Da Mimmo

"A little corner of Naples in the center of Paris" is what they say - I'd heard it was an Italo-starfuck heaven (Bellucci et al) in the middle of the congested boulevard Magenta, probably one of my least favorite streets in the City of Lights. The restaurant was mostly empty except for a few families/old people/locals, and I couldn't imagine any of them ponying up 40€ for the truffles tagllione pasta, or any of the other overpriced specialities (spaghetti volgole for 25€?? or a simple tomato spaghetti for 19€...) .The starter was forgettable, a 17.50€ beef carpaccio with too much oil, lemon, and not enough parmesan, although the beef quality was relatively decent. I reckon most people come for the pizza. Perfectly cooked by an obese chef who did his rounds after the shift, kissing babies, shaking hands.... the Mimmo with pork shoulder, mozza, parmesan, egg and peppers was as good as it gets in Paris, and the rosé wine at 8€ a 50cl pitcher more than reasonable.

Sinorama

A night to remember. Undisclosed location frequented by the Hong Kong super-wealthy looking for an authentic Cantonese meal in Paris. Three billionaires. A former French PM's son, a hot yoga teacher, former Consul to Hong Kong, watch tycoon, all incognito, Grands vins delivered from Le Cinq (!). Spring rolls, fried zucchini, marinated beef, scallops, scrambled eggs with tomato, duck sausages, spiced tripe, hake, crispy skinned chicken, soft-shell crab, pork, and charming company, followed by drinks at the Murano (not my choice) and Bloody Bullshots at the Hemingway.










Sinorama
135 avenue Choisy
+33 1 44 24 27 81

A week of eating: Cefalu, Sicily

Cefalu, proclaimed as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean" by locals (more like the "Bodrum of Sicily") , made this recent week of eating and drinking an enjoyable (although caloric) marathon. This ancient town, perched along the sea under a massive rocky geography , has both in its medieval neighborhood and along the main beach some excellent restaurants at good value. Predictably, eateries make use of the great local produce as well as the natural beauty of the surroundings. Sicilian tomatoes, lemons and seafood are some of the best in the Med, and dishes such as spaghetti vongole, sardine tagliatelli, pizzas in various forms, thinly cut beefsteaks, seafood carpaccio, grilled fish of all types (especially swordfish) , shellfish, etc. are present on nearly every menu. The local wine and beers are all reasonably priced so you may slake your thirst without breaking the bank.


Terrace seating at the Osteria del Duomo (steps lead to the 1150 Arab-Norman cathedral)


Caprese salad


Fish and shellfish carpaccio (apparently the best in town)


Sardine pasta, a local specialty


Roast gambas


The view from the terrace of Al Grabbiano


Heaven in a glass

Spaghetti vongole (the best in Cefalu IMHO)

Roast swordfish (another local favourite)

The best pizza we tried in Cefalu


L'Antica Corte

...located in a charming medieval courtyard


Relatively correct pasta with ham and mushrooms

Ditto for the steak , but , hey , the 15€ three course menu was a bargain






These are the addresses we tried out- unfortunately only one, L'Osteria, figures in the Michelin guide, the one place we were the least impressed with, although their terrace is the best in town (although infested by agressive wasps.....)

Osteria del Duomo, via Seminario 3, Cefalu, +390921421838

Al Grabbiano, via Lungomare Giardina 17, Cefalu, +390921421495

L'Antica Corte, Off Corso Ruggero, Cefalu, +390921423228

Al Porticciolo, Via Carlo Ortolani di Bordonaro 66, Cefalu, +390921921981

Watt the f**k?

Worst burger in Paris- Leader Price bread rolls, processed cheese, steak haché , frozen fries and limpid, brown salad (not pictured: the "crostini": a piece of white bread, with a bit of cheese and one sad tomato)

I'm having a bad gastroweek. Just when I thought nothing could top the MINI PALAIS, I had dinner at WATT, on a little sidestreet just off of the Saint Germain des Pres. The resto has a fairly pleasant lofty style atmosphere and accompanying bobo clientelle, and the place was packed. Couldn't be all that bad could it. Yes. Everything from the tiny tapas starters (I kid you not, the chicken terryaki skewers were pure Picard) to the insipid hamburger and country style fries was right from the freezer. Industrial. As . You. Can. Get. How people can get away with this shit I have no idea. Maybe a significant portion of the French are just a stupid dining public?

Recommended , by the way, by Pudlo.

Worst tartar ever (drumroll please) and the winner is....

The MINI PALAIS!

Mini service: At 23h00 : "Vous pouvez prendre une seule chose Monsieur, la cuisine ferme"
"But it says here you're open until 1h00 am"
"Vous pouvez prendre une chose monsieur"

After our dish, she came by on several occasions to sell us dessert (that looked every bit as inspiring and inventive of the rest of the menu....

Mini taste. Tartar: Presentation: hamburgered meat shaped like doggy doo in the middle of the plate with accompanying (not bad, but hardly difficult to make either...) purée de pomme de terre. Doggy doo's a hell of a lot cheaper for a probably similar tasting substance..

MAXI .....

The terrace is magnificent, but after having heard for so long of Choukroun's verrines, attention to fresh produce etc , pretty disappointing. And the deco is n'importe quoi, but I guess it matches the rest.....

Bun and Guns - the future of fast food chains!

Maybe Paris would be a good place for an opening..., the best spot being in the recently vacated Planet Hollywood space on the Champs... No lack of Mid Easterners who'd definitely be into the concept, local hoodlums as well, and, hey, why not good old All American families?

Crème Chantilly

Located at one roundabout's removal from the Chateau de Chantilly towards Paris, this small ice cream trailer offers up just a handful of flavors with one, two or three scoops with real Chantilly cream dolloped on top (yes , this is where whipped cream is from dear readers, thanks to M. Vatel..). Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and pistachio were all great, but the melon (gasp, orgasmic sounds...) was truly wonderful..

New direction/ YouTube moment

Thanks to my own introspection and comment from anon to make my blog more personal, I think I'll be heading in this direction and stay away from the boring published reviews, etc... Experiences like my evening out with Austen the other night, a classic moment where I performed an inexcusable, shocking act in the midst of Paris' most exclusive nightspot (the times when you wished you'd brought the camera...) , will be the meat and potatoes of this newly improved and exponentially more diabolic blog. Stay tuned!

95£ Burger King Burger????

Red Bull with Taurine arrives in France (or, It's about time the French government pulled their finger out)

French Red Bull with TAURINE! on July 15th!

According to Red Bull PR: "We don't have a precise date for the arrival of Red Bull taurine on the French market, however, we know that we will stop importing Red Bull with the arginine formula at the latest mid-July."


Good news for the general public (I was still getting the real deal from my local shop, imported from Lithuania..)

I want one

now.

My contribution to Monocle's Quality of Life Survey 2008

Introspection

**Just Re-read this , it's very boring and pathetic- (but maybe someone will feel sorry for me and contract me! **


Please. Can someone explain to me why I am always skirting the edge of food writing success? I've written for the best. Condé Nast Traveler contacted me because they liked a photo on my crappy blog of the Cantine de Quentin and paid me handsomely for it. Monocle has put their trust in me (albeit in very tiny articles..). Time Out, Nota Bene, and Luxe City Guides have invested in me for my restaurant intelligence. Every inflight in the UK wants me (almost)- but the pay is so-so. Gridskipper, Life in Cities and a million websites have contracted me (at low cost most of the time) to give them fresh foody intell. The world's richest, most famous, most discerning gastronomes count on me daily. I know some of the best chefs in the world on a friendly basis. I've been voted best concierge in the world.I've been featured in the Figaro. And I'm still not getting the cream. I'm skimming the top off of it.

And why do I continue this blog- I mean, who the hell reads it anyway?

Crudus

Interesting little place recently suggested by an Italian friend who is bringing the Costes empire to Dubai , this is apparently the only restaurant Italien bio in Paris. Although it was completely empty the night we were there (literally) , an enjoyable meal was had by all. Great calamari (not normally a fan) and Jambon de Parme with melty mozza, followed by a pretty decent risotto and good tagliatelli with cepes mushrooms. Comfortable dining rooms (don't know about those see-through tables, though.)



Jambon de Parma with melty mozzarella cheese


Calamari with zucchini and balsamic reduction


Tagliatelli with cepes


Crudus
21 rue Saint Roch, 75001 Paris
+33 1 42 60 90 29

Le Hide

Already lauded with unanimous acclaim by the Parisian food press (and soon by the NYT, Condé Nast and the rest ..), Le Hide, Japanese chef Hide Kobayashi's bistro is probably the best value in Paris. Having trained with some great chefs (Robuchon, Bouchet) , Hide has retained some impressive cooking skills and put them to use in a classic French, three course menu that is a steal at 29€ (especially being located in one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in the city). The starter of fresh leeks with a vinaigrette sauce was delicate and delicious, the faux filet firm and responsive, and the cod cooked to perfection and the desserts (tarte tatin, tiramisu, ile flottante) well turned out. Despite the waitstaff of two, and kitchen staff of one (!), things ran smoothly, making this a definite comeback resto..The dining crowd included neighbours, a Japanese couple, lots of locals and a few English tourists from a hotel next door (coming back for the second night in a row)


Leeks with vinaigrette sauce and a sprinkling of Guérande salt

Faux filet steak (200g, Desnoyer)

Cod with sauce beurre blanc

Tarte tatin with bourbon vanila ice cream

Le Hide
10 rue du Général Lanrezac, 75017 Paris
+33 1 45 74 15 81

Bistro Paul Bert - GOGO review

British Midland Bistronomy

New British Midland article up...

Flavor tripping

This looks like a lot of fun- a West African berry called "miracle fruit" that chemically enhances taste , and makes things taste sweeter, turning Tabasco sauce into doughnut glaze, lemon to sugar , and beer to velvety chocolate. The active ingredient in the fruit, miraculin, apparently 'binds' the taste buds, creating the strange reaction. The fruit (scientific name: synsepalum dulcificum) may be purchased online at this website. and here The fruit has been known to westerners since the 18th century, wonder why I haven't heard of it until now... Might be time to pick up a copy of Adam Leith Gollner's book The Fruit Hunters, which has an entire chapter on the subject, and to special order some berries for a party chez moi..

Filet o' Fish global homogeny (or lack of)

I'm not a big fan of McDonald's but from time to time (drunk or starving, or both ) have been known to partake of their corporate cornucopia of processed products. One thing that fascinates me with global corporations like McD, is their painstaking recreation of all products globally , whether the meat, bread etc be locally sourced or not, the end product in China, Brazil and Russia is identical to Cowtown, USA. Yesterday I found myself in the middle of the Champagne region hungry and dropped by the local Golden Arches for a Filet o' Fish, and was given this:


No cheese, no tartar sauce, just fish and ketchup, surely some mistake!


No..... product served exactly as it should be (in France..)


The REAL DEAL


I thought that they had been mistaken in giving me a sandwich with no cheese or tartar sauce, but upon seeing the packaging, the sandwich was intended to be exactly this way. I'm confused, because although I know they adapt to local markets, this is one of their "core products" that never changes. Waiting for their press office to explain, I'm really intrigued

**VERDICT** Just received a (very serious) e-mail from McDonald's press, who inform me that I was served a "McFish" , a variation of the Filet but without the tartar and cheese, exactly as described. It was a sandwich conceived for the Happy Meal, to replace the nuggets. So it appears I was served the wrong sandwich....

Chinese resto 'tude in Belleville

Maybe it's a Chinese thing, but why is it that lately I find the Asian restaurants I frequent strangely unfriendly? Special mention to last night at Le Pacifique in Belleville (good dim sum pictured left, apparently not mass made in some bathtub in an apartment for 20 in Ivry....the rest forgettable), Lao Siam (one of my Thai regulars), where only the male waitstaff seem to be friendly, while the females routinely make faces, ignore you or pretend not to understand what you are saying, especially while bringing you the wrong order (several times over), and, probably the king of the hill, Krung Thep, who are legendary for their inflexible booking policy, fine by me, but once, when asking 6 or 7 times for the bill and being routinely ignored, I was more than a little ticked off when the waitress asked my guests and I to immediately vacate the table as the second service had begun. I told her I would have if the bill I had (repeatedly) asked for for the last thirty minutes had come.


Oh, and for all these people saying Belleville is so great (thanks! Guardian and NYT), I know it's the land of Piaf and all that, but it is still emminently skanky, full of bums and junkies and dirty. I'll take my bobo tenth any day..(but still make occasional forays for cheap Kirin at Paris Store and Tigre Qui Pleut on the rue de Belleville)