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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broadway in paris

Is it wrong to still feel in the Christmas mode? I can't believe it's over, and with the hecticness of it all, I haven't even been able to share these photos with you until now. Here's the long-overdue photos of Galerie Lafayette's Christmas window display, this year's theme was Broadway musicals! Adorable toys and teddy bears brought to life were singing and dancing for the whole month of December. They haven't taken them down yet but I'm sure I won't be the only one sad when they do. Coming up, photos from my holiday trip to London!

 And lastly, a lovely shot of the French musical, Le Soldat Rose.

 

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have yourself a merry, little...

The whirlwind of busy shoppers, the magical, twinkling lights and the smell of Christmas delicacies in the air... it has to be that time again :) I'm sure all of you have lovely plans for the holidays with your loved ones and since I'll be leaving for my own celebrations tomorrow, I would like to take this opportunity now to wish you all a wonderful Christmas, may it be a joyous time of family, gifts, music, love and laughter that will warm your heart for the rest of the winter!

Here's a sneak peak of the Christmas window display at Galerie Lafayette and Printemps, I'll be back with the rest in about a week. Till then, Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad and Merry Christmas!

And here's a little bonus, my all-time favorite Christmas song by the legendary Willie Nelson:

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a tree like no other

A couple of weeks ago, I had my 3rd year anniversary of my first date with my husband. We decided to do something special this time around so we stayed at a hotel in the center of Paris, right next to the Galeries Lafayette. I'm still editing through all the photos of their Christmas window displays (this year's theme is Broadway muscials!) and I can't wait to share them with you soon. Meanwhile, here's some photos of the giant, floating Christmas tree that awaits shoppers inside. It's 20 meters high, holds more than 500 ornaments and sits right in the middle of the department store. 

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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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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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the art of windows shopping

One thing I can't get enough of in Paris is walking on it's streets, getting lost and spending the afternoon glancing at these lovely parisian window displays. The french take their window dressings very seriously and it's considered a year-round art for stores to showcase their finest. They provide a countless source of inspiration and eye candy for shoppers and window shoppers alike.

+ me +

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