Archive for category Paris
Steak and Beef in Paris
Posted by tzuyen in Food, Paris, Uncategorized on March 2, 2012
Onglet / Hanger steak - common find in local markets in Paris
Steak in Paris is lean, well cooked and flavourful. Breads of cattle are often displayed and cuts like skirt and hanger are very common. The culture is to have the steak cooked ‘saignant’ which means ‘bloody’. Contrary to what others might tell you, à point is not exactly what medium-rare is to Australia – à point is slightly less cooked than medium-rare in real life results. Oddly enough, the first 10 pages on Google search for the internal meat temperature for saignant (pretty much meaning rare) in french is 60-63 C!! This is completely and utterly wrong. Let me set this straight in terms of what the words and temperatures should be below. The numbers are the final internal temperature of the meat. Unless you are cooking sous vide, you need to remove the meat and let it rest for 5-10 minutes in a warm place before you serve. A rough guide is to remove the meat 5 C before the desired final temperature if you want to put it in a warm oven at about 60 degrees. If you place it near your stove, it is usually cooler there compared to an oven so taking it off 3 degrees below and let it rest.
Bleu = less cooked than rare: <50 C (A quick sear on both sides and serve. Usually best on a thinner cut of steak. Inside is essentially warm and raw. I don’t think measuring temperature here is useful)
Saignant = rare: 52-54 C
À point = medium rare: 56-58 C (Rose – a term often reserved for veal, duck and game at this temperature)
Demi anglais ( a term not usually used) = medium: 60-62 C
Cuit = medium well: 64-66 C
Bien cuit = well done: >68-70 C – essentially no pink colour remaining.
French people in Paris seem to be overly proud that they don’t like meat cooked past medium. It is not the first (or the second) time that I have heard something to this effect – “we (French) think eating bien cuit is no no no”. But really, there many people outside France who would agree and and think that to cook a steak beyond medium is a sin. I have to say though, ordering steak saignant or à point in France gets pretty consistent results. In Australia, the number one fear of ordering steak at a not so expensive restaurant is getting overcooked steak. No, it’s not ok.
Overall, I do enjoy leaner steak but I have grown more accustomed to a bit more marbling. Not overly marbled like 11+ wagyu, but something like a score of 3-4 which gives it a juicier taste than lean steak. Too fatty and the steak looses the meaty bite.
Steak from Le Severo with a sear on the outside that is full flavour and almost crisp. The blood pudding here was out of the world. Don't get the steak tartare - it is about 400 g of raw beef.
Le Relais de Venise - L'Entrecôte - a chain serving up perfectly cooked steak with a special green sauce. It comes with fries and a walnut salad. Nothing else savory on the menu (what menu?). The steak is served to you twice to ensure the meat is warm - a pleasant surprise when you wish you had one more bite. We think the sauce contains some anchovies, green peppercorns and liver.
Steak tartare - found in nearly every bistro or brasserie. This one chopped coarsely with sun-dried tomatoes
Line outside Le Relais de Venise - L'Entrecôte
Cafe Pushkin – Paris
Posted by tzuyen in Paris, Patisserie on November 16, 2011
If one is looking for a break from the same old pastries that is ubiquitous in Paris then visit Cafe Pushkin (click link at the bottom of the page that loads), located on the ground floor of Printemps department store. Originating in Moscow, it has now stores in Paris and New York – although the stores in Moscow and New York seem to be much bigger with 19th century decor and serves more than just pastries and desserts.
No problem, because their sweets are already seriously delicious and original. There is one small bar to sit and eat the dessert with tea or coffee. You just pick what you want from the display and they serve it up. However, the bar is small and rather uncomfortable. Highlights in my opinion include their “rolls” which consist of layers of poppy seed, fruits and a million other wonderful things that go inside. There is also a layered honey cake and a very complex strudel. Nothing I had was too sweet at all. I wont pretend I know what are inside these gems.
Printemps, Ground Floor of the Women’s Store (just between the two main buildings underneath the foot bridge) 64, bd Haussmann. Open Monday to Saturday 9:35 am to 8 pm (10 pm Thursday) +33 (0) 1 42 82 43 31
Roll - I wish I could tell you what is exactly inside but I have no idea
Strudel with layers of flavours and textures
Macarons with a difference
A very summery dessert with a surprise inside
Paris store - very different to the Moscow and the New York stores
Macarons in Paris
Posted by tzuyen in Paris, Patisserie, Photography on November 2, 2011
Before I start, I am going to say that this is by no means an exhaustive list of the best macarons in Paris. The main reason is that I am not yet diabetic. Also, I do not make them. That out of the way, macarons are freaking delicious when they are done well. Have 2 at a time (better, share 4 with a friend). Try them from the most well known shops and eat them within a few hours after buying them to avoid drying or damage. Get common flavours (to compared between shops) and interesting flavours to open your mind. I have realized that there is a spectrum of density for the shell and the filling that can all be great – it’s personal preference really. The 3 most important aspects for me are:
- Texture of the shell is airy and not dried up
- Flavour is prominent and not artificial
- Macarons are invariably sweet, but there is a balance still. Too sweet then you can’t taste the flavour. Balance please.
Here are a few of the best shops and simple gorgeous. I will add more. Sorry, I can’t take these back to Australia.
Pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki - macarons on the wall decoration
Aoki - here you can find Japanese flavours such as various teas, yuzu and sesame
Laduree - very famous and for a good reason. If I was to pick one shop for macarons then this is it.
Their salted caramel macaron (not pictured) is a must try. Though the filling is thicker and denser than their other flavours, it is an explosion of salted caramel
Patisserie Pain de Sucre
Patisserie Pain de Sucre - more on the denser side. They have an espelette/saffron flavour.
Looks good and will not disappoint
Weiss - a chocolate company. Very genuine flavours. I am pretty sure it was the best pistachio I have had so far.
Café Pouchkine - originating from Russia, brings a new range of flavours and textures with very refined techniques. Here are double flavoured macaron shells.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Paris
Posted by tzuyen in Paris, Restaurant, Travel on October 28, 2011
“Paris! The food will be great!” – most people would say. I would completely agree with patisserie – there is no other places like Paris for the most amazing sweet, cakes and desserts. Much of the Western world communicate using French terminology during pastry making. French food is also (obviously) the best in France. Bistros and brasseries, the traditional French fair can be found in so many (too many) corners and streets. Moving out of these zones, however, I find Paris a little lacking compared to Melbourne. There are good Japanese and Vietnamese no doubt but not as prevalent. In Melbourne, the number of different cuisines, easily accessible, is phenomenal. Forgive me if I am wrong as I have only been here for 2 months.
So, French food is good here. Joël Robuchon is “a star” – with 27 Michelin stars – the most in the world to date. He is also a restaurateur as he owns/operates many restaurants around the world. To see him cook when you eat is probably going to be extremely rare. But the point is, you already missed that time. It was more than 30 years ago when he was awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France – a very prestigious recognition that he is the best in the field. His work modernized French cuisine and also brought in influences from Japan, where he also taught.
A month ago, I had the pleasure of eating at the L’Atelier in Paris. A bar-style seating, informal, not stuffy and serving fine-dining – a major shift in French food. One could chose individual dishes or take the degustation menu (menu découverte). Naturally, we took the later since this it would be a long time before I return to Paris again. I thought the food was excellent. The garnish for the pork was a little too salty and the coffee, caramel dessert a little ordinary. The foie gras was seriously beyond awesome – and why not stuff it into the quail! The famous pomme purée was full of buttery smoothness. A small portion is all you need. Service was great and the advantage of bar seating is the ability to dine alone easily or to break up the conversation a little. By the way, I believe after school (if I did finish my 3rd term) I have the opportunity, if I am good enough, to do a 2 month internship here. Quel dommage! I only have time to finish the second term.
Bar-style fine dining
Amuse Bouche - I think it was a cold crab soup
Crayfish
chestnut veloute
Foie gras - seared. Certainly the best foie gras I have had.
Poachd egg, chanterelle mushroom
Fish
Pork
Quail, stuffed with foie gras, potato puree with truffles. This mash potato is a famous signature of Joël Robuchon. Nearly 50:50 butter to potato
A simple, light and delicious raspberry desert.
Coffee, caramel dessert.
Poulet de Bresse (Bresse chicken) at Le Splendid Lyon
Posted by tzuyen in Paris, Restaurant, Travel on October 2, 2011
Following a recommendation from Syd, we walked across the town of Lyon to get to Le Splendid for their roast Bresse chicken. The bird from Bresse is probably the most well known of the ‘expensive’ chickens. AOC labeled to ensure origin and breading methods are exact, the bird has a singature red crown, white plume and blue feet – quite French. At Le Splendid the cover of their menu is a bright caricature of the bird, revealing the restaurant’s specialty of the poulet de Bress with morel sauce. The setting was a classical brasserie with a light-filled, warm interior. We ordered the roast chicken with additional morels. The bones were trimmed for the touch of class we learnt at school. The meat was tender and moist, even for the breast. Definitely more flavourful and better texture than the average bird. Complimenting the chicken was a pile of whole morels in a buttery and creamy sauce. Absolutely delicious. Stunning setting.
Divine chicken with morel sauce
It is the best roast chicken I have had and easily beats what Cafe Vue or PM24 offers. But was is out of this world? It is still a chicken. Don’t get me wrong, it is excellent but I just want to stress, I still ate a chicken. I certainly have had chicken in Taiwan with very good flavour and bite. The local description is “soil chicken” – indicating they are older and, presumably, able to roam freely. Distinctively, I remember they have dark feet too. The Bress chicken is certainly one of the best chickens available for purchase but I want to point out that after all, it is competing with a fairly neutral-tasting field of birds anyway.
On another note, I never grew up with roast chicken. To many, the smell and the taste represents more of an occasion with family on Sundays. The wonderful feeling of sitting around a table discussing the week’s news and events is peppered with requests for which part of the chicken to tear up and what’s for dinner. Licking fingers. Crunchy potatoes. At least, that’s what I think a roast chicken does one’s memory. For our meal at Le Splendid, topped with a glass of wine and dessert, all lit up by the giant windows next to us will last in my memory for a long time. France is beautiful
High ceiling, art-deco lights, tiled floors, open kitchen
Chocolate moelleux with coffee ice cream - a very good chocolate moelleux
On a side note, I have been trying to perfect a roast chicken and have come across a few interesting resources apart from books. Thomas Keller keeps is simple and seasons the bird with salt, pepper and thyme only. No basting. Heston Blumenthal goes a few steps further and brines the chicken to give it extra moisture. He also carefully tasted different breeds of chicken in UK to find the best one. As he started cooking, the skin of the bird is blanched and chilled multiples times before drying to prepare a crispy skin like Peking duck. The chicken is then cooked at 60 degrees Celsius for 4 and a half hours before finally browning the skin. And if this wasn’t complicated enough, the people on thecookingissues blog (from The French Culinary Institute of America) decides that different parts of the chicken deserve different cooking temperatures with the sous-vide technique. Although they applied the technique to a Turkey, the principles are the same. The bird they served up looked amazing.
Oh, did I mention the price of the raw chicken?
Sold with the distinctive label, head and feet attached - 12-13 Euros per kg in the market
Our plate of roast chicken was 25 Euros, plus optional extra morels for 7 Euros – not bad at all.
Le Chateaubriand
Posted by tzuyen in Literature, Paris, Restaurant on September 26, 2011
I chuckled when I read in The Age that diners in Melbourne are lining up for hours at some of the more well known restaurants. Ironically, The Age and a particular TV show seem to be the very reason why eating out in Melbourne could feel more like planning a holiday with a friend to Europe. The idea of a ‘state-media’ source of information is not appetizing. In contrast, would you believe that we had not made a reservation and ate at the 9th best restaurant on the S.Pellegrino list? Le Chateaubriand has one seating for reservations and a second one, depending on their capacity for walk-in diners. We waited in line for just under 2 hours to be seated, though the first few in line were seated in about 1 hour. As the first seating started to clear, we took their tables. The line was far shorter than the one outside Mamasita or Pho Chu The.
This is Paris. People here seem not to care where is the ‘in’ place to eat. I was able to make a reservation for dinner at L’Atelier by Joel Robuchon at Saint-Germain for roughly 2 weeks in advance. The casual, fine dining restaurant has 2 Michelin stars and is again high up on the S.Pellegrino’s list. A friend of mine managed to reserve a late lunch on a Sunday by calling on the same day. Try that with Movida on a Sunday and have the reception staff think you are either joking or obviously a tourist.
There were about 15 people in the que. The chef came outside at about 9:30 and counted the numbers and told the last few people that they wont be able to get a seat.
Waiter outside having a smoke. How French.
Let’s talk about Le Chateaubriand. Inaki Aizparte is a self-taught chef who often serves up dishes with few, contrasting and sometimes challenging ingredients. If eating is seen as art, then his food is post-modern art. Art doesn’t have to be aesthetically pleasing or technically flawless to leave an impact. A classical Dutch landscape is soothing but the melting clock in the Persistence of Memory by Dali has more impact. By the same analogy, the S.Pellegrino’s list is not about the best tasting food in the world. Chefs, food writers, critics from around the world vote on what is ‘best’ and not who serves up the most expensive truffle. On that basis, restaurants that push boundaries, leave diners with exciting memories and perhaps challenge our perceptions will get noticed. If there wasn’t progression, we would all be eating potatoes thinly sliced and fried in foaming butter and garlic (our recent demonstration at school) – not that there is anything not tasty about that!
So, forget the reviews that say “food was horrible, cold, tiny and expensive” or “for a restaurant placed 9th, it served up inedible food”. One comes prepared to have their conceptions challenged. Throw away the stuffy, traditional French setting and sit in a relaxing, warm dining hall with a wine bar. This is what we had on the Thursday 22nd of September. Five amuse bouches, 3 mains, a cheese plate or 2 sweet dishes. Judge for yourself.
Amuse bouche - choux pastry with cheese, ceviche shot and fried fish.
Beans and parsley. Clean and not overpowering.
Consomme, radish, foie gras and coffee beans.
Herring (I think), carrots, physalis (a yellow fruit resembling a small tomato but with a very concentrated tomato and mildly tart flavour)
Sea bream, celery, pourpier, manzanilla - a mixed salad of unusual leaves with a slightly grassy taste and succulent texture.
Milk fed lamb, artichokes, anchovies, burnt lemon. Multiple cuts and textures of lamb, including sweetbread and kidney.
Cheese or dessert - Fourme d'Amber (a blue resembling Roquefort), Brillat Saverin (a wonderful soft cheese with a very floral and light bitterness), Ossau Iraty (a firm sheep milk cheese)
Lait Ribot (a white milk based sorbet like fromage blanc), herbs, brown butter.
Chocolate and mushrooms. Very good quality melted chocolate with a fruity and earthy note that is dragged on by the mushrooms. It's a concept dish. Most people who recently wrote about the restaurant was not impressed with this one. I liked it. But then again, I did not think this was a dessert in the traditional sense.
At the end of the meal, the cheerful man from Peru who we met while queuing up summed it up. He looked very happy from the wine he had enjoyed. Gesturing with his finger in rapid movements across his chest:
“It was a such an experience. The food was like pa! pa! pa! pa!”
Coutume – cafe joy in Paris
Walking down Rue de Babylone a couple of weeks ago I noticed a cafe with startling resemblance to what one might find in Australia (apart from the ice cream cart at the front). It was closed that day and I took a mental note to return next time. As I entered Coutume a week later, I noticed torn paint work, light bulbs hanging naked from the ceiling, siphon apparatus with the unmistakable halogen heat source (Hario) and the tall, cold drip coffee maker. At the back of the shop was a roaster separated from the cafe with transparent plastic. I have no doubt I have found my favorite bench to sit on. Perfect to do some cooking school homework when they are not too busy.
A mini ice cream cart on the right
“Hello, how are you!?” one of the staff said to me as I waited to order. Sounded like someone who knew me. And it was. Antoine, who I met in Melbourne a few years ago, used to have a coffee roasting shop in the suburbs of Melbourne. I remember he said that he wanted to open a cafe in one of the French colonies in the tropics. He would have his own roaster and espresso bar by the beach. I didn’t remember he was going to Paris. But here we are few years down the track under the same roof. I call it coffee foot prints. He introduced me to Tom from Canberra who, together, opened this cafe. They serve single origin, blends, siphon, cold drip and milk based espresso drinks in all its glory. A piccolo latte (my favorite) was easily done. Milk well textured and served without being burnt. For purchase are beans and brewing equipment (pour over, siphon, espresso machines.
Paris as a whole is just beginning to realize coffee is far more than the swill they are used to. A ironic fact is how a city ( or nation) so obsessed with food, drinks and leisure is so late in coffee development. Their deep worship of tradition and the respect of how things are done as they used to be (thinks of chopping vegetables in triangular ‘paysanne’ shape at school) is proving to be a major contributor to their slow embrace of the coffee movement. The competition will heat up though and I really wish Coutume the best in leading this revolution.
Piccolo
75007, Paris
Tuesday – Friday 8am – 7 pm, Saturday – Sunday (10am – 7pm)
La Pâtisserie des Rêves – Paris Brest
Posted by tzuyen in Paris, Patisserie on September 10, 2011
I was settling the bill after an excellent coffee at cafe Coutume. I said “I am heading to La Pâtisserie des Rêves for their Paris Brest again.”
“That place is out of control.” That was the reply.
Paris Brest
Rêves has been awarded the best Paris Brest for three consecutive years. This mind blowing dessert was originally created to help fuel cyclists on the 1200 km Paris to Brest race. It is essentially a choux pastry filled with praline cream, shaped into a wheel shape. The idea might have came from modifying an eclair into the shape of a wheel. The version from Rêves is made of 6 connected choux pastry, filled with a hazel nut (?maybe almonds too) praline cream. Under the cream is a think liquid coulant of chocolate and hazel nut that taste quite like Nutella. What makes this one taste so good is no doubt the richness of the cream, filled with unmissable hazel nut power. The cream had a ‘bite’ to it – dense from the nuts blended through it.
I went twice because I ate the first one before I could take a photo. The shop is beautiful too. The selection of pastry is displayed under glass domes. When you have decided, the staff will go behind the counter and retrieve the individual pastry from their optimum storage condition.
Store design reflected in their website
Look only. They will retrieve your purchase from the back where each dessert is stored optimally
If one ever made it back to my apartment, I will cut it up properly
93 Rue du Bac. 75007 Paris
Tuesday to Saturday 9am – 8pm, Sunday 9am – 4pm. 111 Rue de Longchamp. 75016 Paris Tuesday to Friday 10am – 8pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am – 8pm
Du Pain et des Idées – Pain des Amis
Posted by tzuyen in Paris, Patisserie on September 4, 2011
It was 6pm and there was warm bread coming out of this 2008 best bakery in Paris – Du Pain et des Idées. Warm, yeasty and nutty aromas poured out from the shop. I got a small slab of the super crusty Pain des Amis (bread of friends) and it lasted only 4 blocks away – on the way to dinner. The special part of this bread was the thick crust that is so full of flavour, no doubt contributed by long fermentation process. A special flour piled up in the corner of the store would be another clue. It was very nutty, caramel and almost toffee like smell. Each mouthful bring up more and more layers of flavours.
Egg&Co – Paris
Egg&Co. is the cure for one’s yearning for Australia’s cafe culture. In Paris, it is unbelievably hard to find a place to sit down for breakfast (without table cloth), be automatically given a bottle of water and a cup and coffee orders taken before getting the menu. Coffee came the way I am used to for a latte – balanced, not too hot and nicely textured. Yep, the guy at the coffee machine used to work in Sydney. But make no mistake, this cafe is run by the French – really friendly and enthusiastic French. The egg-focused menu delivers an omelette with fresh tarragon that is perfect. Slightly brown on the outside, soft and airy and juicy inside. I am told next time I should try their specialty, the cocotte – or what I know as ‘baked eggs’.
I haven't worked out the names on the chairs yet
The decor is cosy. Nearly all the seating is upstairs and partly loft style. The roof is low and supported by old and large wooden beams. There are 2 windows out the back which over looks some green climber plants. I don’t have a photo that does these windows justice. The owner pointed out that they had a fake chicken farm upstairs too. Such intimate space also proved popular with a couple kissing away while waiting for their coffees. This rare place is a reminder of just how lucky we are in Australia to have so many places to chose from for a place with decent coffee and breakfast. It is obvious that our habits are different to most Parisians.
I didn’t catch their names. But I figure I will be back soon.
Looks familiar?
Tarragon omelette
"Because if we had a real one, we would be shut down"
Sitting in a small lane way. I came across the place after wondering around without a map in hand. In retrospect, I have read about this place somewhere but I wasn't looking for it today.