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

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made

Sorry again for ignoring the blog for so long! J & I just got back from a 9-day trip to New York City, my second city and second home. Only a 7 hour plane ride, we try to go back every time I start missing my friends like crazy. Since 2010 was such a busy year for us, this would be our first trip back since 2009. Nothing changed though, I still felt at home, I still chose a downtown hotel, and we still go back to Max Brenner even though we know how sick we feel after each time we eat there!

For those planning a major shopping trip, I highly recommend taking a trip to NY's renowned shopping outlet, Woodbury Commons. Many rent cars, but since we are not used to driving on the other side, I suggest taking a bus from Port Authority that costs $43 per adult. The trip is only an hour long, and the return trip is open and you get to choose when you'd like to go back to Port Authority. Don't forget to bring a little suitcase or a carry on bag to stuff all the shopping!

A NYC favorite of ours are little mini cupcakes Baked By Melissa. She has, literally, a "hole in the wall" stand in SOHO where each cupcake is sold for a dollar. (6 for $5.50 and 12 for $10). They are tiny, but oh so moist and tasty! My personal favorites are red velvet and mint chocolate chip. You must also checkout Shake Shack at Madison Square Park, where people can wait for hours just to get a bite of the juicy Shack Burger and their cheese fries.

I think I just may start a new blog just on New York! There are so many things to see and do, but I must say nothing would have been so awesome without my amazing friends! xxx

Photos by Me
Checkout: http://www.shakeshack.com/
http://bakedbymelissa.com/#
http://www.maxbrenner.com

Sainte-Chapelle

"The Palais de la Cité was the residence and seat of royal power from the 10th to the 14th centuries, and housed the Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle which are now part of the Palace of Justice, the new function of the building. The Sainte-Chapelle was built between 1242 and 1248, in accordance with the wishes of Louis IX to house the relics of the Passion of Christ. The most famous of these relics was the Crown of Thorns, acquired in 1239 for a sum that greatly exceeded the cost of building the Chapel itself."

France is a country with a rich history of Catholism, and therefore many beautiful cathedrals, churches and chapels exists till today. This one however, deserves special attention, for despite its small size, its beauty captivated me a little more than the rest. In the Lower Chapel, there is a 13th-century fresco depicting the Annunciation, the oldest painting in Paris. My favorite however is the Upper Chapel, with its stained glass windows that depict 1,113 scenes of the story of mankind from Genesis to Christ's resurrection.

You will find long lines to the entrance of Sainte-Chapelle, but J & I figured out a way to skip the line! You need to walk down to the Conciergerie which is on the same street. Here, there are less people and you are able to buy twin tickets to Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie. With the twin tickets, you are able to beat the line for the bag check, and again beat the line inside for entrance tickets.

Photos by Me
Metro: Cité

Île Saint-Louis

To all Christian readers, Happy Easter! To those who aren't Christians but celebrate Easter anyways as an excuse to stuff self with chocolate eggs and bunnies, Happy Easter to you too! Sorry I have been ignoring the blog for so long, it has been so beautiful in Paris lately that I find myself outdoors more often then in front of my laptop. To those planning your Paris trips, good job, it seems like its the best time to be here. Temperatures range from 10-16 degrees Celcius in the morning and nighttime, and up to 27 degrees Celcius in the daytime. We will be getting bouts of rain next week, but its still going to be beautiful.

That said, J and I decided to take a touristy stroll on Saturday. Neighborhood targeted: Ile Saint Louis, The Place To Live if you really want to feel that you are in the Utopian type of Paris. Also the place to live if you have €20,000 per square meter to spend on an apartment. Yes I checked, since I wouldn't mind spending a year or two in this neighborhood. But one look from J said that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Anyways, Ile Saint Louis is one of the two natural islands situated in the heart of the city. It is mostly residential, the most prized apartments surely has a view of the Seine (and throngs of tourists on days like last Saturday). It has no metro stops and two bus stops, a bunch of restaurants and cafés, some interesting novelty stores, art galleries, a luxury second hand store, and what interests tourists the most, it is home to the luxury French ice cream and sorbet maker, Berthillon.

I counted four Berthillon stores within 2 blocks on this island. I ignored them all and headed straight to MyBerry who opened on the island only a few months ago. This is the real deal peeps, not the wannabe frozen ice creams that you find in KL. It is identical to Red Mango and Pinkberry in NYC, which says a LOT!

So I'm sure all guidebooks will take you here, its definitely worth a stroll on a weekday. Have a taste of Berthillon, and let me know if its worth it!

Photos by Me

Place des Vosges

Its official! Spring is here! What do Parisians do? Head over to any green space in the city to do nothing, and this is one of the hotspots. Place des Vosges is nestled in the Le Marais neighborhood between the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. It is a square surrounded by arched buildings that houses art galleries, restaurants and stores. It remains quite local, with few tourists stumbling across this popular hangout spot.

This square was built by Henri IV in 1605-1612 and was known as the Place Royale. Well known residents of Place des Vosges include Victor Hugo, Sully, Madame de Sevigné, and Marion Delorme*. Now, the apartments around the square are homes to trendy and edgy Parisians who spend money to look like they don't have any.

If you happen to be here, don't forget to stop by Eux dans l'Eau, located at 21, Place des Vosges. It is a cute little hat shop where you can get the most cliché of french berets for under 20€, and hats that are à la mode for 13€. I must say, J.L and I got ourselves each a hat and felt oh so cool walking around the hood!


* Wikipedia
Metro: Chemin Vert, St Paul
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

Glam April 2011

Hey everyone! I have returned to Paris from a week long holiday in Mauritius, and it feels good to be home. While chilling on the beach on my last day there, I found this! To Malaysian readers, checkout Glam's April 2011 issue.. Sayalah Personiliti Bulan Ini, hehehhe....

You are here: Home / Personaliti / Pilihan Personaliti: Gaya hidup ala Parisian Alia Ghani-Le Mahec

Pilihan Personaliti: Gaya hidup ala Parisian Alia Ghani-Le Mahec

April 1, 2011 By Glam Leave a Comment

"Dari mata jatuh ke hati. Itu kisah percintaan antara Alia Ghani bersama suaminya yang berasal dari Perancis hingga membawanya menetap di sana. Berumah tangga sejak tahun tiga tahun bersama jejaka itu ketika bertemu di New York, ia lantas mengubah Alia kepada seorang wanita Parisian.

Tidak mahu terlepas daripada berkongsi keindahan kota Paris bersama mereka di luar sana, Alia mula memenuhi setiap ruangan di blognya dengan gambar yang diambil sendiri serta hasil penulisan peribadi. Selain itu, desakan suaminya agar Alia mengikuti kelas bahasa Perancis serta membuat kek dan pastri mengisi lagi masanya dengan penuh makna.

Menyentuh hal gaya, Alia dahulunya seorang gadis yang preppy ala New York, namun kini gayanya berubah ke seorang Parisian chic. Paling selesa, Alia gemar memakai blouse off shoulder, tights, sepatu balerina dan jaket kulit. Signature gaya? Tentunya skarf Alexander Mcqueen kerana Alia gemarkan motif tengkorak kerana dirasakan edgy untuk dipakai."

http://www.glam.com.my/2011/04/01/pilihan-personaliti-gaya-hidup-ala-parisian-alia-ghani-le-mahec/

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

Les Colonnes de Buren

By far one of my favorite Parisian spots, it is hidden from the tourist path yet sits grand in the heart of Palais Royal. Les Colonnes de Buren (The columns of Buren) is a 3,000 m² sculpture erected by Daniel Buren in 1986, a French conceptual artist. Just like the Jeff Koons exhibition at Versailles, this sparked a debate about integrating modern and contemporary art with France's historical buildings. Personally, I love the old+modern look, it gives a kitschy edge that not just any city can pull off.

This is a perfect spot for picture taking, for taking a rest after a long walk, or to grab a bite of a sandwich perched on one of the columns. There's nothing much to do really, but I find myself coming back just to gaze around and daydream.

This square actually inspired the theme of my Malaysian wedding. This was our Alice In Wonderland/Colonnes de Buren inspired wedding cake!

Photos by Me
Cake photo by Saiful Nang
Metro: Palais Royal