I was in Paris last weekend with my best friend. It was a great trip, just a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of ordinary life. We had decided from the outset this would be a stress free and relaxed mini-break. It did not help that I had booked the 0701 train from St Pancras. This meant waking up just before 3am, taking a taxi just before 4am to avoid any road traffic dramas. However, we arrived in plenty of time to have a hot drink at Le Pain Quotidien and pass comment on our fellow passengers – “single file!”.
The train journey itself was unremarkable, this is my 4th time in Paris, so taking the Eurostar is not longer that exciting. However it is always nice to have the feeling that one is getting away from it all and doing something different/exciting. So I channelled that energy, until I fell asleep 10 minutes after settling down and then woke up about an hour later and we were in France.
In the spirit of exploring Paris in full ‘soft-life’ fashion, we bought some tickets for city bus tour and spent the next few hours in the beautiful Spring sunshine, taking in the sights.
It was much nicer than I thought it would be and was a lovely start to the holiday. Like being on the train, I love being driven around while I can stare dreamily out of the window to the world outside. When we got off the bus, we were quite hungry having last eaten in the early hours of the morning. Luckily for us, there was a coffee and brunch place right in front of the bus stop.
From the get go it was warm and inviting. One of the waitresses came out to meet us and made us feel very much welcomed. And with a message of ‘Life is too short to skip coffee’ it was always going to be a winner. The place is spacious, light and has nice views of the busy street outside. I could have sat there all day watching the world go by.
The food was impressive. Starting with a fragrance and satisfying rose and cardamom latte, the likes of which I’ve not experienced before.
Followed by aubergine mauve -candied aubergine baked with feta and muscat grapes, glazed with petimezi and spinach.
A dessert of French toast from the gods – topped with poached pear, candied lemons, marscapone, red berries, hazelnut almond praline sauce, hazelnut chunks.
There a delicious looking carrot cake on the counter and we left with two slices to takeaway.
All in all, a cosy little place to eat, enjoy delicious food and hide away from the rest of the world.
