A Weekend to Remember in Paris

Quick Tips:

The 3rd weekend in September see what is called "Journees de Patrimoine". Basically a lot of heritage sights that are not usually open to the public are open, and a lot of the usual ones are free. We queued to get into the Musee de L'Orangerie to see the Monets and were delighted to discover that it was free after all that! Programmes can be obtained - and the sights are very popular, people seem to queue early as it's first come first served - but it might well be worth timing your visit to go with this event.

Best Way To Get Around:

There is no better way to get around Paris than on foot - in my opinion - unless you have serious distances to cover, or time constraints that mean you need to hurry. Then, in all means, take the metro or the RER - efficient and cheap.

However if you want to really see Paris, to experience it, then it has to be feet every time. How else to smell the fresh bread in the boulangeries, discover the architectural gems lurking down side streets, the tiny corner gardens with statues and play grounds? Yep - feet it is :)

The Hotel L'Odéon is located just up the road from St Sulpice, and we loved it from the moment the taxi dropped us off outside. The minute you walk in through the glass door, you get a feeling for the place. It's small, quaint, and full of character - hardly surprising when you consider that it's a 16th Century building.

The entrance foyer is all mirrors, medieval wood, beams, and stained glass...and the weirdest phone box!....leading you through to the reception desk. There are four floors - our room was on the fourth. You go up a few stairs, past the tiny plant-filled courtyard, up a little more, and then reach what may well be the smallest lift on the planet. 2 of us and one case squeezed in there...just!

Our room was small, cute, individual, with a modern well equipped bathroom. The room had a TV and air-conditioning, which was as well since the room did tend to get a bit warm. Storage space - both shelves and hanging - was ingeniously created in two floor-to-ceiling cupboards by the very comfortable bed, with a cubby hole in one to form a bedside table. On the wall opposite the end of the bed was a table and chair. The window opened to a flower and plant filled window box, with a view down and across a covered courtyard. Although not a large space, with rooms opposite, we weren't directly overlooked at all. As all we planned to do was sleep here, the lack of space wasn't an issue - in fact it was all just adorable - again, full of character - it felt very French somehow. I'm sure it would have been less lovely if the bathroom hadn't been so modern and functional - but that wasn't so - we had a large sink and counter space, toilet and shower cubicle - spick, span, plenty of towels, and cleaned daily, all we needed really.

Breakfast was served downstairs in the lounge and foyer area. Once seated, a tray arrived for you - a plentiful spread with the hot drink of your choice (large jugs of black coffee for us), croissants, pain au chocolat, bread, butter, jam/honey/soft cheese, fruit juice, and a yogurt. Plenty!

In the lounge there is also a PC with 'net access - you can buy a 45 minute card for 5 euros - which is handy for checking email, weather, or flight information.

The staff are friendly and helpful enough, without being overly chatty or intrusive. They do their job and leave you to get on with having a good weekend. They also ordered us a taxi back to the airport - but you might want to get the price verified first - we got over-charged "because it was Sunday".

Location-wise it was perfect, being right by St Germain and all its bars, restaurants, shops and nightlife, handy for many of the main sights, and also easily accessible by metro.

We would certainly stay here again.

On our return to Paris, it was nice to see that some of the places we had been before were still there. We re-discovered Cote Bergamote whilst walking around the streets by the Marche Saint Germain, and took the opportunity to book a table for that night. The restaurant is one of many in the area, and is in fact one of three in a group here, all with slightly different themes (the others are L'Opio (Provencale) La Boussole (the Spice Road). It is set on a corner, open to the world all 'round, with seating indoors and out. We opted for a non-smoking table inside by where the "window" would be.

If you're one of the calorie-counting, healthy eating, brigade, as I am - this place is great. It varies from the norm in having several healthy eating options available, as well as properly catering for vegetarians. It's one of the reasons we liked it before, and why we picked it again this time.

We sat and considered drinks, and decided to stick to wine - not have aperitifs. Wine here is in bottles only - no pichets - and tends to be a little pricey - our bottle of a young & fruity Cote de Brouilly came in at 29E.

Having ordered, we sat back and shared some ciabatta which was very nice and made a change from the usual basket of baguette chunks.

To start with hubby had a vegetable terrine of artichoke hearts, green beans, tomatoes, with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and chives, which was very "warm" tasting - rich and Mediterranean. I had a terrine of dill marinated fish on sald, which though perfectly ok, wasn't AS good.

Main courses were both good. He had a beautifully cooked juicy rare pave de boeuf with a green szechuan pepper sauce, though if you were to be picky, there wasn't much pepper evident in the sauce. I opted for one of their "healthy no fat added" options - slices of duck magret with raisins and rosemary honey, which was yummy. Both came with a delicious herby mash and grilled tomatoes.

Desserts were a white chocolate tart with pickled orange peel, with lovely pastry, but where the citrus slightly overpowered the very creamy filling, and a mixed seasonal fruit sorbet of lime, strawberry & blackcurrant. They were lovely fresh sorbets, with bits of fruit in, but the lime really didn't go with the other two.

2 nice small coffees rounded off an evening where the only sour note was the service tailing off substantially towards the end, which was very irritating. When we finally got it, the bill came to 84,40E, which seemed reasonable enough.

(Just one word of warning - don't expect the non-smoking table rule to be vigorously enforced - the table next to us happily ignored it all evening!)

Au Dernier Metro is a small brasserie situated, as the name might suggest, right by the overhead metro line running down the length of Boulevard Grenelle. It has a gorgeous Art Nouveau styled frontage, with tables that spill out onto the pavement. Inside is atmospheric and welcoming - the theme continues, with dark wood work, mirrors, lots of old signs, chalk boards, and so on.

After a three year gap, we were a little cautious about going back to somewhere that we used to love, but we needn't have been, as it was still just as good as we'd remembered. We arrived as lunch service was starting, and were able to choose where to sit - picking a table inside on the left-hand side. However it rapidly filled up with a wide range of people, from tourists like us, to local business people clearly "doing lunch", to those just having "a verre" outside. It's definitely more a brasserie than restaurant, being both casual and laid back.

The extensive menu focuses on produce and recipes from the South West of France, and that week also the Basque region, which included some of the beer and wines. Specials are written on various chalk boards inside, as well as on either side of the entrance. The staff are friendly, and in the case of our waitress - chatty and funny too - even while very busy.

To aid with the decision-making process, hubby had a Leffe, and I had a basque beer - an Eki - which wasn't quite to my taste...but it was interesting to try something new. On to the food. Hubby had a "Planche Sud-ouest" - which is a wooden platter with a range of South West specialties, including confit de canard, rillettes, ham, cheese, and potato salad. I had the Salade Neptune which was a copious bowlful of nicely dressed salad with smoked salmon, tuna and prawns, with toast. We shared a small carafe of rosé, also Basque, but much nicer than the beer was.

For dessert we tried the chocolate mousse and the tarte du jour, which turned out to be lemon meringue pie. Both very nice, though I think the chocolate mousse won...just slightly. It was a lovely lunch, served at just the right speed. Portion sizes are fairly generous, so for lunch it's a good thing we didn't opt for three courses. They do have a set menu of the day which looked like good value. Our meal came to 47,10 Euros, which was a bargain. Being busy, but well managed, the place had a happy bustley buzz to it, and it all felt very French. They always say that if the locals choose to eat at a place, it must be good - and that certainly holds true here.

The brasserie is open from 6pm to 2am every day, and it's well worth the relatively short walk from the Eiffel Tower to get here. We love it, and are already planning on going back next time!

L'arbuci is on rue Buci (say it with me, r. buci...get it?) in the bustling centre of nightlife in the St Germain area. We were out on a Friday night, in search of good food and jazz, and ended up here, attracted by its swish and stylish appearance, with an open terrace and contemporary decor. As it turns out, it also hides a jazz bar downstairs, which is where we booked our table.

We arrived and were ushered through the restaurant, where you can see the food being prepared in the kitchen, and down the stairs into the basement jazz room, an atmospheric room with a sunken seating area of leather armchairs and tables, mildly erotic jazz-themed photos on the walls, and constantly changing mood lighting. We ordered two glasses of champagne, which came with olives, to enjoy whilst we made our decisions.

On to the starters, which arrived (nay, were presented) on glass platters, beautifully arranged and decorated. My thick, juicy marinated salmon came in its own little kiln jar with al dente charlotte potatoes and pesto toasts, and his carpaccio of beef with minced mushrooms, herbs, and Parmesan was very tender and tasty, but, being picky, the Parmesan was a little overpowering and the salt crystals too large.

Our bottle of very nice white Saumur arrived and was placed in an ingenious ice bucket that hung on the edge of our neighbouring table. Not for too long, though, as our glasses were topped off regularly.

So far, so good, and then it got better. My sesame-crusted seared tuna and watermelon arrived, cut into even sized squares, arranged in a chessboard square, and dressed with basil oil. It tasted as good as it looked: the tuna was "blue," as requested, yet could still have been cut with a fork. Hubby's rack of herb-and-spice-crusted pork was a lot like Chinese honey ribs, and although fiddly, was delicious and served with wok-cooked vegetables.

On to desserts, which let the side down slightly. The moelleux au chocolate, served in its own little cup with a little vanilla milkshake on the side, was rather too runny, though delicious. The strawberry soup that arrived for me was not my choice - and was also far too sweet, so I pointed out the error, and after a short delay, my rhubarb and strawberry tartelette arrived, which was again far, far too sweet, though the pastry was lovely.

We rounded off with two lovely espressos and sat back to enjoy some quality jazz—a four-piece band with female vocalist that rocked!

The staff was the best we found in Paris, very efficient and helpful, no hanging around for anything, everything dealt with properly. The dishes were beautiful, the portion sizes just right, and the bill came to 131,70E (dining entitles you to free attendance to the jazz).

Not cheap, but more than worth it, as we had a perfect night.

Footloose, fancy free, children in another country...let's party! Well, let's stay out late anyway....

So, out into the Parisien nights we went. At night the Boulevard St Germain, near Opera, the area bustles with people, and lights, and noise. Feeling like proper grown-ups, we joined the throng.

We fancied cocktails, so started at the Cafe Mabillon. This place is conspicuously "cool". Inside there's mood lighting, leather couchettes, wide screen MTV, a bustling mob of young people out to be "seen". We sat on the covered terrace, preferring to watch the world go by a little. After a while, we managed to make ourselves heard and ordered from a painfully cool, all dressed in black with a silver tray, waiter. Don't expect fast service though - a triumph of style over efficiency... I had a Mojito Royale, and he had a Fine des Angelis (cognac, tripe sec, and fruit). We sat and supped our very tasty cocktails as the heavens opened and water poured torrentially down the Boulevard - a sight best enjoyed from where we were sitting! Here's a tip though - pay when the drinks come, so that you can leave when you want, rather than go through the "can I have the bill" ritual...which believe me, is tedious. The bill, when it finally came, was 24,40E.

Eager to try somewhere else, we moved on to the next locale - the Cafe Mondrian which is practically next door. I used to hang out here when we lived here...so for nostalgia sake, we practically had to. For atmosphere this place is a bit more laid back, more fun less cool, with better music, but equally busy. Again - plenty of indoor space with the obligatory covered terrace space. There's a greater range of cocktails, possibly slightly cheaper. However, again, as is typical for this area, service sucks, not to put too fine a point on it. It took ages to order - the first waiter took our order, and then went off shift! The second time we went here, the service was just as bad, if not worse - some serious attitude going on there. Anyway, once we finally got things straightened out, I had a Panam (champagne, cointreau, gin, rum, lemon juice) which was lovely, but hubby's Martini came straight of a bottle, and was horrid. You'd have thought a cocktail bar could make a decent martini, no? (One word of warning - after 10pm drinks cost 2E each extra). Not deterred, and properly settled in, we rounded off with a coffee and tried the "Cocktail du Mondrian" which was gin, pepper vodka, cactus juice, ginger juice, and fruit. All the cocktails came with the most amazing decorations, and frequently enough fruit for a small meal - they looked fabulous even if they didn't always taste quite so great! Plenty of bits to take home for the children, who love that kind of thing. Let's face it - so do I! Finally, after coming *this* close to just leaving as it was taking so long, the bill came to 37,60E.

As places to sit and watch people go by, strutting their high fashion stuff, these places are great. For prices and service, go elsewhere....but there's something about sitting on a Parisian street, cocktail in hand that kinda well just has to be done. The experience is worth the price...though maybe not worth repeating too much!