bakery window shopping

Now that the sun's starting to peek out of the clouds, I can once again enjoy one of my favorite pastimes... window shopping at the various bakeries and patisseries along the streets of Paris. Be warned, this is not for the faint-hearted or the easily tempted as it might induce mouth-watering and tummy grumbling. Around spring time marks the arrival of brightly colored and fruit-filled delights, definitely a feast for the eyes as much as they are to taste. And one can be forgiven for treating themselves to something sweet after a long day of window shopping ♥.

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eateries: café grèvin

I've been nursing a pretty bad fever/cold/cough/sore throat - or what me and my husband call 'the works'. But I did manage to pull myself together for a night out with the mister. he brought me to this lovely restaurant he found, next to the famous musée grèvin, if you're not familiar with it think of it as the french's version of london's famous madame tussauds (which is ironic in so many ways). 

We were there for the red-rope decor and ambiance but were pleasantly surprised by their amazing dishes and we were both tempted by their large entrée platters and finished with some delightful deserts. Our dinner came up to roughly only 25 Euros per person which is pretty decent for Paris. And seeing how it was one of the better french restaurants that I've been to, I would definitely recommend it. Finally, here are some photos to give you an idea of what they have to offer.

10 Boulevard Montmartre, 75009 Paris

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eateries: dining at the marriot

When we were in London we decided to treat ourselves to a traditional Christmas meal at a fancy hotel and one of the fanciest we could find was the Park Lane Marriot. Of course we couldn't afford to stay there, but the dinner we had was surprisingly affordable, not to mention delicious. Located at 140 Park Lane, the Marriot's restaurant and bar offered up a delicious menu for Christmas, though we both had a look at their regular menu and it was equally impressive. 

We were served breads and various butters before the starters, and for the life of me I have never had 3 different types of butters to choose from. The orange colored one was a paprika butter and was by far my favorite. After that was our starter, which consisted of perfectly pan-fried shrimp, a potato and onion tartare with curried butter sauce (my mouth is watering as I type this).

Our main course was a traditional turkey platter with roasted turkey and stuffing, various roasted vegetables and glazed chestnuts. For desert we had a huge portion of praline crème brulée, which was outstanding. To finish off we were offered 4 mini mince pies. I had never tried them before and I had hoped that I would like them but sadly my tastebuds don't share the same hopes. I would recommend this restaurant since our whole meal was only 25£ per person, I'll leave you to decide whether or not it was worth it based on these photos.

140 Park Lane, W1K 7AA London

 

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in the mood for sweets

Today I'd like to share my favorite sweet shop with you. It's called La Cure Gourmande and there are a few of them scattered around Paris. Entering the shop is pretty much like walking into a sugar-coated dream. The decor is inspired by vintage candy shoppes with wall-to-wall shelves filled with boxes and tins of various delicacies. Not only do they have the best lollies and taffies, they also make fudges, chocolates and cookies. It's a one-stop location sure to fulfill any cravings, plus their range of decorative boxes are just too cute to resist and at only 4 Euros, they're perfect to carry home your spoils! If you're ever in Paris I definitely recommend going there for yourself. Till then, you can out their online shop here.

 + me +

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an american thanksgiving in france

Some of you already know of my disappointment last week when I lamented on how the french don't celebrate Thanksgiving and how I would essentially be missing out on its food-related festivities. Well lo and behold, the Thanksgiving fairy must have heard my cries because she bestowed upon me an invitation from a lovely friend to join her and her friends for their own little turkey celebration here in Paris last weekend!! So please forgive me if these photos are a little late, but I would still love to show you some of the delicious food we enjoyed courtesy of two amazingly talented cooks.

 

+ me +

And now to share with you all what I'm thankful for this year. 1: A husband I love more and more each day 2: Parents who though may live far away, stay near and dear in my heart 3: A healthy adorable kitten who loves sleeping cuddled next to me 4: Lovely friends to share the good times as well as the bad times 5: And finally all my lovely blogger friends who encourage me with their kindness :)

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving no matter where you are in the world and I wish you all a great holiday season to come! May it be filled with family, friends, warmth and love. 

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eateries: an authentic taste of tokyo

If you've ever been to a Japanese Restaurant in Paris, you'll notice how most of them have the exact same menu: sushi, sashimi and brochettes. It's quite hard to find an authentic Japanese restaurant that serve the many other delicious delicacies that Japan has to offer. That's why I was so thrilled when I discovered Naniwa-Ya, located at number 11 on the famous Rue St Anne, this restaurant has such a wide variety of udons, sobas and donburis, with side dishes like edamame, takoyaki and fresh gyoza.

Everything is not only prepared in true Japanese fashion, but it's pretty affordable as well. A bowl of udon will run you 7-8 Euros and donburis from 8-9 Euros whereas side dishes like gyoza and takoyaki are around 4 Euros each. Hopefully these photos can give you an idea of what to expect from their amazing kitchen.
 

 + me +

 Naniwa-Ya, 11 Rue St Anne, 75001 Paris

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foodography: la tartine gourmande

Recently I've been in a chocolate mood, having taught a friend how to make cupcakes over the weekend, I've been looking for other ways to expand my baking repertoire. I found La Tartine Gourmande's adorable little site, filled with gorgeous food photography and lovely, original recipes. Béa, the talented lady who runs the food blog is French and living with her American husband in Boston, hence you'll see quite a few nods to french cuisine in her recipes. Here are some of her amazing chocolaty creations, visit her site for more recipes and kitchen inspiration.

+ via latartinegourmande +

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beautiful bentos

I've always had a fascination with japanese bentos, how perfectly decorated and delicious they are. Some of them almost look too good to eat. I've been seriously considering putting my wifey skills to use by making some nice bentos for my husband to bring to work albeit not as cute as these ones made by the talented Bento Business. Nevertheless it's always great to be inspired and that's exactly what these creative creations are. And for those of you who are looking to buy some bento boxes and start experimenting with your own cute packed lunches, check out Bento and Co where you can find a huge variety of bentos and bento accessories to choose from.

 

 

 

 

 + bentobusiness +

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