Despite, I'm still the least read and crappest food blog around...

This appeared in last saturday's Figaro, confirming my opinion that gastronomic God François Simon is indeed the most visionary critic writing in French today. I mean, even He found hope in my faithless mess of a blog.

La Bulle GOGO Review

La Bulle, 75010, Paris

In my quartier, before a few weeks ago, there wasn't much to look forward to, aside from fake nippons, bad kebabs, and greasy-spoon brasseries. All that seems to have changed, with the new bistro, La Bulle, a fresh new reincarnation of what was, a few months ago, a pretty skanky bar/café. The exposed walls have remained, but with a fresh modern remake: soft lighting, good music, a young, friendly staff, and a cuisine "pimpant". Tuna tartar with wasabi "guacamole" and homemade "papadoms", an oriental-ish chicken filet and herb salad, seabass with mango, lambchops with bordelaise sauce,mushrooms, cumin-flavoured carrots. A young chef who's done England, Spain and Italy, a 30€ menu: entrée, plat, dessert. Two weeks after opening, on the right track. Nothing too radically creative, but good food and attitude. Looking forward to what they can acomplish....

PS apologies for the crap photos, but I've yet to figure out how the settings on my new SONY work...



"Oriental" chicken salad with herbs

Tuna tartar, with avocado/wasabi cream and "poppadom"

Seabass fillets with mango

Lambchops with bordelaise sauce, mushrooms, and cumin-infused carrots


La Bulle
48 rue Louis Blanc, 75010, Paris
Telephone: +33 1 40 37 34 51

Le Floors, Restaurant Paris, GoGo review

Le Floors, Restaurant/Diner Paris

Haute burgers in the Barbès badlands. This modern/nostalgic French bobo version of an American diner is a short walk from the skanky Barbès metro, a quick trot up the rue de Clignancourt. The building is pretty impressive-looking- a former print shop, three stories of glass and white concrete at the intersection of three streets, in a gentrifying neighbourhood, at the bottom of almost-Montmartre. The service, all-female, attitude wrapped up in tight designer jeans is friendly enough, the crowd, chain-smoking yuppies with kids, gays, creative types, etc etc , the music vintage '60's soul and pop. The burgers, perhaps more interesting on the menu than in real life, come with a number of luxe/comfort extras like foie gras, truffles, San Daniel ham, bacon, satay sauce, and accompanying salads, chinese noodle (strange taste and texture), coleslaw, beetroot and raifort,etc. The (most expensive) cheesecake in the 18eme, tasty with real Philly cream cheese, but hardly worth the 9.50€ they charge (I have the feeling it's made with Philly they bought in some overpriced American grocery store in the Marais).

"Du McDo, sauce bobo" says the Figaroscope, and I'm inclined to agree.

New York Times Vélib Bull***t

Why is it that almost every time I read a US publication article on Paris, I find it rife with mistakes, lies and fabrications? Eric Rainman's (oops, Rayman) latest on the Vélib bicycle rental craze in Paris comports some important, fatal errors.

NO Vélib stations currently have the card "swipe" he claims using. What they have is a slot for credit card with smart chip only. Swipes WILL be installed soon, but haven't been yet, making this dubious ...

Vélibs were developed initially for the Parisian market not tourists...

The vast majority of American tourists will NOT be able to Vélib anytime soon...


http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/travel/14Journeys.html?ex=1350014400&en=67aa2906d6fcb413&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Does Michelin Matter in the USA?

http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/10/michelin_stars_colicchio_doesn.html

Auberge Le Quincy/Chez Bobosse

That was nice to get off of my chest...

Mon Vieil Ami (Mushroom Menu/Dégustation Cepes)

Adrien and Adrian

Hot and cold mushroom salad

Filet of Saint Pierre with Cepes

Veal sweetbreads with cepes

Tarte fine with mushrooms and melted tome cheese

Les Fables de la Fontaine in GOGO

Les Fables de la Fontaine

Chez l'Ami Jean in GoGo

Saint Adrian Day (L'Ami Jean)

I must be the only gastronome who, until yesterday, hadn't tried out that temple of bistronomy, Chez l'Ami Jean (hell, even the New York Times and Condé Nast gang found out about it...) . Although the service sucked the big one, the 32€, three-course lunch menu was good value. The marinated tuna fish, served "bleu" with figs on a bed of perfectly seasoned salad was probably the highlight of the lunch, followed by a half pigeon cooked in a casserole with clams and crawfish (although far too messy to eat, it was served with Wet-Naps!). Dessert of vanilla cream with apple liqueur jelly was good, though nothing to write home about. Stéphane Jégo came out from time to time to chat with diners, yell at his staff, or discuss the France/Argentina rugby match of the night before, but the service was VERY long, and the table next to us (habituées), waited more than an hour after ordering their mushroom fricassé to get served. "Ils sont en arrete de travail ou quoi?!", they muttered.

Special shout out goes to the most satanic restaurant toilet in Paris (pictures below).

Chez Eux

Foie gras salad with delicious homemade maigret de canard

Veal chop with mushrooms

Duck fat cooked potatoes

Paris.Rugby.Airplane.Flyover.

Atelier de Joel Robuchon

It's been a couple of years since I've visited the Atelier, one of my very favourite establishments in Paris. Everything was great, especially the cochon fermier, the unbeatable bacon, cabbage-leaf wrapped , foie-gras stuffed pigeon, stellar gazpacho, insane jabugo. And to be in the presence of Carlos (not?), Tof, Austen, and my new friend Béatrice made the evening worthwhile.