This is not the end

I have a personal philosophy that goodbyes do not mean the end.  In fact, I try not to say "goodbye" but I prefer rather, "see ya later".  The future is uncertain and therefore we shouldn't limit ourselves to a definitive closure. And so, with this post, I say "Thank you and see you later Paris" on the basis that one day I might come back.  No promises, no timetables, no guarantees, just an open mind and an open slate onto where I go next.

As for this blog, it has been a joy to write and update it during my one month stay in Paris.  The success and the reception to which I have received to this blog was quite unexpected to say the least.  I usually write for myself if anything, but for once, I believe I had a steady and receptive audience.  I want to say thank you for your attention and time, whether you were regulars here or just dropped by here and there.  It was my earnest hope that I was able to share a little bit of Paris with you, directly or indirectly, through this blog.

People have been asking whether I will continue to post or update on food once I return to the states and to be honest, I'm not quite sure.  It has crossed my mind several times and it seems like it would be a great joy to do.  I have always been and will continue to be a food junkie.  Since this blog specifically was meant to chronicle my food expeditions in Paris, I might leave it as is and open a new blog.  But again, no promises, timetables, and guarantees.  Only time will tell, but if there is one thing I can end with, it is that this is not the end.

Merci Beaucoup!

Burgers for Breakfast

With the days left in France winding down, and more importantly, the number of meals I have to try different foods, I decided to not waste a lazy sunday but instead try something I haven't even attempted in my burger escapades back home; eat a burger for breakfast.  Well technically you could call it lunch, or brunch since I ate it at 1pm, but I consider it breakfast because it was the first thing I ate when I woke up, which was no more than 30 minutes prior.

I found PDG via google (how I find most of my places to eat if it's not by word of mouth for those who are curious) while searching for something that's open on Sundays (Since many many many many places are closed on Sundays here in Paris).  The burger joint is a small cozy shop located about a 5 minutes walk the other direction from Le Bon Marche off Sevres-Babylone.  The shop opens at noon on Sundays and by the time I got there by 12:30pm, there was already a small wait.  But since I was by myself this time, I was able to get a seat fairly quickly (note: this place isn't meant to accommodate large crowds).  I scanned the menu fairly quickly and settled on the Royal Burger which came with a fried egg, guacamole, bacon, onion, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and of course the meat patty and bun.

The burger itself was quite massive, even in American burger standards, and had all the makings of a good burger (bacon, egg, and guac, three of my top five burger ingredients, with alfalfa sprouts and sauteed onions rounding off that list).  But as I was sizing up the burger (literally) I took a quick look around and realized everybody was eating their burgers using forks and knives.  To be honest, I was quite tempted to just pick up the burger with my hands and start chowing down but as soon as I pressed the bun down onto the burger, the perfectly cooked egg popped and the gooey yolk starting dripping down the sides of the burger.  That's when I realized that if I was going to use my hands for this burger, it would've been a messy ordeal and although I have no qualms with a messy burger, I felt like the situation was not proper to be asking for mounds of napkins and while everyone else was properly cutting their burger into bite sized squares.  So I manned up picked up my fork and knife and began the rather painful process of delicately eating my monstrous burger.

Individually, the burger ingredients were delicious.  The bacon was meaty with a slight crisp, the egg was gooey and perfectly fried, and the guac was creamy.  However, something about these three together with the meat patty and bun just didn't taste right.  Like I said earlier, the Royal Burger had all the makings of what should have been an extremely delicious burger but from the first bite to the very last bite (yes I finished it all), something didn't taste right and I just couldn't put my tongue to it.

I think part of it was the severely under performing, rather tasteless bun.  The other part might have been the whole fork and knife experience.  I was thinking, and I came to an unsupported conclusion when you eat a burger with a fork and knife, the first thing that hits your tongue is the bun.  However, when you bite into a burger with your hands, the teeth usually cut straight through the bun and your tongue usually gets a full blast of flavor on what is inside the burger.  By using the fork and knife and getting bun first, I believe your mouth is saturated by the taste of the plain bun that dampens the flavors of everything else.

Or silly unscientific hypothesis aside, maybe you're just not supposed to eat a burger for breakfast.  Regardless, the Royal Burger at PDG was a learning experience with a hefty fine: 20.40 for my burger and another 4 for a large glass of Orangina.  If you just can't seem to prolong a burger craving in Paris, I would say Chez Prosper first (but their burger is seasonal so sometimes it might not be there) and then PDG as a backup.  But either way, don't be French and use your fork and knife.

PDG Rive Gauche

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5 Rue Dragon, 75006 Paris, France
Metro: St. Germain de Pres, Saint Sulpice, Mabillon, Sevres Babylone

Best of Both Worlds

I have no qualms forking over good money for good food.  But there's something all too satisfying when you're able to find good food for an excellent price.  At Creperie Josselin, eating from the 10 lunch prefix menu almost feels like a crime.  For 10, they provide their traditional jambon (ham), fromage (cheese), and oeuf (egg) crepe, an option of a simple dessert crepe or sorbet, and a boisson (drink).  And with the drink, you can get their famous cider, a glass of wine, or if you're boring (like me), a bottle of apple juice.  And while everybody around me was getting a specialty crepe off the traditional menu (which were priced more appropriately at about 6-9 for just a meal crepe), the temptation of satisfying myself on just 10 was too great an opportunity to pass up.

At first glance, the savory crepe makes you do a double take because it's not what you expect from a savory crepe.  its a thick buckwheat crepe batter that is slightly crisped and stuffed with all the savory ingredients (in this case cheese, egg, and ham).  There is no sauce glazed over the crepe nor do any fancy decorations adorn the top, but none of that is needed as simple and to the point seem to be the theme of this creperie.  And this no frills crepe was actually quite delicious.  The buckwheat crepe batter is not as smooth as a traditional batter, but provides a little more grainy taste.  It is soft at the heart of the crepe where all the ingredients are and crispy on the edges, even until the very last bite.  The combination of cheese, egg, and ham within the crepe is gooey and flavorful, but not too greasy as sometimes this combination is.  I was able to scarf down the entire crepe and not feel heavy or bloated at the end.

Which was definitely a good thing because I still had dessert coming up.  In the mood for something citrusy, I went with the lemon crepe.  The dessert crepe came on the more traditional egg based batter and was stuffed with a lemon glaze and sprinkled with sugar.  The batter itself was fluffy and could be peeled in layers, almost reminding me of an omelet where the egg is rolled in thin layers over and over.  The lemon glazing was sweet and citrusy and the sugar added some crunch.  The dessert was also light and delectable as the whole thing disappeared in no time.

The end of a good meal is usually when the smiling ends as the waiter brings the l'addition (check/bill) and the penalties of a delicious meal, but not at Creperie Josselin where great, authentic French crepes and friendly service can all be bought for a bargain 10 during lunchtime.

Creperie Josselin

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67 Rue du Montparnasse, 75014 Paris, France

Metro: Edgar Quinet, Vavin, or Montparnasse Bievenue

Making mountains out of molehills

My momma always to tell me to eat early so that my body doesn't have to work on digesting food while I'm sleeping (which apparently is a reason for weight gain and tiredness in the morning).  I guess Paris never had a momma like mine to tell them what's up.  The running theme here is to eat dinner in the wee hours of the night and go to sleep extremely full.  And so, in our further attempts to be Parisian (sorry momma), I had a dining experience at the Chez Prosper from 10pm-12:30pm.

Ok so maybe 10pm is a little late even by Parisian standards (I heard standard dinner time starts anywhere from 8:30-9:30pm) but to be fair we had to wait an hour to be seated.  And to be honest, the one hour wait plus the raving reviews from fellow classmates, TA's, and professors really put me in a defensive skepticism about the place (Over-hype scares me and I have a bad habit of downgrading expectancy in response to it).  Plus, the hype was about burgers...

And those who know me back home know I have two food passions; ramen and burgers.  I've paid my dues and have had my fair share of gourmet burgers back home in L.A. with my favorites being places like The Foundry on Melrose (which serves a giant burger with homemade sauces and seasonal vegetables on a grilled 4-pack Hawaiian roll) and The Counter (a build-it-yourself burger bar where I can make my wildest burger fantasies come true).  This all to say the Chez Prosper was building itself a mountain of expectations that only grew with my growing hunger during the wait.

And so, how did the 14.50€ Parisian Cheeseburger at Chez Prosper fair? Surprisingly well. The burger itself was simple enough: bun, meat, cheese, tomato, onion, and mayo on the side. The bun was a standard toasted sesame burger bun, nothing special that didn't enhance or detract from the burger in any manner. The tomato and onions were well...tomatoes and onions, and the mayo tasted like....well, what mayo should taste like. 

But here's where it gets good. I wasn't sure exactly what type of cheese was on the burger (and I'll probably never guess since France has a million kinds of cheeses) but whatever it was, it was delicious. Not strong and overpowering like Gouda or Bleu cheese, but not invisible in taste like American or some Provolones do in a burger. It complimented the meat perfectly. And oh the meat! The meat patty was a fine blend of ground chuck beef that broke off in crumbles when I squeezed the burger too hard yet held it's own when I delicately (or my version of delicate when I'm voraciously starved) took a bite.  It wasn't the juiciest meat patty I've eaten in a burger (those props go appropriately to Juicy Burger in Hollywood) nor the most flavorful (props to the Golden State for that category) but the meat patty at the Chez Prosper most definitely held it's own among good meat patty's.  

I don't remember too much about the fries except for the fact that I finished them (which is probably a good thing) but the burger plate at Chez Prosper, while not the most exciting burger plate of condiments and fries, excelled in the one area that mattered the most in a burger plate, the meat patty.  


And as much as I'd like the end this post here and not further bore you, I have to mention a little bit about a tiramisu that was quite frankly, the most delicious tiramisu I've ever eaten (IN MY LIFE).  It was a classic tiramisu served in a glass jar that was priced at a hefty 6.90€, but trust me on this one, this tiramisu is worth every euro cent (I made the unfortunate mistake of sharing it with a friend to cut the price in half and I was left licking my spoon and staring longingly at the empty jar afterward).

It's hard to describe perfection in words, but I feel obliged to at least give it a try.  The creme was light in both taste and texture and tasted like what you imagine clouds would taste like if you ever dreamed of eating a cloud while staring into the sky.  The cake beneath the creme was moist and flavorful, complimenting the light creme well and also came in the right proportion to the amount of creme served.  


And so amidst all the hype and delusions from waiting to eat such a late meal, Chez Prosper gets a resoundingly positive review for a great burger, a friendly waiting staff, and the most delicious tiramisu (IN THE WORLD).  Not only do I recommend going back, but I'm making a note here that I myself have to go back to try the even more hyped nutella tiramisu that was out of stock by the time I was ready to order dessert.  


Chez Prosper

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7 Avenue Trône, 75011 Paris, France
Metro: Nation

PDF Theory

I have a theory that the prevalence of Asian food (especially Japanese) is an attempt to cater to the myriads of Japanese tourists who make there way to Paris to spend a great deal of money on high fashion items that are ridiculously marked up back home (in Japan).  This theory is solely based on my observations of the countless number of Japanese restaurants that I have seen in Paris and the even more countless number of Japanese tourists I have crossed paths with in my stay here (which is creeping up on three weeks now).

And the only reason I've created this theory is to justify another blog post about eating more Japanese food (besides the already established Ramen craving that I have) in Paris.  I'll call it the "People Dictate the Food" theory, or PDF for short (not to be confused with the document file).  And so, now that I've outlined the PDF theory, I present you with a review on Hokkaido.

Initially at Hokkaido, I was almost tempted into doing something regrettably foolish and ordering something that was not ramen when ramen was present on the menu.  Past memories of Sukiya and Matsuya serving delectable bowls of gyudon almost got the best of me as I asked the waitress for a €10 gyudon.  But once I had a glass of cold water, I quickly came to my senses and desperately asked the waitress if she could forgive the unforgivable and change my order from a gyudon to a chashu ramen combo that came with 5 piece of gyoza (and cost €11).

The chashu ramen came in a shoyu (soy sauce based) broth with a topping of negi (green onions), moyashi (beansprouts), chayshu (sliced pork), and sesame seeds.  The seaweed you see in the picture was an addition from a neighbors yasai (vegetable) ramen.  The broth was light but surprisingly good.  I've been so used to a strong, salty shoyu broth that a light shoyu broth was a pleasant surprise.  The noodles were a medium thickness cut that had a decent firmness and a taste that wasn't expected well...crap for a lack of better words, which I usually describe most standard ramen noodles.  The chashu wasn't as good as the chashu at Sapporo, but that was the only aspect this bowl was inferior to as compared with Sapporo ramen in my previous post.

The gyoza was stuffed with a blend of ground pork, green onions, and clear noodles and came cooked Japanese style, with the bottom fried and the sides steamed.  They were solid but nothing extraordinary as the skin of the steamed section wasn't extremely chewy (probably effects of over frying the bottom).

Overall though, the meal of both gyoza and ramen was a pleasant surprise to my low expectations of ramen in Japan and even my initial impressions of the restaurant and it's menu that seemed to offer every specialty Japanese food available (from my experiences, you want to stick with one specialty).  If you're craving a light shoyu-broth type of Ramen in Paris (a rather specific craving that I know will only affect a minority percentage of people) then give Hokkaido a try as I can't vouch for any other place...yet.

Restaurant Hokkaido

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14 Rue Chabanais, 75002 Paris, France
Metro: Quatre-Septembre or Pyramides

Confessions

Everyone has confessions, whether small or big, outrageous or not.  Even Usher had one and he made an entire song about it (with two parts).  Mine is well, it's not that scandalous, but it's still a confession.  So you see...I have a secret addiction for making lists.  Lists in themselves are not satisfying, but the "crossing things off the list after I have successfully completed them" part is the most rewarding and satisfying part.  I could probably compile a short novel with all the lists that I've made but one of the lists that I've been secretly (or not so secretly) been keeping here in Paris is a list of foods that I still want to try.

Last night, in typical Parisian fashion, I had a pre-fix menu around 8pm.  With the recommendations and the help of some friends, I was supposed to try the restaurant Le Pot de Terre, but in arriving at their front door, we were met by a sign that said they were closed for dinner on Sundays and all of Mondays (unless you had a party of 30...).  So we ended up picking a restaurant along the same street (Rue Pot de Fer) called Le Pot de Fer "Chez Robert".  To my pleasant surprise, the pre-fix menu at Chez Robert had two items that had not been crossed off from my secret list of "Foods I still need to try in Paris" list.  The first being French Onion soup (or just onion soup since we're in France and the French part is both assumed and given) and the second being Coq au vine, or a traditional French dish of chicken marinated in wine.

And since I love great deals almost as much as crossing items off a list (I'm a religious user of Groupon, Living Social, Campus Cred, Woot, Gilt City, etc etc), I took full advantage of this two-for-one deal and ordered the onion soup au gratin for appetizer and the coq au vine for main course (dessert was a medley of sorbets).

The first thing I noticed about the onion soup when it came out was that it was gigantic for an appetizer dish.  Second was it was loaded with cheese on top (the French just can't seem to get enough of their cheese).  The broth of the soup was very mild and complimented the strong flavor of the cheese and onions quite well.  The bread quickly soaked up the soup and became sponges of added texture to alongside with the cheesy soup.  The soup ended up tasting nothing like French onion soup back home (or maybe the American attempt at French onion soup) and I enjoyed it quite thoroughly.  The mild flavor of the soup along with the large heapings of cheese and bread allowed for a warm, satisfying appetizer dish that didn't coat my tongue in salt, panting for water as I wait for the main dish.  But for those used to the heavily salted and flavored soups of French onion soup back home, you've been warned.

As for the main dish, the coq au vine, it also came with a generous portions, this time with chicken, potatoes, carrots, and zucchini.  The sauce was definitely a majority red wine, as the red wine flavor was very strong in the chicken and the vegetables, but I actually didn't mind the flavor of the sauce.  The vegetables were fine, as they tasted like how vegetables should, but the chicken itself, was a little tough and dry, especially the breast meat.  But I've come to terms with ordering chicken dishes from restaurants knowing that you can't always control the tenderness of the chicken; sometimes the chicken you eat will be dry.  Overall, the dish was average.  Even if the chicken was tender, there was nothing that really stood out about the dish, as the dish was nothing more unique than red wine on chicken.

The dessert however, was something else.  It was a small bowl of three different scoops of sorbet (lemon, raspberry, and...i'm not quite sure, maybe strawberry), and each was amazing in its own right.  The raspberry was the strongest in flavor with actual chunks of raspberry inside, the lemon was icy and refreshing, and the strawberry was very light (also with fruit chunks).  All three flavors stood their own individually, but also meshed extremely well together.  It was quite the pleasant surprise as dessert from the pre-fix was just a shoe-in without expectations to complete the pre-fix meal to which I was more anticipated towards the appetizer and main dish.

This entire pre-fix menu came out to be a very reasonable 16,90€ as I thoroughly enjoyed my sorbet medley and French onion soup and was able to try coq au vine for the first time.  In addition to the actual meal and price though, I have to add that the dining experience at Chez Robert was quite enjoyable with an extremely friendly (and English speaking) waiting staff and open air tables within the alley of Rue Pot de Fer, where many street performers stop by and play their 5 minute set of live music or entertainment before giving way to the next performer (save some spare change if you want to show your appreciation).  And it is here where I guess I must also confess that I'm a sucker for nice ambiance to compliment a nice meal.  But then again...who isn't?  


Confess in the comments below.


Le Pot de Fer "Chez Robert"

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12 Rue du Pot de Fer, 75005 Paris, France
Metor: Place Monge

When a pre-fix is no longer convenient

So Paris (and maybe the rest of France too) seems to have a thing for pre-fix (or prix fixe) menus (pre-determined or limited options three course meals for a set price).  And since I'm a man of convenience, I personally think it's a great system and opportunity to try a full three course menu from a restaurant (it's also a brilliant marketing move making you buy more food than you normally would for a "discounted" price).  But when does a pre-fix menu no longer become convenient?

The answer is when the simplicity of having a pre-fix menu is lost within the options of more than one pre-fix menu.  At the Bistro Romain, a chain restaurant across Paris, there were at least four different pre-fix menus with different options and prices throwing me into utter confusion in trying to decide what to eat for dinner.  But since not eating was not an option, I buckled down, put my thinking cap on, and made a grown up decision.  And since I had a small fiasco the other night trying to be bold with the pre-fix at the Cantine, I decided to keep things relatively conservative.

I started out with a chicken caesar salad that was actually quite delicious as caesar salad's go.  There was a healthy serving of tender chicken, the cheese was not too dominating but enough to add flavor (and came in thin slices as opposed to grated parmesan), the lettuce was fresh, and the piece of toast to compensate for croutons was still warm and equally delicious with a soft underside and toasted crunchy backside.

My main course was a veal cutlet with noodles that was pretty average.  The noodles were completely tasteless even with the red sauce on top, but at least it didn't taste bad.  The veal cutlet was a bit of a surprise as I've never had feel prepared in a cutlet style before.  With the lemon sprinkled on top of it, it almost tasted just like a pork cutlet, which is not a bad thing.  The meat itself was pretty tender albeit a tad thin, and the seasoning on the breading was mild (which seems to be the running theme in French food here).

Dessert was the ever elusive creme brulee that came in a very hearty dish which I thoroughly enjoyed because of the larger surface area for the glazed shell.  The shell was a pleasantly warm, crunchy, and sugary treat while the creme underneath was a little bit on the dense side but delicious nonetheless.

Overall, my pre-fix meal at the Bistro seemed to finally average out my streak of prior bad decisions in pairing my appetizers, main dishes, and desserts into a proper dinner.  Nothing negative stood out in any of the dishes but there was nothing extraordinary about any of the dishes either (if I had to vote though, I would rank the salad first, creme brulee second, and veal third).

As for the pricing, the pre-fix ended up being 20€90, which I would put on the expensive side for a meal of this quality.  If you're looking for average/solid no frills pre-fix meal, then grab your €20 bill, some change, and head over to the nearest Bistro Romain

Bistro Romain

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103 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 75006 Paris, France
Metro: Montparnasse - Bienvenue or Valvin