Le Fooding invades les Buttes Chaumont

I love Le Fooding, their "tribu", their events, their ideas, so, needless to say that when I received an invite from my friend Alex, their self-styled "red chief" , I was understandably excited for their combination 10th anniversary/guide launch party in my favourite park in Paris, Les Buttes Chaumont. It might possibly have been (with the exception of a famous designer's birthday party along the Canal Saint Martin some years back in a collosal loft packed with powder-nosed models) , the best party ever. So many things happened, so much was going on that I won't try to report here, that I'll give you the basics. As usual, there were lots of well known chefs doing dishes for the masses in small portions, a crowd spattered with former Fooding people, food fans, industry folk, hangers on, TV people, drunks, bobos, former wife-beating French rap stars, all consuming as much Veuve, wine, Ricard cocktails from the Experimental people, Yvon Madec oysters, and Nespresso coffee as they possibly could. Highlights included seeing all my Fooding friends, hanging with Breizh Café's Jean-Luc Corbel and Bertrand Larcher , winner of the Fooding Prix d'Honneur (and whose trophy enabled us to get many drinks without waiting in line too long ;) ). Memorable were: all the pretty girls, making fun of the Minister of Culture and Ariel Dombasle, the improv dancefloor with tunes mixed by the Baron's DJ, the Sardegna a Tavola's horse carpaccio, Fabrizio from the Caffè dei Cioppi's lemon and sage risotto with meatballs, and stumbling from one place to the other in drunken mirth.

Exclusive! Le Fooding 2009 guide!

I was lucky enough to be the first to purchase the new Le Fooding 2009 guide on sale exclusively this morning at Colette.

When I arrived, I braved a huge crowd of people waiting in front of the boutique who turned out to be there to purchase a hot new pair of trainers..... I was the only one there for the guide (which had to be asked for, and was hidden away in a storage room....)

The 218 page guide is certain to turn heads, as it is printed in exactly the same format, on the same paper, and with the same typeface as the cutting edge MONOCLE magazine.......

The selection of restaurants is very similar to the past eight years, with additions of all the restaurants you'd find on the fooding website or Figaroscope since, such as :Le 21, Guilo Guilo, La Bigarrade, Max y Jérémy, Itinéraires, Grannie, Le Cul de Poule, Supernature, NapoliParis, Urbane, Zoé Bouillon, Cha Cha, Pizza Chic, Les Parisiennes, Mama Shelter, Quedubon,La Bulle, Les Petites Sorcières, ETC, Miroir, La Table d'Eugène, Sobane, Le Floors, La Pizzetta, Coco & Co,