Menkicchi Ramen - considered one of the best ramens in Paris.

Menkicchi is located on Rue St Anne not far from the Opera in Paris. 

Here in this small ramen restaurant with a pop decor made in Japan made out of manga and were you sit on Kirin beer barrels at small tables you find some of the best Ramen in Paris. 

Their miso ramen with home made noodles and some gyozas with that has reached some of the most famous food guides in France as the Gault & Millau guide. The meat is deliciously made, the broth is nice and thick and the noodles have a nice homemade texture. 

The staff is multilingual, nice and accomodating so you really feel welcome here.

Be early as the line can get long in the evening, like most restaurants on the Rue St Anne with all the Japanese and Corean restaurants here does. 

Menkicchi

41 Rue Sainte Anne

75001 Paris

https://www.bigpicky.com/menkicchi

The meal on the picture will cost you 21 Euros. 

 

La Palette - A real Parisian Café in St Germain des Près, Paris

La Palette is an institution in Paris. In St Germain close to the School of Arts you find this wonderful café. When you enter and sit down to have a coffee or a light meal you are surrounded by pieces of art offered by clients long time ago. The tables and chairs have been there "forever".

People come here to have breakfasts, lunch, coffee break, apero, dinner and then a drink late at night. 

I have been coming here since I was a student in Paris in the 1980s. Now I come to sit and read a book, enjoy an evening out with friends and sometimes to just sit down and do some work when needed. 

The terrace on the small square outside is wonderful on a sunny day!

A place not to miss when in Paris. 

And it does get very crowded!

La Palette

43 rue de la Seine - 75006 PARIS

Tel : +33 1 43 26 68 15

https://www.lapalette-paris.com/

 

 

Gérard Mulot - My favorite bakery in Paris since many years!

The Gérard Mulot bakery in St Germain has been my favorite for many years. They make great cakes! Try the lemon tarts, the fruit cakes. the eclaires and now the coolest of the coolest - The kougloff!

Here you can eat in or do take out! Not to much to talk about, just make a visit!
Metro station - Odeon
2, Rue Lobineau, 75006 Paris

Bassin de l'Arsenal - The small boat harbour and park at La Bastille in Paris

Most people do not know that there is a small boat harbour right downtown in Paris at La Bastille. Here the Canal St Martin starts from the river Seine and goes up north to La Villette and further outside the city. At parts it is under the ground like here at the Bastille. So right next to the Marais, The Opera de Paris and the Bastille you can actually sit down ether at the Cafe de Grand Bleu that is seen to the right in the picture or to bring some picnic and sit down on the grass in the park or by the boats. It is really nice to do on a sunny day. On Thursdays and Sundays you can buy your picnic at the local foodmarket at the Bastille as well.  

Enjoy!

Udon Yubei - A great Japanese noodle restaurant in the "Japanese" street of Paris

Looking at the picture and you think you are in Japan but this is actually right downtown Paris next to the Opera!
This is an area were many Japanese businessmen come to do business so around the Opera is were you can find some of the best Japanese restaurants in Paris. The Rue Sainte-Anne is the street were you can find both the simple places and the very good one. It has become the Japanese street of Paris.
The Udon Yubei is a small restaurant with a sitting area around the counter on the ground floor and then you find a sitting area in the basement as well. The food is just like in Japan. The spices on the tables that you can choose from to put on you udon noodles are from Japan and not the regular simple stuff you can find at other places.
The shrimp tempura udon noodles are great and the broth is clear and not greasy at all.
The place is easy to find - just look at the restaurant with the long queue outside the door. It is worth the wait! The price for a bowl of noodles is around 16 Euros that makes it the double price of Japan!
39 Rue Sainte-Anne, 75001, Paris

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Stéphane Vandermeersch - Baker of the Year in Paris by Pudlo Guide, 2015

Each year the Gourmet Guide of Paris, Pudlo select the best baker in Paris. 2015 it was Stéphane Vandermeersch the previously worked for the great Pierre Hermé. At his small shop in the outskirts of central Paris he creates not only the best bread but fantastic pastry as well at half the price of the big and famous shops.
People travel from all over Paris to his shop to buy the new trendy thing after the macarons - The Kouglofs. You can have them both salty or sweet. They are to die for!!
The eclairs, the millefeulles and the flans are so tempting as well but do not forget the regular bread. The huge Pain Campagnard cut in pieces as you want it is his masterpiece.
Metrostation: Port Dorée,
278 Avenue Daumesnil, 75012 Paris
01-43 47 21 66
Open 7-20 Wednesday to Saturday and 7-16 on Sundays

Recharge your phone or computer at the new bus stop facilities in Paris

In Paris the are changing to new bus stops facilities and I find it amazing that you can now charge your phone or computer at all of them while waiting for the bus! What an innovation!

Bal des Pompiers - Dancing at the Fire Stations of France, 13th -14th of July every year!

Ever since 1937 the when the first party at the fire station in Montmartre, a tradition that then spread,  the people in France goes to the local fire station on the 13 or 14th of July to dance. This has now become one of the most popular ways to spend the National Day of 14th of July in France. The tradition is that the fire brigade turn the station into a nightclub with music and bar. They then work as bartenders and the money they make is for the fire stations extra money for the coming year! The party is all night long and you can find the place closest to you at the link below.
One of the most popular places in Paris is the one in the Marais at the Metro Station of St Paul, Rue de Sevigné. Be there early and be prepared for a long queue to get in. But when you do get in you can dance the night away into early morning. Everyone is welcome!
http://www.parisinfo.com/decouvrir-paris/les-grands-rendez-vous/paris-fete-le-14-juillet/bals-dans-les-casernes-de-pompiers/bals-dans-les-casernes-de-pompiers

Place des Vosges - One of the most beautiful squares of Europe!

Place des Vosges is in my opinion the most beautiful squares of Paris and one of the most beautiful in Europe.
It is located in the Marais district close to the Bastille which is also one of the closest Metro stations to get there. Saint-Paul is a bit more easy to get of at and the same distance.
This square was built in 1612 and has 36 residential houses built along the sides. It was meant to be for the Royal Family but no house was ever occupied by any of them. One of the most famous persons to live here though was Victor Hugo and you can still go to visit the house were he lived. In the summer people come her to relax on the grass and people bring their lunch or picnic in the evening. You can also visit the famous tearoom Carette or have a meal at any of the restaurants around the square.
Not to be missed when in Paris!

Picasso Museum in Paris - Now Open!

After 5 years of renovation the Picasso Museum opened it's door again in the end of 2014. When Picasso died in 1973 at the age of 92 he left 70.000 pieces of art behind him. 5.000 of these were given to the state of France ( also to pay some taxes) to make this beautiful collection. In the Marais the Hôtel Salé was arranged to show these masterpieces. Now it has been enlarged so they can show more of the collection. Unfortunately very little of the old building is left in the interior and it looks more of a modern museum that of a 350 year old Palace. However, the collection is great! I would suggest you to buy your tickets on line so you don't have to wait in the line for hours. Another great way to see the museum is to sign up for a guided tour in English or French. It cost you only 7 Euros extra and then you get 90 minutes of knowledge and no line to get in!
For more information visit
http://www.museepicassoparis.fr/en/
Hôtel Salé, 5 Rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris
For more information on Paris just write Paris in the search engine to the left.

La Chambre aux Confitures - Best shop of marmalade, honey and chocolate spreads!

When in France I can not resist to try some of their wonderful sweet things. It might be some pastry or a simple thing as a warm baguette with some of the best marmalade in the world. I wish you could see the shops they have but I did not have the camera with me today. Here you find shelves full of the combinations of flavors of marmalade  you could not imagine. The raspberry with passion fruit was a dream! Here you also find great honeys and chocolate spreads. All of them gives you the feeling when you grandmother was making fresh jam and you put the finger in it as a child and tried it a bit to warm. These ones also makes great gifts!
My favorite store is on 9, Rue Vieille du Temple in the Marais.
http://lachambreauxconfitures.com/e-shop/fr/

Café de Flore - Paris

Paris is full of wonderful cafés and after some time in this city you will find yourself coming back to the same ones over and over again. This is the luxury one with so much history. The place was opened in 1887 and has been popular ever since. It was here that Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sartre spent there time with the intellectuals from 1939 onwards and created the existentialism. This place was also earlier frequented by Picasso and Giacometti. It was also here that André Breton and Louis Aragon created the new world - Surrealism.
Today this is a pricy place to visit but well worth while. It is the place to see and be seen. It is a nice combination of locals and tourists. Today I sat next to an old man the was drawing the clients on a sketch board. That's not everyday you see that in your local café. Every year they also give the Prix Flore to the best French book of the year.
Open daily at 172 Boulevard St Germain.
Metro. St Germain de Près.

Boat trip on the Seine River in Paris - Let me suggest The Vedettes du Pont Neuf!

When your feet get to tired of walking around in Paris it is great to take a boat trip on the Seine River. There are many companies that offer this from luxury ( and not so good ) dinner cruises to huge boats like Bateaux Mouche.  I personally like this small company a lot more. The company is Vedettes du Pont Neuf and their boat tours last for 1 hour. The cost is very reasonable as well. If you buy the ticket on the spot it is 14 Euro per person but if you buy on the Internet you can get the tickets from 9 Euro for adults. The boat trip start at the famous Pont Neuf and takes you through Paris all the way to the Eiffel Tower and then back around Notre Dame. On most of the boats you can sit both inside and outside. You also have a live guide that tell you what you see in both French and English. This is much more personal then the big companies boat were everyone sits with headphones to listen to the explanations.
I personally like the evening cruise at about 21.30 so you see Paris lit up.
For more info look at this homepage.
http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/accueil/

Lucky Luciano Pizzeria - Paris

If you want to eat a really nice pizza in Paris this is a great option. The restaurant is cool, the staff is nice an friendly and the pizzas are great! Many restaurants have to many options to chose from but here they have 7-8 different pizzas but they make them all really well. Last night I had the one with aubergine and spicy sausage and it was one of the best pizzas I have had in Paris. I am sure I will be back soon.
Metro: Strasbourg Saint Denis

Great hard to find restaurant street in Paris- not to be missed!

New places constantly pop up in this city like in other world cities!
In this small street a few years ago you could only find the old and famous Brasserie Flo. Now this small alley is full of cool restaurants and cafés. It is a great hang out if you just want to have a drink, eat a superb pizza at Lucky Luciano, have great tapas at Farago or fine dining at Flo. A street not to be missed in Paris.
Metro Strasbourg Saint Denis.
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Take a break along the River Seine in Paris

Paris in beautiful any time of the year but summer is a time that surprises visitors with so much more to do then people expect. However Parisians love to just sit and hang around along the Seine during the sunny days and warm evenings. Buy a picnic at any store during early evening. Remember that there are no 7Eleven stores or similar in Paris with junkfood so you have to buy your picnic at regular stores before 20.00. Head down to any place along the Seine but around the 2 main islands of Paris Isle de la Cite and Isle St Louis is a great place to start. Here you also get the evening sunlight!
For more information about Paris just type Paris in the box up on the left side of this page.

Rue de Charonne - Pause Café, Paris

The transformation of Paris is constantly ongoing. More and more is drawn towards the 11th arrondissement away from Bastille. This is the new Marais. Here young chefs from famous restaurants open up their own restaurants with great food and good prices. Shops like Cos are moving in on Rue de Charonne so the transformation is ongoing all the time. This part of Paris has a " Parisian Brooklyn" feeling to it. The place to sit in the late afternoon is still at Pause Café in the corner or Blvd Ledru Rollin. Here the late afternoon sunshine with something to drink will turn into an early evening and you will be just on time to hit some of the restaurants around you. The cool shops can also be a distraction!

Bagelstein - Great bagels in the country of Baguettes!

The popularity of american things in France always amazes me. They take it all in and then they refine it, makes regular size portions and ad some French touch to it.
The bagels are getting hugely popular in Paris and now they have opened the great store Bagelstein on my street as well. They can be found in many locations in Paris but this one is on 15 Rue de a Roquette next to Bastille.

Mona Lisa at the Louvre

2012 about 10.000.000 people visited the Louvre Museum in Paris. 40% only visited it to see Mona Lisa. Waited in line and then left! What a pity! Here you have one of the biggest collection of classical art and you only see one painting!! Yes The Louvre is overwhelming and you can not see everything. Visit the webpage before you go and chose one or two sections that you would like to see, like the Greek or Egyptian part. Or maybe Flemish painting from the 17th century only and you will actually have a great time. Take some time and have a java at some of the cafés for some new energy!

Feiyue - Chinese sneakers in Paris

Found my favorite brand of sneakers in Paris. A French company has given rebirth to the old Chinese Brand of sneakers - Feiyue. They have been making sneakers since the 1920th. That is the model that you see right in front in white and the coolest one with a real vintage feel to it.  The shoes are around 50 Euros each.
I have only bought mine in China before but was happy to find out that the only store outside China is actually in my own neighbourhood.
Boutique Feiyue
31 rue de Charonne
75011 Paris
01-55287175