands such as Burberry.

Knightsbridge: All you need is Harrods

For a more relaxed stroll without the madness of Oxford Street, take the tube to Knightsbridge just behind Hyde Park. Here you’ll find slightly smaller versions of all your favourite high street shops accompanied by designer brands such as Ted Baker. Walking through Knightsbridge, you’ll stumble upon London’s most iconic department store, Harrods. If you’re lucky enough to be there during the winter holidays, you’ll witness the breathtaking illumination of the whole store as soon as the sun goes down. For all you big spenders, definitely give Harrods a go. With excellent service and the newest collections of high end fashion brands, you’ll definitely need a second suitcase, or even a third.

Brick Lane: For the nostalgics

To the vintage lovers out there: don’t worry, there’s plenty for you too. Walk down Brick Lane in Shoreditch and discover a whole street dedicated to vintage and second-hand shops with iconic, affordable and certainly unique clothing. Shops like ROKIT house big collections of vintage clothes starting at prices as low as 5 pounds. These shops also offer designer items and hidden gems which can no longer be bought in stores.

Camden Market: The wild side

If your wardrobe has everything it could possibly need, and you’re looking to bring back some little gifts for friends and family, take the Northern line to Camden Market, a uniquely individual market filled with stalls selling all kinds of quirky gifts. You can walk through the almost enchanted of pathways and quickly discover things you never even knew existed.

Liberty: The iconic London’s store

Don’t forget to pop into Liberty for a visit before you leave. It’s one of London’s oldest department stores. With its stunning exterior façade and its own collection of famous Liberty patterns, it has adopted and incorporated famous brands such as Barbour.

All in all, whatever your taste, whatever your fancy, you won’t leave London empty-handed but you’ll certainly leave with a few extra suitcases and a few less pounds!