Terres de Truffes Restaurant

The restaurant also offers a wide array of truffle products- cheese, oil, honey

A part of truffled Brie costs about €18

Grilled scallops with truffled risotto and shavings

Tagliatelles with truffle cream sauce and shavings

Truffled tortellini soup

Again, I was caught unarmed without my camera, so pardon my blackberry shots! This gem of a restaurant is found between Place de Madeleine and Printemps on rue Vignon in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. IT WAS THE BEST MEAL I'VE HAD AFTER Le Meurice. Of course, you must be crazy about truffles like I am, every dish in this restaurant has truffles in it, including dessert!

The restaurant is small, warm and very cozy. It welcomes guests all dressed up and down, no need to slip on your fancy heels here. Even dogs are welcome! The service is friendly and sincere, we highly appreciated our young waitress and even left a very American tip for her. 

In terms of food, make sure you have a very light lunch or none at all if planning on coming here for dinner. The portions are not huge but quite heavy, most dishes are creamy and oh so heavenly. I would suggest sharing an appetizer, and then a main dish. If not you risk skipping dessert like I did since I absolutely could not stuff myself any more. Its the perfect meal for a cold autumn night.. Budget around €70 per person.

On your way out, grab a slice of truffled brie or a bottle of honey and truffles. The restaurant offers quite a range of truffled products for the most obsessive truffle lover.. 

Checkout http://www.terresdetruffes.com/les-restaurants.htm

Photos by Me

Metro: Havre-Caumartin/Madeleine

Restaurant 1728

Ahh.. yet another food blog, go figure. Yet another restaurant? Not so.. 1728 is strategically located walking distance away from L'Elysée, Hermès and Christian Louboutin, right smack in the chic neighborhood of Rue Faubourg St Honoré. It serves as a gastronomic restaurant, tea salon, AND art gallery. Too much for your taste? Same here.. We had mix feelings leaving this restaurant, although there are many good things to be said about the service and food.

Personally, I thought it was a bang for your buck at 1728. For about €100 per person, you get a french gastronomic experience in a true 18th century townhouse, built in 1728 of course. Each room guards in tact its history and charm(read more here http://www.restaurant-1728.com/1728_paris/restaurant.php) However, J felt that the sommelier was not up to par with expectations for a classic restaurant, and thought that the menu had too many fusion elements.

I was very happy with my duck confit millefeuille and carré d'agneau that was cooked to utter perfection. The desserts were nothing great, the restaurant caters ready made dessert from patissier Arnaud Larher, which were super yummy, but simply taken out of a box and placed on a dessert plate.

So do come if you don't have high expectations or a deep wallet, but wish to experience a pleasant and somewhat classy dinner.

Photos by Me
8 Rue Anjou 75008 Paris
Metro Madeleine

La Brasserie Thoumieux

So J&I went out of our comfort zone of Bofinger and Le Chardenoux for our dose of red meat, and decided to bring Iz&M to Jean-François Piége and Thierry Costes's brasserie at Hôtel Thoumieux. Located on a tight narrow street in the 7th arrondissement, the hotel itself is quaint and full of charm. Step in and you are transported into old Paris, the brasserie noisy and dark, its clients chic yet relaxed.

The service was nothing more than what we expected from a brasserie. Our waif blond waitress banged utensils and almost threw our plates onto the table, but was polite enough that she didn't have to receive an earful from J. It didn't matter though, because my well cooked ribeye steak with bearnaise sauce arrived juicy and tasty. We shared (I should have ordered my own however) a Churros n Roll for dessert, a creative presentation of good ol' churros covered with pop rocks, served with melted chocolate and vanilla ice cream. YUMMY.

A highly recommended place for typical french bistrot food. Do however make a reservation, we went on a Sunday night and the place was jam packed until the wee hours.

Photos by Me
79 Rue Saint-Dominique 75007 Paris

Joe Allen Paris

The New Yorker in me awoke last night, and I felt the urgent need to have a Sunday brunch. With II & ML in town until Tuesday, what better than a group of 4 in a typical American bistrot on a sunny albeit chilly Sunday afternoon.. We headed to Joe Allen, a reputable American restaurant, one of the "better" ones in Paris. We arrived exactly at 12 noon which was perfect, as 15 mins later the place was teeming with Americans and French diners alike.

The ambience was perfect, typically New York, in the center of Paris in the first arrondissement. Tables were napped and its bricked walls are adorned with framed posters. I literally felt that I was in New York! The menu looked promising, with its brunch selection ranging from pancakes to cheeseburgers to eggs. J without discretion immediately asked for the dessert menu and I eyed their cookies and cotton candy ice cream right away.

The food came pretty quick. Service was efficient and all the servers spoke English. In terms of quality, however, we were a bit disappointed. My BBQ grilled chicken came slathered with sauce which was great, but it was only to hide the fact that the chicken itself was very dry. The burger was acceptable at best (J prefers my homemade ones), and the fries seemed old. In general, we ate everything but did not have the intention to come back for the food, but maybe for the atmosphere.

By the time we left 1.5 hours later, the place was packed and there was a line waiting outside! Its a great place to hangout with friends for Sunday brunch, but don't expect a real New York brunch food experience..

Photos by Me
Metro: Etienne Marcel
http://www.joeallenparis.com/joeallenparis.com/Home_Fr.html

Week-end Eclairs at Fauchon

I have been MIA for quite sometime, but back to share with you a feast that my eyes and taste buds devoured yesterday, my 3rd day back from the summer holidays. J & I were at Fauchon, Place de Madeleine, to cater a surprise lunch that we were organizing for my mother in law's 60th birthday. As we were about to choose a birthday cake, we were told that cakes were limited as it was éclair weekend, a special event that occurs once a year.

An array of colors stood before us in the dessert counters, there must have been at least 20 different flavors of éclairs available. They were priced at €5 and up, depending on the intricacy of design and flavor. It took me awhile to choose only 10, in my excitement I skipped reading the labels and picked based only on looks, only to realize that I missed the milk chocolate and passion fruit éclair! No regrets, I have decided on my new favorites- speculoos, caramel with bits of hazelnut, and rainbow blueberry.

Sorry I didn't share this sooner, this event ended yesterday. However, Fauchon does regularly produce their regular éclairs, a favorite of mine includes their sumptuous caramel beurre salé.

Pictures by Me

Le Meurice Restaurant

A few weeks ago my BFF from NYC and her husband came into town for a few days and we unanimously agreed on a gastronomic weekend. You cannot get any better than any one of the 3 star restaurants of Paris, and Le Meurice was The Chosen One for that Friday night. Chef Yannick Alléno and his team succeeded in providing us the BEST dinner we have ever had in our lives.

From the ambience, to the food, to the service and everything in between, we have nothing but praises. We were delightfully surprised by each amuse bouche, each detail on our plates, and the breathtaking decor that was the hotel and restaurant themselves. The service was charming and impeccable without a hint of snootiness. The Chef himself greeted us at the door, and humbly led us to the restaurant where the Director of the Room took over.

We started the evening at 8:30 and left at 1am. The check came and looked like a booklet, and the boys didn't let us peek. In any case, this restaurant is definitely a place to celebrate something special, and we won't be making this a regular spot, as much as I would love to!

First photo from http://www.meuricehotel.fr/restaurant-le-meurice
Photos by Me

The Elegance Cake, Le Triomphe

After debating for a long long time whether I should be sharing this little secret with everyone, I decided.. why not! This is by far the best triple chocolate cake that I have ever tasted in my life. It is a neighborhood secret if I may say so, since it is only available in the 2 Le Triomphe bakeries in Paris.

A layer of dark chocolate cake, then a layer of milk chocolate goodness, then a chunk of white chocolate mousse, this cake is called L'Elegance for good reason. Not only is it good, it is beautiful. You won't find it in the touristic neighborhoods your guidebooks tell you to go to. The 2 bakeries are nestled in the residential 20th and 12th arrondissements of Paris.

The addresses are:
95 rue d’Avron 75020 PARIS
23 rue du Rendez-Vous 75012

Photos by Me

La Cuisine Paris

So I have decided to learn to make goodies other than macarons, and finally decided on the french basic, the croissant. If my dream of opening a French cafe in Kuala Lumpur EVER come true, I would need to master this! This time around, due to fully booked courses at Le Cordon Bleu up until October, I decided to try another cooking school recommended by a friend. La Cuisine, situated in the heart of one of my favorite Parisian neighborhoods, provides short courses in English and French. For the traveling food and pastry lovers, what can be more perfect than learning how to bake and cook in the Paris?

The course that I took, "Le Croissant and Traditional French Breakfast Pastries" costs 90€ and lasted for 3 hours. As it was conducted in English, most of the 10 people in the class were tourists or on long holidays in Paris. It was fun, light, interactive, and useful. I have yet to reproduce what I learned in class at home, but I will as soon as I get back to my pre-vacation weight ;)

La Cuisine also provides courses in French cuisine, Organic cuisine, and Cuisines of the World. What I particularly enjoyed was the dégustation, or tasting session after the class. Over a cup of coffee, we had the chance to chit chat with each other and who knows, make a new friend or two.. The dining room overlooks the river Seine, and on a sunny day it provides a view fit for a postcard.

Checkout http://www.lacuisineparis.com

Metro: Hotel de Ville
Photos by Me

My Macaron Obsession

As many are aware of, I am obsessed with macarons. So obsessed, that I have been making them over and over, making mistakes and learning tricks until finally, I think I have mastered them. I took a short course at the renowned culinary arts school Le Cordon Bleu, where I bombarded the chef with questions about getting the perfect macaron cookie. Being the unselfish macaron lover that I am, I shall share some secrets with you :p

1) Keep the eggwhites in the fridge for at least 48hours.

2) Do not underbeat nor overbeat the eggs whites. The eggwhites will form the meringue which is VITAL to the macaron cookie. It has to be beaten enough so that it doesn't spill when you hold the bowl over your head, and the meringue has to glisten and have a sort of shine. Once it becomes foamy and very light, it means that it has been overbeaten. You can count on starting all over again.

3) Cocoa powder is a major intrusion to the macaron. If you checkout the picture above of the pink macarons in the box, you'll notice that it is very cracked. The reason being, I powdered the cocoa powder on the mixture before putting it into the oven. Any detailing involving cocoa powder must be powdered after the cookies are baked. (Refer to yellow macarons).

4) While adding the meringue to the powdered sugar and almond powder, do it in 2 or 3 times. Fold the meringue gently until it is smooth. Do not overfold.

5) Use a number 11 piping to form the macaron cookie.

6) Liquid coloring from the supermarket can be used, but I must say that it sucks. The color fades with the heat of the oven, and the color isn't as bold as I wanted it to be. (refer to pink macarons). With the suggestion of a friend, I bought powdered coloring from a special patisserie store. (refer to yellow macarons)

7) Humidity plays a very important role. After 8 mins in the oven, I open the oven door to let the humidity out. I do it twice at the 8th and the 10th minute.

8) There is no flour used in macaron making. If you hear of a recipe or a bakery that makes macarons using flour, well, it may be good but it is NOT the real thing!

Voila some secrets of macaron making. I can't let all the secrets out, I must save some so that I can one day open my little Parisian café in Kuala Lumpur :)

Photos (and macarons) by Me

Le Chardenoux by Cyril Lignac

Obsessed with the show Top Chef, J & I decided that we need to try the restaurants of the celebrity chef judges. We chose Cyril Lignac to begin with, and discovered his shi shi restaurant Le Quinzième. Loved it. Only after several times here, that we realize that he had a brasserie too. Le Chardenoux, a charming spot that occupies a corner lot in the 11th arrondissement, serves traditional French dishes for about 45€pp for a full meal (25€ fixed lunch during the week).

The space is small, cozy and traditional. During some days, you may even see the Chef himself here mingling around with guests and kidding around with the children. The staff will make you feel at home, and we see no difference of quality in the service here and his fancier restaurant mentioned above.

The food here is hearty and yummy. I cannot recommend anything else but the following 3 things that I never fail to order:
Start with the Ravioles de Langoustines (crayfish ravioli in a cream sauce to die for), continue with Curry de Lotte cuisiné en Cocotte (monkfish curry cooked in a pot), and end with the Eclair au Caramel de beurre salé (caramel Eclair, but to my horror it isn't on the menu anymore!)

Checkout http://www.restaurantlechardenoux.com/
1 Rue Jules Vallès
75011 Paris

First Photo Courtesy of Google Images
Photos by II

Café Angelina

Café Angelina, a tea salon founded in 1903, sits grandly opposite the Jardin de Tuileries and next to the renowned Hotel Meurice. Here, you can sit on Louis 16 style chairs, sip on the best hot chocolate in Paris, and get completely immersed in Parisian lifestyle.

Usually during tourist season (pretty much throughout the year), you'll find a long line for the tea salon. This kills a little the "Parisian lifestyle" ambience that I mentioned, but you can beat the crowd by coming in the morning before 10:30am. It helps too if it is rainy out. In the worst case, you can takeaway a cup of hot chocolate for €4.20 and a pain au chocolat and find a seat in the gardens right opposite. Make sure you have a bottle of water in handy, as the hot chocolate is really thick! Thick enough to dip churros in ;)

My personal favorite is their chocolate chaud au chocolat blanc (white chocolate hot chocolate). Not to be found anywhere else so far, it costs quite a lot, €6.80 for a single pot. So worth it! Pair it together with their €3.00 pain au chocolat and you are in Parisian breakfast heaven.

226 Rue de Rivoli

75001 Paris

Read more: http://paris.unlike.net/locations/303388-Caf-Angelina#ixzz1AzhTazp6

226 Rue de Rivoli

75001 Paris

Read more: http://paris.unlike.net/locations/303388-Caf-Angelina#ixzz1AzhTazp6

226 Rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris
Photos by Me