Our one night in Paris – cheese, chocolate and contemporary art
Dec 8th, 2008, 05:05 AM
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Our one night in Paris – cheese, chocolate and contemporary art
This was a flying visit, prompted by reading (2 months earlier) about the Jeff Koons exhibition at Versailles and the discovery we could get direct Easyjet flights for £62 each. We had no holidays (or money) left for this year, so just flew out on a Saturday morning and back the Sunday teatime. The flights were on time and we had no problems, except the strange set-up at Charles de Gaulle on the way back, where going through security took us straight into the gate where there were *no* facilities, except for a drinks/sweets vending machine, an hour and a half before take-off time. We would have gone out again had not queuing to get in taken about half an hour - and there was an even bigger queue by the time we got in. I remember a similar set-up when flying with BA; however in that case we ended up in a reasonably sized area covering several gates and with a bar and toilets. Anyway, a minor complaint.
Apart from a couple of times camping as a student I'd previously always stayed in the Latin Quarter which I do like. However my favourite hotel there was now out of our price range and the cheaper one I chose last time was fairly grotty, so I did some work looking at Fodorite & Tripadvisor recommendations for cheapish hotels and booked the Hotel Saint-Louis for our one night. We were very pleased with its location and the room was quite sweet � on the 4th floor, a corner room with a balcony which would have been just about big enough to sit on had it been the weather for it. We paid €140 room only, not really a bargain but that's Paris.
After checking in around 2pm on the Saturday, we basically just spent the rest of the day eating, drinking and window shopping for food. Based on recommendations here and elsewhere we went first to Le Flore en l'Ile for onion soup but were disappointed � it wasn't terrifically tasty and the cheese topping was burnt. Next was Berthillon for ice creams � DH had chestnut & rum, caramel & ginger and gianduja, while I had caramels aux beurre sales, Agenaise (prune & Armagnac ) and nougat au miel. All were very good and the salted caramel was out of this world. Although a keen consumer of ice cream in Italy I'd never really thought to have it in France before, and was very pleasantly surprised to find this compared quite well with some of the best in Italy. We just ate our tubs standing in a corner of the shop. We rounded off the afternoon (which was very cold but sunny) with hot chocolate at La Charlotte de l'Ile � we had to queue for about half an hour for a table, but it was worth it. We were then just about able to stagger back to our room for a nap.
In the evening we wandered out via my old favourite St Michel area to have a beer before eating at Le Relais de l'Entrecote on rue St Benoit. We looked in at a few bars we'd seen recommended in various books but ended up back at one we'd been to quite a few times before, La Taverne de St Germain des Pres on the bvd St Germain. (The others had all turned into hideous, trendy and crowded young people's bars
) This place has a very good selection of beers. I was quite tempted to stay and eat there when I saw the man at the next table being served lovely-looking fish soup then steak, but we eventually pressed on to Le Relais de l'Entrecote.
The last time we visited Paris we'd tried both this and the unrelated Le Relais de Venise - L'Entrecote in the 17th : we liked both, thought the latter had the edge but not enough to be worth the Metro journey. This time, although the food was nice it wasn't quite as good as we'd remembered and I don't think we'd bother going again � we'd probably have done better to stay at La Taverne. We arrived at about 9.15 and had to wait about half an hour for a table � strangely, longer than when we'd visited in the summer. We noticed that the queue had gone by about 10 so also wished we'd had an extra beer and gone then !
Afterwards we wended our way back to the hotel via checking out the Paris branch of Grom, whose ice cream we'd found fantastic in Padua in the summer. The shop is on the rue de Seine just off the bvd St Germain and was still open at 2310 - we sort of expected it would be, since ice cream shops are open late in Italy, but I don't think Paris has caught on yet as we were the only customers. We went for more 'winter-y' flavours this time (as opposed to the mainly fruity flavours we'd had in the summer) : I had zabaglione and caramello al sale and DH had Crema di Grom & gianduja. I am sad to report that while they were good, we did not enjoy them as much as we enjoyed the flavours we had in Padua. They were too sweet and creamy for my taste - daresay I say it, perhaps more like American-style ice cream ? In particular the sale in the caramello was not really discernible and it was disappointing after the fantastic Berthillon version. Since (to quote the Grom website) "the centralized production allows for compliance with strict productive standards", I assume it was just those flavours that disappointed us rather than the Paris shop. But I daresay the fact that we were in wintery Paris in late November instead of very hot Padua in July may have contributed to our lack of enjoyment.
Finally we staggered back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.
On Sunday we were up, packed & down to breakfast by 7.50 as I wanted to get to Versailles as early as possible to try to beat the crowds. Breakfast wasn't great value at € 12pp but it was the easiest option given the hour. Then walked to St Michel-Notre Dame station to get the train to Versailles � weather still very cold and now quite grey. Trains were less frequent than I'd expected, we had to wait about half an hour for the next one and it would have been worth looking up the timetable in advance.
Even though I thought I'd done lots of homework, finding our way into Versailles was quite a challenge. We were able to buy tickets straightaway with no queuing, then got whisked through the security area before realising we'd missed the left luggage office so DH would have to carry our overnight bag round with him. It then took us a while to work out where to get the audio guides from and we did have to gueue � about 10 minutes � for those. Once in, we found the state apartments disappointingly busy already (it was about 10 o'clock by now) and generally had to wait a few minutes to get a good view in each room.
The place itself confirmed my feeling that, having visited it when I was 18, there was no need to go again, and I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone. When you've seen one stately home you�ve seen them all, I think, and the paintings were mainly royal portraits of little interest. However we were there to see the Jeff Koons exhibition and we did enjoy the pieces in this setting. There was one piece in each of 16 different rooms and one in the gardens, and it was amazing how well they fitted in with the surrounding 17th century bling. For anyone going between now and when the exhibition closes (the 14th I think), make sure to get the extra leaflet listing all the works on the way in. There's also a brief bit about each on the (annoyingly slow) audioguide. Halfway round we noticed a blizzard had started outside, so on leaving the palace we didn't spend too much time looking at the piece in the gardens, but from our viewpoint there didn't seem to be much colour left. It was now about 12.30 so we decided to head back to Paris for something hot, perhaps some better onion soup. On the way out we noticed that the queue for tickets now stretched out of the building and halfway to the gates.
I quite fancied going back to La Taverne de St Germain des Pres for some of that good-looking fish soup but we decided we didn't really have time, so just looked around the St Michel area for a couple of places I'd read recommendations for. The recommended places either didn't appeal or, in one case, had evidently gone vastly upmarket since the book recommending it was printed. So with time running out fast, we settled for what looked like a reasonably nice and cosy wee bistro, Les Gourmands de Notre Dame1 on the rue des Grands Degres. There was a reasonably priced set menu but it didn't feature everything we fancied so we went a la carte : we both had (nice !) onion soup then DH had duck confit and I had a dozen snails. With half a litre of house wine this came in at a reasonable €48.90.
So in our 25 hours in Paris, I think we managed to cover most food cliché bases (excluding frogs' legs)
Then back to the airport and home.
Apart from a couple of times camping as a student I'd previously always stayed in the Latin Quarter which I do like. However my favourite hotel there was now out of our price range and the cheaper one I chose last time was fairly grotty, so I did some work looking at Fodorite & Tripadvisor recommendations for cheapish hotels and booked the Hotel Saint-Louis for our one night. We were very pleased with its location and the room was quite sweet � on the 4th floor, a corner room with a balcony which would have been just about big enough to sit on had it been the weather for it. We paid €140 room only, not really a bargain but that's Paris.
After checking in around 2pm on the Saturday, we basically just spent the rest of the day eating, drinking and window shopping for food. Based on recommendations here and elsewhere we went first to Le Flore en l'Ile for onion soup but were disappointed � it wasn't terrifically tasty and the cheese topping was burnt. Next was Berthillon for ice creams � DH had chestnut & rum, caramel & ginger and gianduja, while I had caramels aux beurre sales, Agenaise (prune & Armagnac ) and nougat au miel. All were very good and the salted caramel was out of this world. Although a keen consumer of ice cream in Italy I'd never really thought to have it in France before, and was very pleasantly surprised to find this compared quite well with some of the best in Italy. We just ate our tubs standing in a corner of the shop. We rounded off the afternoon (which was very cold but sunny) with hot chocolate at La Charlotte de l'Ile � we had to queue for about half an hour for a table, but it was worth it. We were then just about able to stagger back to our room for a nap.
In the evening we wandered out via my old favourite St Michel area to have a beer before eating at Le Relais de l'Entrecote on rue St Benoit. We looked in at a few bars we'd seen recommended in various books but ended up back at one we'd been to quite a few times before, La Taverne de St Germain des Pres on the bvd St Germain. (The others had all turned into hideous, trendy and crowded young people's bars
) This place has a very good selection of beers. I was quite tempted to stay and eat there when I saw the man at the next table being served lovely-looking fish soup then steak, but we eventually pressed on to Le Relais de l'Entrecote. The last time we visited Paris we'd tried both this and the unrelated Le Relais de Venise - L'Entrecote in the 17th : we liked both, thought the latter had the edge but not enough to be worth the Metro journey. This time, although the food was nice it wasn't quite as good as we'd remembered and I don't think we'd bother going again � we'd probably have done better to stay at La Taverne. We arrived at about 9.15 and had to wait about half an hour for a table � strangely, longer than when we'd visited in the summer. We noticed that the queue had gone by about 10 so also wished we'd had an extra beer and gone then !
Afterwards we wended our way back to the hotel via checking out the Paris branch of Grom, whose ice cream we'd found fantastic in Padua in the summer. The shop is on the rue de Seine just off the bvd St Germain and was still open at 2310 - we sort of expected it would be, since ice cream shops are open late in Italy, but I don't think Paris has caught on yet as we were the only customers. We went for more 'winter-y' flavours this time (as opposed to the mainly fruity flavours we'd had in the summer) : I had zabaglione and caramello al sale and DH had Crema di Grom & gianduja. I am sad to report that while they were good, we did not enjoy them as much as we enjoyed the flavours we had in Padua. They were too sweet and creamy for my taste - daresay I say it, perhaps more like American-style ice cream ? In particular the sale in the caramello was not really discernible and it was disappointing after the fantastic Berthillon version. Since (to quote the Grom website) "the centralized production allows for compliance with strict productive standards", I assume it was just those flavours that disappointed us rather than the Paris shop. But I daresay the fact that we were in wintery Paris in late November instead of very hot Padua in July may have contributed to our lack of enjoyment.
Finally we staggered back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.
On Sunday we were up, packed & down to breakfast by 7.50 as I wanted to get to Versailles as early as possible to try to beat the crowds. Breakfast wasn't great value at € 12pp but it was the easiest option given the hour. Then walked to St Michel-Notre Dame station to get the train to Versailles � weather still very cold and now quite grey. Trains were less frequent than I'd expected, we had to wait about half an hour for the next one and it would have been worth looking up the timetable in advance.
Even though I thought I'd done lots of homework, finding our way into Versailles was quite a challenge. We were able to buy tickets straightaway with no queuing, then got whisked through the security area before realising we'd missed the left luggage office so DH would have to carry our overnight bag round with him. It then took us a while to work out where to get the audio guides from and we did have to gueue � about 10 minutes � for those. Once in, we found the state apartments disappointingly busy already (it was about 10 o'clock by now) and generally had to wait a few minutes to get a good view in each room.
The place itself confirmed my feeling that, having visited it when I was 18, there was no need to go again, and I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone. When you've seen one stately home you�ve seen them all, I think, and the paintings were mainly royal portraits of little interest. However we were there to see the Jeff Koons exhibition and we did enjoy the pieces in this setting. There was one piece in each of 16 different rooms and one in the gardens, and it was amazing how well they fitted in with the surrounding 17th century bling. For anyone going between now and when the exhibition closes (the 14th I think), make sure to get the extra leaflet listing all the works on the way in. There's also a brief bit about each on the (annoyingly slow) audioguide. Halfway round we noticed a blizzard had started outside, so on leaving the palace we didn't spend too much time looking at the piece in the gardens, but from our viewpoint there didn't seem to be much colour left. It was now about 12.30 so we decided to head back to Paris for something hot, perhaps some better onion soup. On the way out we noticed that the queue for tickets now stretched out of the building and halfway to the gates.
I quite fancied going back to La Taverne de St Germain des Pres for some of that good-looking fish soup but we decided we didn't really have time, so just looked around the St Michel area for a couple of places I'd read recommendations for. The recommended places either didn't appeal or, in one case, had evidently gone vastly upmarket since the book recommending it was printed. So with time running out fast, we settled for what looked like a reasonably nice and cosy wee bistro, Les Gourmands de Notre Dame1 on the rue des Grands Degres. There was a reasonably priced set menu but it didn't feature everything we fancied so we went a la carte : we both had (nice !) onion soup then DH had duck confit and I had a dozen snails. With half a litre of house wine this came in at a reasonable €48.90.
So in our 25 hours in Paris, I think we managed to cover most food cliché bases (excluding frogs' legs)
Then back to the airport and home.
Dec 8th, 2008, 05:36 AM
#3
Oh, how I wish I could jet over to Paris for one night to see an exhibit and eat cheese and chocolate. It sounds lovely.
I thought of going to Versailles while I was in Paris for two weeks in November, but I was there once and had not felt any need to go back. It seemed like too much of an excursion just to see the big plastic poodles that I saw in the pictures of the exhibit. I am sure that I am missing something, but the pictures of the Jeff Koons works I saw when trying to decide just weren't singing to me.
And while I love the food in France and would rather eat it than anything else, you have some very very good fish soup in Edinburgh to go home to. Wish I had some of that here.
I thought of going to Versailles while I was in Paris for two weeks in November, but I was there once and had not felt any need to go back. It seemed like too much of an excursion just to see the big plastic poodles that I saw in the pictures of the exhibit. I am sure that I am missing something, but the pictures of the Jeff Koons works I saw when trying to decide just weren't singing to me.
And while I love the food in France and would rather eat it than anything else, you have some very very good fish soup in Edinburgh to go home to. Wish I had some of that here.
Dec 8th, 2008, 06:43 AM
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Hi Caroline!
Thanks for posting that little Hors d'Ouvre ( I bet that ain't spelled right!)Forgive?
I am I bit puzzled why you didn't go straight to the Ibis as you could have easily got a room for 69 euros or less (if booked on line 49 euros!) The one we chose was at La Defense - only a 8-10 min ride from Champs Elysees. The rooms are no more compact than any Parisian hotel situated in an old renovated building.
Thanks for posting that little Hors d'Ouvre ( I bet that ain't spelled right!)Forgive?
I am I bit puzzled why you didn't go straight to the Ibis as you could have easily got a room for 69 euros or less (if booked on line 49 euros!) The one we chose was at La Defense - only a 8-10 min ride from Champs Elysees. The rooms are no more compact than any Parisian hotel situated in an old renovated building.
Dec 8th, 2008, 06:50 AM
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I enjoyed your detailed report!
I had the same experience at Grom -- I got the salted caramello as well, which someone on another food website raved about and suggested asking them to add an extra sprinkle Himalayan salt. Blech! The salt tasted so chemically, not at all a nice contrast with the cold creaminess and the caramel flavor was not at all perceptible.
I also went to see Jeff Koons at Versailles, though I was there during the week when the crowds were thinner. It was my first visit to the chateau so I enjoyed seeing the state rooms, but agree that even Jeff Koons wouldn't make it enough of an experience to repeat soon. Actually, the highlight of the visit for me was my stroll through Marie Antoinette's petit hameau -- fascinating and so well-preserved!
I had the same experience at Grom -- I got the salted caramello as well, which someone on another food website raved about and suggested asking them to add an extra sprinkle Himalayan salt. Blech! The salt tasted so chemically, not at all a nice contrast with the cold creaminess and the caramel flavor was not at all perceptible.
I also went to see Jeff Koons at Versailles, though I was there during the week when the crowds were thinner. It was my first visit to the chateau so I enjoyed seeing the state rooms, but agree that even Jeff Koons wouldn't make it enough of an experience to repeat soon. Actually, the highlight of the visit for me was my stroll through Marie Antoinette's petit hameau -- fascinating and so well-preserved!
Dec 8th, 2008, 07:55 AM
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caroline
Thanks for the short TR. I would never go back to Versailles. It was a complete madhouse and they are so unorganized. I had a horrible experience there (it was my second time there) so I have to agree once is enough.
Loved all the food reports. MMMMMM, so wishing I was there too.
Theresa in cold Detroit.
Thanks for the short TR. I would never go back to Versailles. It was a complete madhouse and they are so unorganized. I had a horrible experience there (it was my second time there) so I have to agree once is enough.
Loved all the food reports. MMMMMM, so wishing I was there too.
Theresa in cold Detroit.
Dec 9th, 2008, 04:25 AM
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Thanks for reading and commenting, everyone. Although it was only one night, one night in Paris is better than none !
Nikki, did you have a wonderful time there, and have you posted a trip report ? If not, I hope you will. I don't think you missed much by not going to Versailles. Did you have fish soup in Edinburgh and if so where ? I may have to go there since I didn't have any in Paris ! Or get P to make some Hopefully you can get it at your holiday home ?
Tod, we have stayed in Ibis hotels elsewhere and they've been fine, but I wouldn't want to stay out at La Defense. Particularly since we were only there for one night, I wanted to be in the heart of the Paris I know and able to walk everywhere (apart from the trip out to Versailles). But maybe I should have checked to see if there were any Ibis hotels in the area I like.
petitpois, how funny you had a very similar experience at Grom ! We didn't visit anything at Versailles except the palace as I didn't think we'd have time, so bought palace-only tickets - and was glad we did when the blizzard started ! So yes, I still haven't visited the Trianons etc (didn't as a teenager either); so I did say I might go back to see the estate, although not the palace.
mamaw, sorry to hear your experience was actually horrible. I wouldn't go quite that far, although I thought it was all going to be horrible when we had to queue among a huge crowd flashing away with their cameras just to look into the chapel at the start of the visit. But the crowds weren't quite as bad further on. Quite cold here too - but in fact Paris was colder than here that weekend, which I hadn't expected !
kerouac, haven't you heard of credit cards ? In case anyone's interested, I worked it out and we spent just under £300 altogether, including flight & hotel. More than I'd hoped - but I suppose it's only the same as a meal at the restaurant opposite our flat And like I said, a one-night holiday is better than none !
Nikki, did you have a wonderful time there, and have you posted a trip report ? If not, I hope you will. I don't think you missed much by not going to Versailles. Did you have fish soup in Edinburgh and if so where ? I may have to go there since I didn't have any in Paris ! Or get P to make some
Hopefully you can get it at your holiday home ? Tod, we have stayed in Ibis hotels elsewhere and they've been fine, but I wouldn't want to stay out at La Defense. Particularly since we were only there for one night, I wanted to be in the heart of the Paris I know and able to walk everywhere (apart from the trip out to Versailles). But maybe I should have checked to see if there were any Ibis hotels in the area I like.
petitpois, how funny you had a very similar experience at Grom ! We didn't visit anything at Versailles except the palace as I didn't think we'd have time, so bought palace-only tickets - and was glad we did when the blizzard started ! So yes, I still haven't visited the Trianons etc (didn't as a teenager either); so I did say I might go back to see the estate, although not the palace.
mamaw, sorry to hear your experience was actually horrible. I wouldn't go quite that far, although I thought it was all going to be horrible when we had to queue among a huge crowd flashing away with their cameras just to look into the chapel at the start of the visit. But the crowds weren't quite as bad further on. Quite cold here too - but in fact Paris was colder than here that weekend, which I hadn't expected !
kerouac, haven't you heard of credit cards ?
In case anyone's interested, I worked it out and we spent just under £300 altogether, including flight & hotel. More than I'd hoped - but I suppose it's only the same as a meal at the restaurant opposite our flat And like I said, a one-night holiday is better than none !
Dec 9th, 2008, 08:18 AM
#10
Yes, I had a wonderful time. Trip report at:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35168836
Yes, we have good chowder at the Cape, but I preferred the Scottish variety. We had excellent ones in Edinburgh at Skippers (cullen skink, I believe) and at King's Wark (the night we went back, not the night I was there with you).
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35168836
Yes, we have good chowder at the Cape, but I preferred the Scottish variety. We had excellent ones in Edinburgh at Skippers (cullen skink, I believe) and at King's Wark (the night we went back, not the night I was there with you).
