Eating Fancy – The Parisian Way

Being a long time fan of French cuisine and a regular of the French restaurants back home, finding out I would have the chance to fly to Paris meant I prepared myself and my stomach for a tour du force. Saying that I was in for a treat would be to undermine my experience, but let’s just say both me and my stomach left Paris with a smile (I know a stomach can’t smile, but if it could, it would after tasting French delicacies).

On my first mouth-watering adventure, I took the private elevator of the famous “Jules Verne” restaurant, a restaurant I read up on and was looking forward to literally bite my way into. I’ve ended up at the second floor of the Eiffel Tower and the fact that the restaurant is part of the world wide famous monument reflects in the mandatory outfit and the prices, which are both above usual standards. I ordered a house specialty, the duck with bigarade sauce and I have to tell you that it was one of the best meals I had in a while. Combine that with a breathtaking panorama of Paris in the evening and you’ll get close to what I experienced that day. I heartily recommend checking the place out both during the day and late at night, enjoying the two ways in which light will change your experience, setting you in a distinctively Parisian mood.

Another top destination is the Georges, a restaurant that is an integral part of the Georges Pompidou art centre. This is a building you can’t miss once you’re in Paris, as it has a peculiar architectural line that is transferred to the restaurant as well. Inside, the overall style of the centre is combined with fluid aluminum lines and the food is oriented towards fusion cuisine, with all the bizarre and rich influences that the style implies. Nevertheless, the French influence is very present and you’ll find yourself tasting some really fancy, chic soufflé in an avangardist setting.

Up next is the Buddha Bar, a place that offers some great stuff to eat, packed up in an eerie atmosphere that simply sticks with you for days on. Of course, as the name implies, the main influence is set in the Asian cuisine, but French ingredients are carefully integrated in some remarkable mélange of flavors and essences. Add the low beat, immersive music that made Buddha Bar a world phenomenon and you’ll have spent a few hours in a comfortable and seemingly secluded location.

I’m pretty sure you’ve, at some point, thought about how it would have been like to eat in the Orient Express. Well, one of Paris’s restaurants offers you that chance and it’s called Le Wagon Bleu (surprise, surprise) and the setting is apparently carved to the last detail to look and feel as if you were on the mythical train. The cuisine is traditional, many of the menus having cheese or derivatives, but being in Paris that’s not really a surprise, as cheese is an all time favorite. Surprisingly, compared to the extraordinary atmosphere, the tasty food and great service, the prices are for everyone to grab.

Last but not least, if you want to taste some Provence food, you’ll have to go south. Not all the way to La Provence though! Perhaps you can stop, as I did, at Le Sud restaurant, which is a only a couple of minutes away from Le Palais des Congres. The owners went all the way in recreating the southern atmosphere and not only in the Mediterranean style cuisine or the restaurant setting: they actually have a whole street with a Provencal look and feel, with all the furniture and decorations being perfectly chosen to take you south during your meal.

Bon appetite!

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