El Catador (Paris, France)

We had bookings for a flight out of Paris to leave for Bangkok the next day. But After visiting the Qatar Airways office at L'Opera; we did not have any good news. They had no idea when the airport was going to open or not. They told us to leave our mobile on 24 hours and keep checking their web-site because they regularly up date it about the situation.

Around 18:00 in the evening; we thought we were stuck in Paris for a couple more days. We had reservations at a very good bistro in the 15th arrondissement for dinner. Around 18:30; we checked the Qatar web-site and it said that our flight was confirmed to leave Paris early next morning. Yeepee!

We decided to cancell our dinner reservation and to eat at a new & very nice looking Spanish restaurant near our place instead of driving across the city since we had to still pack our suitcases.


We were walking in our neighborhood the other day and El Catador caught our eyes because they serve around 20 different wines by the glass. That is a very rare thing to find in Paris. The menu also looked interesting. So, we were eager to try it. It actually just opened, I think five weeks ago.

The decor is modern and everthing is very new. The main colours are red, black and white. Very nice black & white photographes hanging on the walls. I would call the atmosphere; simply stylish. We were seated in the back and there was only one other table occupied.


The amuse bouche was cream of cucumber. I had to eat both because my friend is allergic to cucumber. The cream of cucumber taste was intense and the texture was creamy. It was good but nothing special.


The first tapas was chipirones. We read the description in the menu that this dish consisted of small and fried squid (the baby kind), but instead we got these large calamars. We thought the waiter got our order wrong so we asked. He said no that is what we ordered. We said we do not think so and asked for the menu. He realised that the description of this dish was wrong in the menu and agreed with us and that he would bring this issue to the boss and change the mistake. We ate the dish anyway. The squid was very tender and tasted very nice.











The second tapas was tortilla de papas. We asked which tapas he recommended and he said the tortilla was very good and that the chef makes it very soft and runny. We were convinced and ordered one. To our disappointment, the tortilla was over cooked and very dry. It was difficult to even swallow it. We told the waiter and he immediately took the tortilla and took it back to the kitchen. The boss came to our table to apologise and offered us a glass of wine for their mistake which I thought was a very nice gesture. The new tortilla arrived and it was perfect. Soft, tender and runny. It tasted very nice.


The first main dish was daurade a la espalada. One of the reason we ordered this dish was that the fish accompanied with rice steamed with tea. We thought that would be interesting as well. The daurade was tender & juicy. It had a good texture and was cooked just right.

The rice steamed in tea was horrible. The rice had no essence of tea at, it actually had no taste. The rice was sticking together into big clumps. Either it was bad quality rice, not cooked properly or they have no clue how to cook rice. Which is disappointing since the Spanish make lovely rice dishes. Disappointing.


The second main was rabo de toro 7 horas (bulls tail cooked for 7 hours). The rabo de toro was absolutely delicious. The dish was cooked for 7 hours and the meat was so tender. The rich & thick sauce was so good that we had to use bread to wipe the remaining sauce off the place because it would be a shame to leave it. At least one of our main dishes turned out 100% delicious. Oh; and the french fries that accompanied this dish was totally outstanding. We wanted to ask for more but we did not want the waiter to think we were pigs.


After the dinner; we were offered different types of grapas. This was very kind of them. They offered us four different bottle so grapas and as much as we wanted to drink (I should have controlled myself; but I did not and I payed for it the next morning. I was not feeling well all the way to the airport).


The glass floor that over looks the wine cave.


Overall; we could tell that El Catador just opened. It was still rough around the edges. The bread was stale and old, the service was friendly but not genuine, the menu's description of food was misleading and the food was good but some adjustments are needed. El Catador has a stunning see through floor that over looks their wine cave; but the glass is so dirty and disgusting. Not even one person from the staff to the boss noticed. However; the wine by the glass concept is absolutley fantastic; in terms of value and selection.

We are planning to return to El Catador in a couple of months and we will see if they ironed out their problems. I truly hope so for them and of course for us as well so that we can keep returning to the place.

31 rue Guillaume Tell
75017 Paris
01 43 80 04 73

A Petite Accolade (Paris, France)

We were still stuck in Paris...but it was another beautiful day in Paris and we decided to have lunch near our place because we had to go to the L'Opera area to the Qatar Airways office to check on our flight status and if there was any news about the European airports opening.

We actually wanted to try a Vietnamese restaurant near our place that had good reviews. When we found it and we looked at the lunch menu, we thought it was too expensive for what it was. We crossed the street and found L'Accolade. L'Accolade is suppose to be a really good bistro and has tons of good reviews; for example go see the Le Fooding 2010 issue (we for sure will try L'Accolade on our next trip to Paris). But we wanted something more simple and next to L'Accolade was A Petite Accolade. Its L'Accolade's take away or sit in place for simple hot dishes, salads, soups, sandwiches, desserts, etc.


The space is small and long. To order; there is a colour concept (which at first was confusing for us); for example: yellow means one hot dish, green means a starter plus a hot dish, etc. We took the colour that means a starter, hot dish & a beverage. You choose the hot dish which is displayed in the back and the rest of the salads, soups, desserts, etc. are in the case in the photo.


The first starter was lentil soup. The soup was rich, thick and had a nice flavour.


The first main course was chicken with leaks & carrots. A hearty portion. The chicken was tender, juicy and tasted good. The rice soaked up the rich sauce and was tasty as well.


The second starter was avocado & salmon. The avocado & salmon was pretty good. The savoury & creaminess of the avocado with the tasty chunkiness of the salmon was a good mix.


The second main dish was beef lasagna. The place was very busy with office workers; so somewhere along the way, they forgot about my lasagna. I had to remind them that my main dish did not arrive. They were very friendly about it and apologized. The lasagna was made well; good pasta & cheese and the beef sauce was chunky, rich and flavourful. A good sized portion. It was a tad cold in the middle still but I was too lazy to ask them to re-heat it.


We were really surprised how busy A Petite Accolade was with office workers and people around the neighborhood. The place had a basic decor to it, nothing special and it had an easy going and friendly atmosphere. Now we have another easy going, inexpensive and good place for lunch near our place. No doubt the simple food is good here due to the chef of L'Accolade.

23 Rue Guillaume Tell
75017 Paris
01 47 6307 01

La Cagouille (Paris, France)

After visiting the airport for the status of our flight. Since it was a beautiful day in Paris; we decided to have a walk in Neuilly-sur-Seine.


Here is a good definition of Neuilly-sur-Seine I found from Wikepedia. Although Neuilly is technically a suburb of Paris, it is immediately adjacent to the city and directly extends it. The area is composed of mostly wealthy, select residential neighbourhoods, as well as the headquarters of many corporations. It is often lumped together with some areas of the neighbouring 16th arrondissement of Paris as Auteuil-Neuilly-Passy, a compendium of "bourgeois" (i.e., upscale) neighbourhoods.


Neuilly-sur-Seine is actually an island. On weekends; there are thousands of Parisians flocking to Neuilly-sur-Seine to have a walk through the lovely gardens. I personally would hate to live in some areas because you have no peace and quiet due to all the tourist (like us).


Boats along the canal. Very beautiful & peaceful.


After walking through Neuilly-sur-Seine; we went home to rest and get ready for our dinner rendez-vous. Once we arrived at the restaurant, we decided to sit outside on the terrace at La Cagouille because it was a lovely evening temperature.


The first starter was crevete grisse (gray shrimp). The deep fried gray shrimp had a very nice colour, texture and taste. You seldom find this on menus. So when you do, its a real treat.


The second starter was chou froid noix de saint jacques (scallops in cold cauliflower sauce). A unique and very nice tasting dish. The fresh thinly sliced scallops were so tasty and the sauce they were lying in gave the scallops another lovely flavour.


The next starter was calmars frit (deep fried squid with garlic & onion). The calmars were perfectly deep fried. Crispy on the outside yet tender on the inside. Very nice flavours resonating from the fried garlic and onions.


The fourth starter was filets de hareng et pommes tiedes (herring with potatoes). The fresh fillet of herring was rich & intense in flavour.


The first main dish was flanc de daurade en bouillon (sea bream in a broth). The sea bream was firm, tender and juicy. The bouillon was amazingly flavourful. A wonderful dish.


The second main dish was pavé de cabillaud crème d'ail doux(grilled cod with light garlic sauce). The cod was cooked perfectly; solid, hearty and rich in taste.


The third main dish was filets de maquereau grillé sauce moutarde (grilled mackerel with mustard sauce). The mackerel was intense in flavour, grilled perfectly and mustard sauce was the perfect match. Unbelievably good.


The fourth main dish was pavé de lieu en pot au feu (pollock pot au feu). A rich, rustic and rich dish. A huge portion as well. A great idea that turned out to be one of my favourite dishes at La Cagouille. So so delicious.

Another wonderful and delicious dinner at La Cargouille! We all at the table (and we also heard from others) that this has to be the BEST fish restaurant in Paris right now. We eat out a lot in Paris and so far in terms of seafood; no one can beat La Cargouille.

www.la-cagouille.fr

10 Place Constantin Brancusi
75014 Paris
01 43 22 09 01

Fuxia L'Epicerie (Paris, France)

We did not know where to have lunch but one thing we had to do was go to Charles-de-Gaule airport to check on our flight status back to Bangkok due to the chaos of Volcanic ash. It was totally impossible to talk to a real person instead of machines to find out any information about the airport closure/ opening as well from our airline Qatar Airways.

So; we decided to go somewhere near our place, park the car and walk until we see something interesting. We found Fuxia, an Italian restaurant that also specializes in Italian cheeses & hams and other Italian foods & wines.


The first dish was salmon, spinach, eggplant lasagna. The lasagna was very good. A large portion with loads of colours, textures and tastes. It was very hearty and filling.


The next dish was veal piccata with pasta. The veal piccata was also very good. The veal was was a bit salty but that was due to the parma ham. Overall; the food had very good and fresh ingredients and well prepared.

The service at Fuxia was horrible. The waitress for our area was walking too fast and slipped on the side walk and was slightly hurt so another waitress took our order. After several minutes the waitress who fell down on her behind came over to us and asked us if we ordered. We thought this was weird but we told her, her colleague already took our order several minutes ago. Another fifteen minutes passed by and the same waitress came over and asked us again if we are sure we ordered. So, for sure there was something strange going on. Our food did not arrive for almost 40 minutes and the waitress is asking if we ordered again. We finally went inside to check if they forgot to order the food because we were ready to walk out. Both waitress said that the food was on its way. However; we noticed that the people who entered the restaurant after us already had their food. They forgot our order because of the fiasco of one waitress falling down and the other one did not communicate with the other that the order was already taken.

After 45 minutes we got our food. Lucky for them the food turned out to be good.

91 avenue Raymond-Poincaré
75116 Paris
01 45 00 46 80

www.fuxia.fr


After lunch we drove out to Charles-de-Gaulle airport terminal 1 to talk to Qatar Airways. When we arrived; the airport was deserted. It was like out of a science fiction movie where human kind disappeared. It was very strange. The arrival hall absolutely silent where normally it is chaos.


The waiting area of the arrival hall.


No one; I am the sole human being.


Lufthansa Airlines sitting alone on the tarmac with its engines wrapped in plastic so no Volcanic ash can enter.


The departure terminal of terminal 2.


Wow, I actually found human beings in terminal 2. There were two passport control officers sitting in their booths bored to death.

We did find people at Qatar Airways who told us that they did not have any information yet and that we could go to their office in Paris the next day to check on the status of our flight and opening of the European airports.

Chez L'Ami Jean (Paris, France)

We had a dinner date with our friends at our favourite bistro in Paris...L'Ami Jean. We all planned this weeks in advance, since we were all in Paris the same time. This was also suppose to be our last dinner in Paris because we were suppose to fly back to Bangkok the next morning. But; we learned that our flight was canceled due to the Volcano eruption in Iceland. So; all we could do was eat & drink as much as we can and just be happy.


You probably have read and will be reading lots of post about L'Ami Jean since we eat there every single time we are in Paris. It is just so so good. Since we were a table of 7; we agreed to go for the carte blanche...meaning that we leave it to the chef to decide we will eat for the evening. We do love surprises.


We were first given three different wood platter of different types of meats to snack on before the real deal arrives. L'Ami Jean is known for their generosity with food. You never leave the place hungry.


The first dish was a seafood bisque with crispy bacon & herb bits. WOW! This soup was so silky, creamy and full of flavour with loads of texture with the crispy bacon & herb bits. A sensation in the mouth.


The next dish was langoustine. Beautifully presented and once tasting it; you did not want to put the creature down. We sucked on every bit of the langoustine to get out the amazing tasting juices. The meat was firm but yet tender & moist. A great dish.


The next dish was a big chunk of turbo. Practically everyone's favourite fish on the table. The fish was cooked perfectly. The fish was so fresh, firm and tender. The simple sauce just made the dish wonderful.


The next dish was scallop with moelle (bone marrow). What a combination! This was a first time for everyone to have such a combination. It turned out to be stunning. The mixture of the firm scallop and the soft bone marrow was lovely. The taste of the scallop, the bone marrow and the sauce was made in heaven.


The last dish was ris de veau (sweet bread) with morel mushrooms. We seldom get this dish any where. Everyone was surprised to be offered this dish. It is a rare dish either because its unavailable or its very expensive. The ris de veau was soft, tender & sweet. The morels were firm and added the savoury part to the dish. The combination was absolutely fantastic.


The break before dessert was Basque cheese with black cherry confiture. A lovely combination of the acidity, sweet, sour and salty. Really nice.


The first dessert was of course the house specialty...the rice pudding with roasted pistachios & almonds and the creamy caramel sauce. Even though everyone thought they could not eat another bite after all the food; the temptation was too great to resist. After one small spoon full of the combination of creamy & rich rice, crunchy pistachio & almond and the sweet intense caramel; everyone had to have another small spoon full. So so good.


The second dessert was seasonal strawberry with cream. A simple but delicious dessert. The perfect combination of sweet, sour & tangy.


The last dessert was milky chocolate with mint bits. We thought this dessert was too sweet; but the flavours of chocolate and mint was so intense. The combination really works and it was really yummy.


The kitchen team and Chef Stéphane Jégo does amazing Basque food from a tiny tiny kitchen. We often wonder how on earth they do it. But for us; we are just happy they do.

We have not had one bad meal ever since we have been going to L'Ami Jean. I cannot even count the amount of times we have been there. The consistency in the creativity, quality & deliciousness of Chef Stéphane Jégo's cooking is absolutely unrivaled.

27 Rue Malar 75007 Paris
01 47 05 86 89

Rose Bakery (Paris, France)

We met our friend in the Le Marais for lunch. Since it was Le Marais, a Saturday, a beautiful sunny day in Paris and no reservations for a restaurant in the area. It was difficult to find a place to eat for lunch. We decided to walk around and remembered that one of the most talked about places right now in Paris is the Rose Bakery. We decided to try our luck and get a table.


There are no reservations at Rose Bakery and we were lucky; we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table.

I found this article in www.guardian.co.uk by Rebeca Seal. She has perfectly described what I thought the first time I went to Rose Bakery. My initial thoughts was..."What is an English bakery doing in Paris? Especially, when the French pride themselves making the best pastries in the world?" Well here is the answer....

It might seem that setting up an English bakery in Paris would be mad, a certain failure. Surely a city stuffed with patisseries full of perfect little tartes au citron is hardly in need of Eccles cakes? Not so, as it turns out, and as Rose Carrarini (who is English) and her husband Jean-Charles (who is French) have proved. They opened Rose Bakery in Paris in 2002, which, in addition to selling a dazzling selection of salads and organic store-cupboard goodies, is also stacked full of chocolate brownies, sponges, carrot cakes and crumbles and teas in enamel tins. From the beginning they've had queues out of the door.

Rose was terrified when they arrived. 'Everyone thought, she's from the UK. What can they possibly have to tell us about food? Their bakery will only last three months. But actually they've become deeply complacent here. Historically, the French have an amazing culinary reputation, but they're not making an effort any longer. If you look at the places where you go for lunch, it's still all about steak frites and nothing else.'

(you can read the whole article in the guardian website)


The first dish was ordered was a mix salads of the day. Which comprised of beet salad, penne & eggplant salad, carrot salad, potato & mushroom salad and fresh radishes. Lovely tastes, colours and textures. This could be a meal in itself.


The next dish was the quiche of the day. The olive quiche was made nicely. It was moist and juicy and the pastry was flaky. It was very yummy.


The next dish was risotto of green peas & mint. I have to say...WOW. The intense flavour of mint was great. The texture from the rice & peas was a nice combination. This dish was a hit with us.


The next dish was the hamburger with polenta fries. The hamburger was cooked perfectly to a medium. The meat was moist and juicy. The taste was very nice. I like the idea of polenta fries; but mine were over fried that they became too chewy. But non-the-less, it was still good. I think its great that Parisians are taking a huge liking to hamburgers.


Our drinks were a mixture of for fresh carrot & ginger. Spicy, sweet and tangy. Not only healthy but amazingly fresh and tasty.


The first dessert was a mix fruit crumble. The wonderful flavours of the exotic fruits was so good. I normally hate the crumble that most restaurants use because it just tastes awful. Not at Rose Bakery. It was buttery, flaky and tasted very nice. It mixed well with the fruit.


The next dessert was a tower carrot cake. I was very disappointed only with one thing with the carrot cake. It was too dry. The density was good and the taste was lovely. Too bad about the dryness. But, I am sure I will be back to give it another chance.


The bakers are constantly on the move baking fresh pastries, quiches, etc. It looked so good that I wanted to try everything they were making.


The case that show cased all the lovely and yummy pastries and savoury dishes like the quiche.


This is a really fresh idea for Paris and I fully enjoyed it. I am very happy that Rose Bakery is bringing a new dimension to food and pastry to Paris. I also believe the Parisians are also looking for it and welcoming it with full arms open. You can tell by the very very long queues every time you pass Rose Bakery.

The Rose Bakery in Le Marais is the second one in Paris. Warning; there is no sign on the street. You will probably pass it, unless you notice the long queue of people waiting for either take away for a table.

30 Rue Debelleyme, Paris
01 44 78 08 97