[Paris] Sadaharu Aoki

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[Paris] Sadaharu Aoki

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Sadaharu Aoki

Add:  35 Rue de Vaugirard, 75006 Paris*
Tel: +33 1 45 44 48 90
Hours: [Tue-Sat] 11am~7pm [Sun] 10am~6pm (closed on Mon)
Website: www.sadaharuaoki.com
Price: €5~6/patisserie
Tasted on: Apr 2013

I knew about Sadaharu Aoki even before I discovered Pierre Hermé. The Japanese pastry chef is famed for infusing French pastries with Japanese ingredients and sensibilities, and has made a big name for himself in France, Japan, and beyond. I first tried his creations 2 years ago at his then recently-opened outpost in Taipei, and was disappointed by what I tasted. Thinking that perhaps it was just a consistency issue with the Taipei branch, I decided to give his Paris boutique a try.

*Additional locations available, check website for detail.

While Aoki is most famed for his Japanese-inspired pastries (think matcha, yuzu, azuki beans), what I eagerly wanted to taste was the tarte caramel salé (€5), which has been recommended to me by friends and professionals alike. And indeed it’s delicious. A spiral of creamy milk chocolate mousse, a buttery crispy tart shell, and – cut the tart open and out oozes – an intensely aromatic salted caramel. So intense that I had to save half of it for the second day. Stricly for caramel lovers.

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[Paris] Candelaria

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[Paris] Candelaria

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Candelaria

Add: 52 rue de Saintonge, 75003 Paris
Tel: +33 1 42 74 41 28
Hours: [Taqueria] Sun-Wed 12:30~11pm Thu-Sat 12:30pm~12am [Bar] 6pm~2am (open daily)
Website: www.candelariaparis.com
Price: [tacos] €5.50~6/two pcs [cocktails] €12
Tasted on: Mar 2013

When you walk into Candelaria, you probably wouldn’t think much of this tiny taco restaurant. The space is tight, with no more than 5 seats at the bar and 6 seats at the table. The kitchen is open and bare, with a short menu casually scribbled on blackboards. But this was where I found myself on a Sunday evening with Carin, Diane, Edna, & Milsters, and honestly, after our afternoon of sweets and champagne (more on this in another post), some guacamole and tacos were exactly what we needed.

Guacamole (€5.50), not the best I’ve had, but still quite tasty.

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[Paris] Les Fines Gueules

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[Paris] Les Fines Gueules

Les Fines Gueules

Add: 43, rue Croix des Petits Champs, 75001 Paris
Tel: 01 42 61 35 41
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 12~2:30pm, 7:30~10:30pm [Sat-Sun] 7:30~11pm
Website: www.lesfinesgueules.fr
Price: €40~50/person
Tasted: Feb 2013

A small and casual wine bar/bistro at the corner of rues Croix des Petits Champs and La Veillière. Rustic chic decor, friendly service, and good food in generous portions.

Foie gras poêlé, betteraves au balsamique (€16) – pan-fried foie gras with beetroot marinated in balsamic vinegar.

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[Paris] La Maison du Chocolat

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[Paris] La Maison du Chocolat

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La Maison du Chocolat

Add*: Carrousel du Louvre, 99 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
Tel: 01 42 97 13 50
Hours: 10am~8pm (open everyday)
Website: www.lamaisonduchocolat.com
Price: €4.70~5.20/pastry
Tasted on:  Mar 2013

La Maison du Chocolat, opened in 1977 by Robert Linxe (the “ganache magician”), is world-famous for its exquisite chocolate creations: ganaches, truffles, and mendiants in classic and not so classic flavors like basil, rosemary, and jasmine. I can’t claim to be a chocoholic, but am still very much attracted to its alluring assortment of chocolate pastries. These plain-looking éclairs, tarts, and cakes might not impress your eyes, but will absolutely wow your taste buds.

*Numerous locations available in Paris and around the world, check website for detail. 

Les chocolats.

Les macarons et les patisseries.

Start with a tartelette chocolat (€5.20), which is perfect in every way. The chocolate ganache is smooth, shiny, rich in flavor but not too sweet, while the tart shell is crumbly and crisp even until the second day. So simple, so good.

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[Paris] Angelina

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[Paris] Angelina

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Angelina

Add: 226 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris*
Tel: +33 1 42 60 82 00
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 7:30am~7pm [Sat-Sun] 8:30am~7pm
Website: www.angelina-paris.fr
Price: €7~8.50/pastry (dine-in price)
Tasted on: Feb 2013

Angelina is one of those places which I know I probably wouldn’t like, but have to go at least once anyway just because it’s such a big name. And so I did. I went, I lined up (there is a perpetual line out its door), I had a jug of their famous hot chocolate and an equally famous mont blanc (plus a few other pastries), and I confirmed my pre-judgement. I won’t be back again.

*Multiple locations available in Paris, check website for detail.

That’s not to say that Angelina is a horrible, horrible place. Its pastry display, for example, is quite bright and lovely…

It certainly is difficult to ignore the imposing army of mont blanc that lines the window. I wonder how many of these they sell each day.

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[Paris] Le Kok

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[Paris] Le Kok

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Le Kok

Add: 129 bis ave Choisy, 75013 Paris
Tel: 01 45 84 10 48
Hours: 9am~12am (closed on Tue)
Price: €7.10~7.80/bowl of pho
Tasted on: Mar 2013

A few weeks ago…

Friend: “I’m visiting Paris for a few days!”
Me: ” Cool, what do you plan on doing here?”
Friend: “Eat pho!”
Me: “…???”

Now that’s an answer I did not expect, especially from a friend visiting from Asia. And his pho destination in Paris? Not Pho 14, which is probably the most famous pho joint in Paris, but its next door neighbor Le Kok.

A real attraction at Le Kok, other than the delicious pho (more on this later), is the free “bones” you can get instantly upon being seated. And by “bones”, I mean the meat-laden bones that are cooked for hours to make the pho broth, so you can imagine how tender they must be by the time they are served to your table. Usually the waitress will ask if you want these, but if not, don’t be shy to request.

And don’t forget to dip the meat in this addicting brown sauce.

As for the pho, first timers can order the soupe tonkinoise speciale 特別牛肉粉, which comes in grande (€7.80) and petite (€7.30) sizes. It’s served with a little bit of everything: half-cooked beef briskets, beef meat balls, beef tendons, and beef tripes. The broth is clear but rich in flavor, the brisket exceedingly tender, and the rice noodles are perfectly textured. Squeeze in a little bit of lemon juice and add the chili if you so desire.

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[Paris] Crave Supper Club

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[Paris] Crave Supper Club

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Crave Supper Club

Add & Tel: email for details
Hours: every other Sunday (upcoming dinners March 24 and April 7)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CraveParis
Email: crave.paris@gmail.com
Price: €39 suggested donation
Tasted on: Mar 2013

So three of my friends from Ferrandi decided to start a supper club called Crave. What it promises: fun, whimsical, and most importantly…seriously good eats. I was lucky enough to be offered a seat at the first ever Crave supper with some big names like Paris by Mouth and Hungry for Paris, and what a good time it was. The trio in the kitchen – Rita from Taiwan/Canada, Eric from Florida, and Camille from Hawaii/Washington DC – orchestrated a four-course tasting menu that was thoughtful and exciting. As they are all interning at different restaurants at the moment (and not just any restaurant, we are talking about the likes of L’Astrance and Frenchie), they can only host dinner every other Sunday. Seats are limited, email to make your booking.

The location, a nice apartment in the 10th, home of Eric, Camille, and another Ferrandi graduate.

The kitchen in action.

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[Paris] Jean Hwang Carrant: Simply Extraordinary Cookies

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[Paris] Jean Hwang Carrant: Simply Extraordinary Cookies

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Jean Hwang Carrant: Simply Extraordinary Cookies

Add: delivery-based, click here for details.
Tel: N/A
Price: €3.50/cookie
Website: www.jeanhwangcarrant.com
Tasted on: Mar 2013

When I visited Jean’s kitchen to sample her famed cookies, I was only planning to stay for an hour or so. I mean, how long does it take to bake and eat a batch of cookies? The truth is that I ended up lingering for four full hours – she baked, I ate, and we chatted about baking, about dining out, and about random little things that intrigue us both. It was such a pleasure spending time with her that before I knew it, an entire afternoon had gone by!

And who is Jean? The intro on her website sums it up: “An American born and raised in Kansas, of Taiwanese descent, fallen in love with a Frenchman, bakes the most surprising cookies in Paris.” And her cookies? “Pounds of creativity, a good dose of excellence, a genuine touch of Asian elegance and a breath of fresh air…voilà, the unique and original recipe for her extraordinary cookies where France, Asia and America encounter.”

What surprised/impressed me most was that Jean alone makes ALL the cookies, even when she receives orders in staggering amounts of, let’s say, 3000 cookies. She makes the dough, weighs out the portion precisely with a scale, rolls each cookie individually, bakes, cools, packages everything in neat paper bags, and even does the delivery. That’s an awful lot of work!

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[Paris] Dans Les Landes

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[Paris] Dans Les Landes

Dans Les Landes

Add: 119 bis rue Monge, 75005 Paris
Tel: 01 45 87 06 00
Hours: 12~11pm (open everyday)
Price: €25~40/person
Visited on: Jan 2013

Venue now closed.

In Paris, it ain’t easy finding a place to eat on Sunday evenings. Thank goodness, we have Dans Les Landes. This casual bar serves small dishes inspired by Southwestern French cooking – I suppose we can’t exactly call them tapas because they are not Spanish, but that’s the idea. And yes, it’s open everyday!

We were too hungry to even read the menu, so we asked the waiter to bring us whatever he recommended and then added a few more orders as the meal unfolded. A flurry of dishes descended upon our table, and while not all of them hit home, most were delicious. Scroll to the end of the post for the list of my favorites among the 13 dishes we tried.

Bouchées de salade Landais (€9), salade wrapped in rice paper along with foie gras and duck breast.

Polenta croustillante au magret fumé (€9), polenta croquette with smoked duck.

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[Paris] Pierre Hermé Fetish Baba & More

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[Paris] Pierre Hermé Fetish Baba & More

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Pierre Hermé

Add: 72 rue Bonaparte 75006 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 54 47 77
Hours: 10am~7pm (7:30pm on Thu-Fri, 8pm on Sat)
Website: www.pierreherme.com
Price: €4.50~7.30/individual dessert
Visited on: Mar 2013

Among all the patisseries in Paris, Pierre Hermé is probably my most frequented spot. Other than all time favorites like Ispahan, 2000 feuilles, and Tarte Infiniment Vanille, Pierre Hermé again and again lures me back with his seasonal offerings, such as the recent Fetish Baba. And what is Fetish Baba? Every year for about one month and half, PH offers a collection of babas in traditional and not-so-traditional flavors like Satine (orange & passion fruit), Mogador (milk chocolate & passion fruit), and of course Ispahan (rose, raspberry, & lychee). Now, I don’t usually like babas since these rum-soaked yeast cakes are often too tipsy for me, but I was curious to see if PH’s renditions would change my mind…

I had already tried Baba Satine (orange & passion fruit) on a previous visit and was put off by how strong the rum tasted (this is a personal thing – I’m not a fan of prominent liquor flavors in desserts). I was almost going to declare that I will shun babas forever…but decided to give PH’s signature flavors Ispahan and Mogador a try.

In the making of Baba Ispahan (€6.90), the brioche is soaked in raspberry syrup and wild raspberry eau-de-vie instead of rum, then topped with lychees, raspberries, and rose-flavored mascarpone cream. The pastry was overall very pleasant, especially because the liquor flavor was less pungent, though I have to say that I still wasn’t converted to a babas fan.

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