Le Gramont, Paris / Poilane Bread

Visited in September 2012.

Chicken and Cheese-topped Poilane bread

Croque madame for the madame. :)

Parisians are serious about their breads and baguettes. While researching on their breads prior to my trip, I came across 'Poilane bread' one too many times that I just had to find out what it is. Pronounced pwa-lahn, it is the produce of a Lionel Poilane and is world-famous to say the least, being exported to the shores of Singapore and the USA (and costing a bomb, of course). 

The Poilane certainly lived up to its reputation. The sourdough I had was of a unique texture, well-aerated yet with the slightest hint of elasticity, and a touch of saltiness. Upon more research it turns out that sea salt is listed as one of the ingredients in the Poilane sourdough, along with other good quality ingredients. Best of all, the Poilane is produced in a wood-fired oven, thus explaining the rather solid (but crisp) crust with an earthy aftertaste.

I had my Poilane at the Le Gramont restaurant, which I found to serve excellent breakfasts alongside the mains that have been much-raved about. The topping on my Poilane was chicken, made deliciously creamy by the melted cheese on top of it. 

The croque madame is a French classic - a must try on any tourist's bucketlist definitely. A ham and cheese sandwich, grilled with more cheese on top and served with a sunny-side up. A breakfast I wouldn't mind having again and again!

Writing about this at midnight now is making me very hungry...

 Le Gramont
15 Boulevard Des Italiens,
75002 Paris, France
Tel: 01 42 97 58 50

Restaurant Mariette, Paris

Restaurant Mariette is one of the many restaurants on tripadvisor that comes highly recommended.

At the price of about 45 euros/person, I came with expectations adjusted accordingly.

So I had my best escargot in Paris here. I loved the novelty of the concept - an escargot encased in a  ravioli. Served in spinach creme, this was escargots at its most natural... element. 

Just kidding. 

Jokes aside, it tasted pretty good. Ravioli shells were of a consistent thickness, spinach creme was tasty. Amazing how the thin ravioli shells did not break under the weight of one whole escargot.

However, I wasn't particularly impressed with the entree which was a pan-seared mullet served atop artichokes. The fish was not served de-boned and it was a real inconvenience to eat. Nothing about the taste was spectacular enough for me to put that fact aside either. My food companion's salmon fillet entree was a better shot at giving customers their money's worth.

Restaurant Mariette's take of a mille-feuille was interesting, with three choux-like puff pastry piled on top of each other, served with ice cream on the side. 

Unfortunately, I was less than impressed to find the ice cream served half-melted, forming a puddle on my plate which I found so unsightly that I could not bring myself to photograph it with the mille-feuille.

I appreciate that the chef came out of the kitchen to make conversation with his guests; the small size of the restaurant combined with the yellow lighting also created a cosy atmosphere. However, such points are secondary. As collaterals to the food, which should have been the main star of the experience, I find that they should not have been at the expense of attention to detail in the food served.

Restaurant Mariette
24 Rue Bosquet
75007 Paris

le Relais de I'Entrecote, Paris

I was served this. 

X 2

I wasn't expecting that my entree would be served in 2 portions - I had found that the first round filled me up quite nicely. Nonetheless, the surprise 2nd round was much welcomed, because the highly acclaimed special sauce did work its magic and had left me yearning for more.

le Relais de l'Entrecote 

Serving the entree in two portions also ensured that the food was kept warm and the steak, moist.

No effect whatsoever done to the picture above. 

Just look at how the meat glistens, and the layered-ness of its texture.

Imagine piercing your fork through it, and you using the knife for assistance in slicing through it but the meat separates ever so obediently at your desire. 

Bring it to your mouth and the explosion of flavours coming from the steak juices and the savoury gravy combined is just mmm..

mind-blowing.

le Relais de l'Entrecote 

20 rue Saint-Benoit

+33 145 49 1600

Cafe Pouchkine, Paris

Special mention goes to the mille-feuille, which layers of puff pastry had been made thin yet remained beautifully crisp. 

Skilful works of art.

Cafe Pouchkine

64 Boulevard Haussmann 

75008 Paris, France

Breizh Cafe

Creperie Josselin, Paris

This is one of the much talked about creperies in Paris, Creperie Josselin. Did it live up to its reputation?

I ordered the set lunch, which offered the very decent deal of 10 euros for a savoury crepe, a dessert crepe and a drink.

crepe au jambon et fromage/ crepe with ham and cheese

crepe au caramel au beurre/ crepe with toffee

 (I was in luck and got to try two dessert crepes as my lunch partner had ordered something different.)

crepe compote de pommes / crepe with apple compote

I liked the savoury crepe; although the presentation left much to be desired, the combination of cheese and ham went well with the buckwheat-based crepe that had a slightly crisp finish.

The dessert crepes were good; but I found it better when I combined the apple compote with the toffee sauce. On their own, they were somewhat lacking in the oomph factor.

I might have been spoilt rotten by my experience at Breizh Cafe, also a very, very popular creperie in Paris, and also where I had the ultimate gastronomic experience of a dessert crepe thus far. (blog post on that to come)

Nonetheless, I must give credit to Creperie Josselin for offering this very good deal of quality crepes at affordable prices in expensive Paris.

La Creperie de Josselin

67 rue du Montparnasse

Paris, France
01 43 20 93 50

Les Cocottes, Paris

Les Cocottes is a gem of a find in food capital Paris, where restos are aplenty, many trying to ride on the wave of popularity that Michelin-starred restaurants have brought to the city, but yet fall short somehow.

Les Cocottes is unpretentious. It is to the point. It serves quality without the fuss.

Presented in full honesty of its glory, each savoury course is presented in a little dish called a "cocotte".

vegetable tartare served with hard boiled egg and seafood of squid and crabmeat

The vegetable tartare was sweet and tangy, and I found the firmness of the seafood to complement the finely chopped vegetables well. The hard boiled egg - a nice touch, but the creative culinaire in me (I'ld like to think) can't help but wonder, would the dish have turned out even better if the egg yolk had been kept runny?

pan-fried duck breast with sauteed potatoes

This was the main course and it was amazing.

meat moist beyond our expectations

Cooking duck breast to perfection is not an easy skill to master; a second too long the meat turns tough and chewy. I liked how le chef had browned the duck skin so beautifully perfect, and had kept the meat soft and moist. The potatoes were very tasty too, unsurprising if they had been basked in the duck fat throughout the cooking process. Not the healthiest of dishes, but well worth it when you get a tasty meal like this.

waffle with chantilly and salted caramel

If the Eiffel tower is listed on your Paris travel itinerary, you might want to plan the visit to Les Cocottes on the same day, as they are not far from each other. Otherwise, just visit Les Cocottes anyway! 

chocolate tart

There is no need to dress up for the occasion as the restaurant maintains a casual atmosphere. It serves classic french food as it is, without the usual fanfare, hence the very reasonable prices by Parisian standards. Come expecting to dine with others at a communal bar counter, and to feel a bit of the rush of dinner service. Unlike most other restaurants in Paris, Les Cocottes does not take reservations. (Tip: Come early!)

Les Cocottes

125 rue St. Dominique,

75007 Paris

Tel: - reservations not accepted -