We visited the spectacular Hermès flagship store on the rue de Sèvres, just a few steps from the iconic Hotel Lutetia, in the heart of Saint Germain.

Located in the what was once the Hotel Lutetia’s art deco swimming pool, this is the very first Hermès store on the Left Bank.

Designed architecture company RDAI, the three-floor concept store contrasts original 1930s features with Denis Montel’s imposing wooden cocoons and wooden wave furnishings, reflecting the building’s original purpose.

The front of the store is an adorable flower shop with stunning arrangements and bouquets by renowned Parisian florist Baptiste Pitou.

After a fragrant entrance to the store, there is the silk scarf counter, a book store with a specially selected collection of art, fashion and coffee table books and Le Plongeoir tea salon and restaurant.

Downstairs is the recently launched interiors collection featuring re-issued numbered furniture designs by Jean-Michel Frank.  I loved the monogrammed ‘H’ cushions and cashmere throws and the zesty lime green candle holders complete with leather tags.

The wooden cocoons showcase home furnishings, tableware, beachwear and ceramics.

There is also ready to wear for men and women, a tie counter, childrenswear, fragrances, jewellery, accessories and shoes.

The perfume counter features the full range of fragrances from the luxurious Collection Hermessence.  The sales assistant kindly offered me a beautiful Hermes orange paper pouch with two large complimentary samples of my two favourite fragrances.  I chose the light and fresh Rose Ikebana and the sweet, smoky Ambre Narguilé.  Both come in sleek glass bottles with a stitched leather top with the option of adding a leather bottle sleeve.  They also come as mini fragrances in a bespoke gift set.

Le Plongeoir, translated as the ‘diving board’ is the cool, 30-seat in-store tea salon and restaurant.  Minimally designed, Le Plongeoir is all about the small details, showcasing the exquisite Hermès cutlery and crockery that can be found in the store.

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The menu focuses on light bistro dishes, club sandwiches and salads with an extensive collection of rare and exotic teas by Le Palais des Thés.

We started with a few sharing platters of Bellota-Bellota Ibérico dry-cured ham with crisp focaccia slices.  The strong flavours complimented each other perfectly and it’s easy to see why this is regarded as the best cured ham in the world.

For my main dish, I ordered the roast duck with a carrot and citrus purée – a French classic with a twist.  The meat was juicy and expertly cooked and the carrot purée was a something different to the usual potato gratin usually served with duck.  The dish was delicious and comforting, but not too heavy.  

The pâtisserie table was too tempting to resist, so we tried a selection of cakes and macarons to share.  The dense chocolate cake was a highlight and other treats included a sticky almond cake, pistachio and honey brioche, chocolate macaron and a vanilla and mint macaron.

Of course, with cake must come tea.  I ordered a pot of Montagne Bleue – a fragrant black tea blended with honey, lavender, blueberry, strawberry and rhubarb.  It was fruity and lightly perfumed and came served in a heavy Asian-style teapot.

The Hermès Left Bank is the perfect place to see the the extensive Hermes collection in a cool, imaginative environment.  Le Plongeoir is discreet, peaceful and the polar opposite of Saint Germain’s ‘people watching’ terrace cafe hotspots such as Cafe de Flore and Les Deux Magots.  So if you’re on the Left Bank looking for a posh afternoon treat with room for your shopping bags, step inside…

Hermès, 17 Rue de Sèvres  75006 Paris

Chérie City was a guest of Hermès

All photos by Chérie City

For the tenth anniversary of the three Michelin starred Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, he has decided to go back to basics, finding the beauty in simplicity.  This may be an unexpected concept from a world renowned chef, but Alain’s new vision focuses on bringing out the flavours in natural produce and combining them to create something fresh and unique.

When I visited Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée with a group of bloggers, we were told there would be a special surprise.  We walked into the spectacular Louis XV-style dining room and were led back out the other side into the kitchen.  That evening, we were to dine at the Chef’s Table – an experience only offered for very special occasions and one that cannot be bought.

We started with an exclusive tour of the kitchen and an introduction to the menu by head chef Christophe Saintagne (a protégé of Alain Ducasse who cut his teeth at the Élysée Palace, Aux Lyonnais and Hôtel de Crillon).  The most striking thing is the large number of staff gliding around the kitchen, preparing the dishes with expert speed and precision.  One particular chef was adding the finishing touches to a dish with tweezers!

With Christophe’s assistance, we chose four dishes to create a tasting menu.  The Chef’s Table is located on the edge of the kitchen with rustic jars and photography on the shelves and a large round table.  There are also three flat screen TVs mounted on the wall, so diners with their backs to the kitchen can still watch all of the action.

Previously, Alain Ducasse designed his table centrepieces with elaborate porcelain gourdons (ornamental vegetables), but moving forward with his natural philosophy, these have been replaced with fresh vegetables and uniformly placed, slender mini baguettes.  Perhaps the baguettes merely represent the French people’s reverence to daily bread, as we were shortly offered slices of rustic rye and sourdough bread, served with two different types of butter and a trio of seasonings.

First to arrive was an amuse-bouche of smoked seabass and dry cured ham on rye toast, wrapped up in a parcel held together with a wooden peg, swiftly unpinned by our waiter.  They were deliciously light and smoky and it was a refreshing change to nibble on something simple but tasty.

For starters, we tried the Steamed langoustines served cold, caviar.  The petite mounds of langoustines topped with crème fraiche and dotted with a generous portion of caviar were extremely fresh, meaty and pleasantly sweet.  They were served with a scrumptious Asian-style lobster broth infused with lemongrass and ginger, which I could have drunk in abundance.

I’d never tried caviar, so I thought this will be the night to take the plunge (Paris always seems to make me more adventurous with food).  As expected, I didn’t enjoy the taste at all, but as a testament to its quality, my dining companions with a more tolerant palate wolfed it down.

Each course was matched with a wine chosen to compliment the flavours, ending with a tasting of potent fine rums.  My personal favourite was the Corsican dessert wine.

One of the most interesting dishes on the menu was Vegetables and Fruits (the name really gives very little away).  Lightly poached pears and apples were placed alongside partly-cooked avocado, fennel, radicchio and avocado purée topped with tiny pearls of lemon caviar that burst with an intensely sharp citrus flavour – now that’s a kind of caviar I can get on board with!  The presentation was stunning and the flavours were so fresh and unlike anything I’ve ever tasted.

Between each course, a different style of cutlery, crockery and napkins are presented, including a rather regal-looking gold set.  This is attention to detail is a vital part of Alain Ducasse’s Art of Fine Dining approach.

John Dory with artichokes and bitter herbs was a highlight of the meal, as the fish was so meaty and succulent.  Many high profile chefs tend to eschew fried onions, perhaps due to their association with provincial home cooking, but Alain Ducasse has made a feature on them in this dish.  They really complimented the robust texture of the John Dory.

Roasted poultry with morels was a simple dish done extremely well.  The chicken was juicy and succulent and came with spongy morels, soft wilted vegetables and a confit of giblets on a disc of fried bread.  The giblets had a strong offal taste, but that flavour softened when eaten with the roast chicken and the rich jus.

I was interested to try some top quality French cheese, so luckily everyone agreed on adding a cheese course.  The cheese trolley was impressive and pungent and the waiter asked which kind of cheese we prefer – mild, medium or strong.  I went for a trio of medium cows milk cheeses – one was a sweet and nutty gruyere and the other two were soft, creamy and Camembert-esque.

For dessert, we were served the minimally named Citrus.  On first impressions, I couldn’t help thinking that a citrus fruit salad was really dull, but how wrong I was!  The glass was filled with candied orange and lemon slices, kumquats, a light citrus jelly and shredded fresh mint, topped with Campari granita and some more of that delicious lemon caviar.

The Citrus dessert was so intense, interesting and refreshing and the sweetness of the candied fruit was balanced with the bitterness of the Campari and the sharp, bursting lemon caviar.

We were also offered a Rum baba as in Monte-Carlo to share as a little extra dessert.  The light, spongy cake was soaked in rum at the table and topped with bourbon vanilla cream.  It was decadent, sweet and delicious but I was glad that we’d tried something unique with Citrus.

Dessert was followed by enough after-dinner treats to count as another full course!  Our table was laden with milk and dark chocolate florentines, Chartreuse and Campari marshmallows, nut brittle wafer-thin crisps, toffees, chocolate truffles, pralines, and pâtes de fruits – oh, mon dieu!

We found room to try one of each, but the dark chocolate florentines infused with orange were particularly addictive.  We were kindly given a bag full of soft toffees to take away, which somehow made it back on the Eurostar with me.

Dining at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée was an evening full of culinary discoveries and it’s clear that his reputation is well-deserved.  Every dish perfectly reflected the Spring season and a dedication to simplicity.

The Spring Collection Menu (four dishes, cheeses and dessert) is priced at 380 Euros.  For more info and booking, visit: www.plaza-athenee-paris.com

Chérie City was a guest of Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée

All photos by Chérie City (except dining room)

Located in Pantin, on the outskirts of Paris, the Hermès atelier is a central hub of artisans, craftsmen and head office staff – the place where ideas are born and developed.  Originally above the Faubourg St Honoré store (back in the early days of 1837), there are now ten ateliers in France, each containing ten workshops.

The exterior of the building is unassuming, yet inside it’s a sparkling, minimalist hive with splashes of Hermès colour, designed by artistic director, Pierre-Alexis Dumas.  I expected more of a cluttered workshop environment, but in fact, the Hermès aesthetic is present throughout the production stages, not just a glossy finish for the customer.

We visited the Atelier Petits Sacs where smaller bags such as the Constance (my personal favourite), Illico, Birkin, Kelly and a few other designs are produced.  The room was filled with the sound of hammering and the intoxicating scent of leather.

Dotted around the spacious workshop were the personal work stations of the craftsmen and artisans, each personalised with their own photos, mementos, books, mascots and little Hermès emblems.

Apprentices train at the Hermès leather school for one year, learning to create the core designs such as the Birkin and Kelly in different leathers.  When they begin to work in the atelier, they build on their skills, making more complex bags with difficult skins such as croc and python.  At present, Hermès uses 30 different skins and 300 colours.  After ten years at Hermès, they have earned the titled of ‘artisan’.

Each craftsman sees their own bag through all stages of production and every bag bears a subtle signature mark inside.  They are each able to make three to four bags per week, depending on the complexity of the specific bag.  For example, a Birkin can take 12-14 hours to make and around 25 hours in an advanced skin such as croc.

We met a number of artisans who allowed us to watch them working on their bag.  They were welcoming and appeared pleased to show off their skills, remaining unfazed while we zoomed and clicked away.  We watched Stefan hand-stitch the brand new Kelly bag design with contrasting broguing.  He listens to music while he works to keep his concentrating.

All bags are hand-stitched to make them stronger and more durable than bags stitched by machine.  The bags are sewn by saddle-stitch using two needles and just one piece of thread, so it’s imperative to get the length right from the start.

Martine showed us how she sands down the edges of the leather with a hot tool to remove the excess glue and to get a smooth edge.  When she’s satisfied that the edges are perfect, she then adds a layer of lacquer to seal them.

There are many other stages in the production of the bags, such as nailing the hardware onto the leather and clipping it down by hand, creating a curve on certain bags and coating the leather in beeswax to make it last longer and bring out the full colour.

In addition to the key pieces, Hermès bags from previous eras are often taken out of the archive and re-edited, creating exciting new challenges for the craftsmen.  A recently revived design is the Sac a Depeche, a handsome briefcase in super smooth leather with a buckle clasp.

There is a tense moment as the hand-stitched bags are turned the right side out.  If the bags are anything less than perfect, they can’t be finished and sold, so hours of work are wasted.  However, there are no horror stories of rejected bags being destroyed, as the bags with tiny imperfections are available for Hermès staff to buy at a discounted price.

Also, Hermès has recently launched Petit H Creative Lab, a project where unfinished bags are transformed into imaginative new pieces by artists.  Located close to the atelier, the Petit H lab is a place for re-imagining the classics, not just for art’s sake, but for future innovations at Hermès.

Visiting Les Ateliers Hermès was not only a rare fashion experience but also a real education.  Coming from a family of craftsmen (my grandmother was a tailor and mother a quilter), I understand the skill and ability involved, but this was entirely another level of perfection.

Now that I’ve seen the care, time and soul that goes into Hermès bags, the pursuit of a Constance bag has become a life-long mission.

Chérie City was a guest of Hermès.

All photos by Chérie City

Surreal, irreverent and poetic, La Maison Champs Élysées is a wonderland full of surprises for discerning fashion, art and design lovers.  This is Maison Martin Margiela’s first hotel collaboration and the Belgian fashion brand has designed the public spaces and 17 rooms and suites as part of the Couture Collection.  Themes presented in Margiela’s long career are prominent in the designs for the hotel, which undoubtedly celebrates ‘the art of living’.

Just last year, this Haussmann Parisian townhouse was transformed into a fashion-led boutique hotel. A member of Design Hotels™, La Maison Champs Élysées is nestled on a quiet street, just a few steps from the Avenue Montaigne, Champs Élysées and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Built in 1866, No.8 rue Jean Goujon was originally the townhouse of the Princess of Essling and has passed through the hands of various French nobility. It was later named La Maison des Centraliens, after its former inhabitants, the alumni of the École Central des Arts et Manufactures.  In fact, the 5th and 6th floors are still used by La Maison des Centraliens.

On first impressions, La Maison Champs Élysées looks more like a contemporary art gallery than a hotel, with the welcoming staff tucked neatly inside a tinted mirror parallelepiped at the centre of the room.

The Maison Martin Margiela-designed rooms are accessed from a separate lift and we were kindly assigned a spectacular Couture Suite on the fourth floor.  Each suite is denoted by the name of a writer, rather than numbers, which may come as a surprise given Margiela’s penchant for numerically appointed clothing labels.

Our suite was like the apartment of our dreams – an irreverent mix of styles and eras.  The stripped-wood floors creaked authentically and the plain white walls were illustrated with a trompe l’oeil design, depicting the faded glamour of a palace from centuries gone by.

It features a minimalist sitting room with two Dali-esque oversized chairs and a brand new iMac, separated from the bedroom by large sliding partitions.  The bedroom is a cultural den with more art books and French classics than you could possibly read during a stay, unless you’re a literary machine like Karl Lagerfeld!  What a rare treat to be surrounded by shelves of beautiful books when away from home.

The natural, textured Vosges bed linen is pure Margiela and gives the feeling of being enveloped in one of those signature white cotton seat covers.  The bed is one of the most comfortable I’ve ever slept in and I loved the silver boxes that opened to become reading lamps.

Generous complimentary amenities include free wifi access on an iMac, free movies and a complimentary minibar on the first night.  These small but significant touches make your room feel like a home away from home, which is undoubtedly a godsend for frequent travellers.

The spacious bathroom was covered in tiny beige mosaic tiles and included a deep bathtub and a separate shower around the corner.  We had use of generously-sized verbena bathroom amenities, plenty of fluffy towels, embroidered terrycloth bathrobes and two pairs of slippers in white and black (another reference to the monochrome theme).

The separate toilet at the other end of the hallway was covered entirely in stacked magazines – a witty take on reading in the toilet, perhaps?  Another humorous touch was the eggs dotted around the suite, acting as doorstops.

At turndown, there was a plate of macarons waiting on the table as an evening snack.  That evening, the bed was our island as we watched film after film, flicked through the selection of books and enjoyed the use of the minibar.  You can even hook up a keyboard and use the internet in bed!

In the morning, we had a tour of the hotel to explore the other guest rooms and see the full extent of MMM’s creativity.  The suite designed entirely in black is impressive and boasts a cabinet full of artworks and oddities, however I did prefer our all-white suite.  The boutique rooms are peaceful and cosy, with the same great bathrooms, but they don’t have the Margiela design stamp.  For the full avant-garde experience, a Couture Room is the way to go.

However, there is a whole world of interesting design touches to discover in the public areas.  Restaurant La Table de Huit, overseen by Chef Benoît Hilaire, is bright and calming with MMM’s signature cotton covered chairs.  Hilaire’s menu focuses on a personal interpretation of French classics with a modern freshness.

Walking past the restaurant towards the lift for the boutique rooms, the silver corridor felt instantly cold and clinical, as though entering a futuristic science laboratory.  A faint buzzing noise and a large illuminated diamond installation provided an eerie sensory experience.

It was a stark contrast to the ornate gilt staircase with an imperial eagle at the foot and the reference to Maison Martin Margiela’s fashion heritage with the untouched dressmaking mannequins.

The Black Cigar Bar is a sleek, scorched wood bar designed entirely in black, representing the negative contrast to the White Lounge.  In this relaxing, club-style space, fine whiskeys and Cuban cigars are the order of the day.  To create an exclusive experience, the Black Cigar Bar is reserved for Havana-smokers only and cigarette smokers may use the terrace.

The White Lounge is the perfect place to sit and relax over tea and a pasty or an apéritif.  MMM subverts the expected proportions of the room with low suspended lightbulbs, low mirrored tables and those anonymous cotton covered chairs.  The taxidermy birds in glass cases bring a touch of irony to an otherwise sober room.

Staying at La Maison Champs Élysées is a truly unique, aesthetically rewarding experience, yet the hotel remains free from fashion snobbery.  The staff are friendly and laid-back, leaving you to experience the hotel for yourself, yet responding swiftly to any queries.  Staying true to Margiela’s work, La Maison Champs Élysées offer a sense of comfort with a surreal flourish.  It’s the hotel that keeps captures the imaginaton!

Rooms rates start from 250 Euros per night.  For more information on La Maison Champs Élysées and booking, visit: www.designhotels.com

Cherie City was a guest of Design Hotels™ and La Maison Champs Élysées.

Exterior, lobby and bathroom images courtesy of Design Hotels™.  All other images by Cherie City.

La Bague de Kenza is an Algerian pâtisserie that has become so popular that owner L’Hassen Rahmani has opened eight other stores in Paris.  We visited the patisserie on rue Saint Honoré, which also has a petite tea salon and gastronomic restaurant with live music on selected weekends.

We opted for the Prix Fixe lunch which included a main course with either a starter or a pastry with fresh mint tea for 17.50.  To start, we were brought a bowl of marinated olives and sipped on a deliciously refreshing orange blossom, lime and fresh mint sherbet.

We both ordered the Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Green Olives.  A slow-cooked, succulent chicken leg portion was served with meltingly soft pieces of potato in a rich saffron-infused stew.

The chicken had been simmering away for so long that the outside was heavily browned and the inside was tender and full of flavour – just how it should be.  The olives gave a strong flavour and added oiliness, but they didn’t overpower the dish.

We were offered a basket of warm Algerian breads to accompany the tagine – a dense, flat and slightly sweet semolina bread and a fluffy leavened bread.  The semolina bread was particularly good for mopping up the scrumptious, oily sauce and was very filling.

For dessert, we selected a pastry from the overwhelming selection at the counter and were served fresh, sweetened mint tea from a silver pot into decorative little glasses.  The presentation was beautifully authentic and the mint tea was the perfect way to finish a light lunch.

Steven chose a dessert which was a whole date covered in a shell of marzipan.  I went for an apricot and almond paste triangular pastry topped with roasted almonds.  The marzipan date was dense and rich with a solid layer of sugary marzipan while the apricot pastry was thick and full of ripe fruitiness but not overly sweet or sticky.

La Bague de Kenza also has a small boutique section where you can buy authentic ingredients to make the pastries yourself, under the guidance of its cook book, Les Douceurs de Kenza.  If you’re not convinced that your own creations will even come close, fill a take-away box with marzipan fruits, baklava, semolina cakes and many more pasties that I couldn’t even attempt to describe.

La Bague de Kenza was a wonderful find and I’ll definitely be returning for some of that magnificent tagine.  My only gripe was that it was an uncharacteristically freezing winter’s day in Paris and it wasn’t much warmer inside.  Thank goodness we had the tea to warm us up!

According to Melissa Clark in the New York Times, a new trend in Paris is to bring a box full of La Bague de Kenza delicacies for your host at a dinner party.  You can always rely on the Parisians for a pâtisserie trend, so look out for posh ‘pâtisserie orientale’ and perhaps we could tempt La Bague de Kenza over to London…

La Bague de Kenza – 136 rue Saint Honoré, Paris (and other locations).

All photos by Chérie City

I was delighted to make Le Bristol Paris my temporary home for one night and it was a rare experience to be welcomed into this dreamlike world, where anything is possible.

Opening as a hotel during the Roaring Twenties, Le Bristol Paris has played host to glamorous icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Grace Kelly, Rita Hayworth and Josephine Baker.

Named after the Count of Bristol, Le Bristol Paris was the named the first French ‘palace hotel’ and is now a member of the exclusive Leading Hotels of the World.  Le Bristol Paris is part of the five star family-owned Oetker Collection, which includes Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc and new addition, Palais Namaskar in Marrakesh.

The hotel is just a short walk from the Élysée Palace, rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré and Le Champs-Élysées and is in good company among the high end art galleries of the 8th arrondissement.

We arrived at Le Bristol Paris and were immediately welcomed by the attentive, enthusiastic staff, who knew exactly who we were.  We were greeted and checked-in by the delightful Jeremy, who told me that ‘Chérie City is already very famous here’ and that we had been upgraded to a Junior Suite.  Could there be any two better sentences to hear upon arrival at one of the most prestigious landmark hotels in the world?

As we arrived early, the finishing touches were being added to our suite, so we were invited to have a drink in the bar while we waited.  The bar was elegant and beautifully-designed with antique tapestries and master paintings, but our interest was piqued by the comings and goings of Parisian businessmen, well-heeled guests and fashion PRs hosting lunch meetings.

We both chose a signature hot chocolate, which was brought to us on a silver tray and poured into dainty china bearing Le Bristol’s double unicorn coat of arms, served with a glass of Vittel water.  In the winter, a jug of thick, Parisian hot chocolate is an absolute must and this was easily one of the best in the city.

The bar also plays host to Fashion High Teas, guests can enjoy an ‘English Tea’ with exquisite patisserie by acclaimed pastry chef, Laurent Jeannin.  Meanwhile, models pass by, wearing looks by leading fashion houses that have included Céline, Stella McCartney, Chloé, Yves Saint Laurent and many more.

Innovative, formal dining can be experienced at Epicure, the 3 Michelin star gastronomic restaurant headed up by renowned head chef, Eric Frechon.  In the summer, guests can also dine outside in the 13,000 sq.ft French-style garden, which had a light covering of snow during our visit.

Our Junior Suite was on the first floor in the new Haussmann-inspired Matignon Wing, occupying the corner of rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré and Avenue Matignon.  Classic with a modern finish, our spacious suite was designed by Madame Maja Oetker herself.  It was filled with Louis XV and Louis VXI style furniture, sumptuous heavy fabrics, mirror panelled wardrobes, original artwork and contemporary chandeliers.

The four corner windows allowed plenty of natural daylight, which complimented the light shades in the room and the French flag could be seen gently waving from the wrought iron Juliette balcony.

On the table waiting for us was a bottle of Alfred Gratien Champagne on ice, two slate dishes of handmade petit fours and chocolates and a bowl of fresh fruit.  A hand-written note welcomed us to the hotel and I received a beautiful home perfume as a memory of Le Bristol, which I now remember fondly, like Proust and his madeleines.

It would be easy to spend a lot of time relaxing and preening in the spectacular bathroom, designed entired in white Carrara marble.  It boasts a double sink with a large mirror, a deep bathtub, a shower cubicle, separate toilet and powerful heated towel rails.  The generous selection of bathroom amenities were by Anne Sémonin (one of my favourites) and Hermès and even more bottles were added at turndown. We also had use of fluffy embroidered bathrobes, slippers and plenty of large Egyptian cotton towels.

Usually our Paris trips are spent walking around the city until we almost collapse, but this time we stayed in the comfort of our room, drinking Champagne and working our way through the sweet treats.  Tomorrow would be the day for exploring and walking off the excesses.

In the afternoon, we took a dip in the relaxing rooftop pool, shaped like the inside of a boat, with a quaint maritime wall mural.  The pool area offers splendid views over the rooftops Paris and plenty of natural light.  Swimming past the French flag was an experience I’ll never forget!

For the ultimate indulgent stay, visit the sleek Spa by La Prairie, designed in neutral colours by Pierre-Yves Rochon.  The highlight of the spa is the Russian room – a heated marble table with an affusion shower, the first of its kind in Paris.  Each treatment room has access to its own private terrace for relaxing in the fresh air and sipping tea or having a quick snack.  The spa uses products by niche luxury brands such as The Organic Pharmacy, Russie Blanc, Maison de l’Argan, Les Thermes Marins de Saint-Malo and By Terry.

That evening, we dined in 114 Faubourg, Le Bristol’s casual restaurant in the Matignon Wing, overseen by Eric Desbordes.  Mentored by Epicure’s Eric Frechon, Desbordes may be a young chef at just 30 years-old, but he has secured a strong reputation in Paris and the staff at Le Bristol spoke about how proud they are to have such a talent at the helm.  But more about our magnificent meal at 114 Faubourg later…

If it’s too cold to wander the streets of Paris at night, or like us, you’re too full after an indulgent dinner to go dancing at Le Montana, you can play ‘spot the hotel’ with a special complimentary movie – Woody Allen’s Midnight In Paris.

The whimsical film based on the revivial of luminaries from the Jazz Age, was shot in the Paris Suite and stars Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, with a cameo role from the First Lady of France, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

But our stay would have been incomplete, without meeting Le Bristol’s majestic ‘empurrer’.  Fa-Raon is hotel’s fluffy Birman cat, the playmate of the children and guests at Le Bristol.  An unapologetically pampered and polished cat, Fa-Raon plays in the lobby and has free reign of the garden, although we believe his favourite spot could be perched on the information desk, accepting the attention of the doting staff and guests.

Fa-Raon’s official home, however, is in the children’s room, Les Amis d’Hippolyte, named after the hotel’s mascot, a white garden rabbit.  Children staying at Le Bristol can play games and even use the Nintendo Wii in their own games room or take part in a treasure hunt around the hotel.  Other sweet touches include rabbit-shaped cookies strawberry water in the room, a welcome card written by Hippolyte, tiny bathrobes and slippers and Hippolyte-themed bed linen.  They are even sent a birthday card from Hippolyte as a memory of their stay at Le Bristol Paris.

Our stay at Le Bristol Paris was truly magical and went beyond any possible expectations.  The exquisite design, refined atmosphere and prestigious location charmed us, but it was the warm, caring staff that made the hotel come to life.  They went beyond the usual politeness and engaged in conversation, speaking openly about what they loved about the hotel.  This human approach is what gives the hotel its unrivalled reputation as one of the best hotels in the world.

Le Bristol Paris, if you are ever looking for a ‘writer in residence’ to chronicle the adventures of Fa-Raon, I’m your girl!

Superior rooms are priced at 850 Euros per night and a Junior Suite is 1250 Euros.  For more information and booking, visit: www.lebristolparis.com

Chérie City was a guest of Le Bristol Paris

Photos by Chérie City and Le Bristol Paris

Founded in 1903 by Austrian confectioner Antoine Rumpelmeyer, Angelina was furnished by belle epoque designer Edouard-Jean Niermans and occupies a prime spot just opposite the Tuileries.

Originally a haunt of Coco Chanel, Marcel Proust and later Audrey Hepburn and Catherine Deneuve, Angelina continues to charm Parisians and visitors today with their signature African Hot Chocolate and famous Mont Blanc cake.

We visited late in the day, not knowing that Angelina closes at 7pm, but even though time was ticking, we still couldn’t resist having late-afternoon tea.

The problem with arriving late is that the usually bounteous pastry counter was looking a bit sparse, but we managed to bag the last two eclairs of the day – one Éclair Chocolat (€7) and one Éclair Toute Vanille (€7.50).

Perhaps it was chocolate overload, but we just had to try Angelina’s much-loved Chocolat Chaud a l’ancienne dit ‘L’Africain’ (€7.90) and Chocolat Chaud au Chocolat Blanc (€7.90).

The African hot chocolate, made with cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast, was rich, slightly spicy and full-bodied.  By contrast, the white hot chocolate was super sweet, creamy, smooth and just heavenly.  Each hot chocolate was served in a china jug with a small pot of whipped cream and a glass of iced water.  I recommend ordering one of each and sharing, starting with the white hot chocolate, as there is enough for two cups.

The éclairs were incredibly indulgent and the best I’ve ever tasted.  The choux pastry was fresh, not at all dry, filled with thick, rich chocolate crème pâtisserie and topped with a crisp layer of dark chocolate.

The vanilla éclair was filled with fragrant vanilla-infused creme patisserie and topped with a layer of white chocolate containing crunchy little vanilla pod seeds.

Angelina is full of old-world character with faded wall murals, white wood panelling and marble-topped tables.  Service is warm and friendly but to the point, and there was a bit of informal bum slapping among the staff, so they don’t take themselves too seriously.

Our waitress didn’t appear to speak English, or at least she didn’t shoot down my efforts with responses in English, so this is the perfect place to come and practice your French.

Angelina also has a large white marble counter where you can buy cakes, macarons and hot drinks to take out.  There is also a little boutique, so you can pick up gifts including tea, coffee, chocolate and jams, all with the pretty Angelina packaging.

Angelina isn’t quite as palatial and frivolous as Ladurée, but it has a certain charm and that white chocolate must be tried at least once in life!

Angelina, 226 rue de Rivoli, 75001, Paris.  Open daily from 8am-7pm.

Paris is full of affordable Asian traiteurs and some great authentic Japanese restaurants around rue Sainte-Anne, but Gyoza Bar feels like a more of a secret, stylish affair – a hipster gyoza joint, you might say.

Gyoza Bar is tucked away in the charming, old-world arcade, Passage des Panorames, just a short walk easterly along Boulevard Haussmann from Galleries Lafayette and the Opera Garnier.

Built in 1799, Passage des Panorames is a real emblem of old Paris, and while it’s not quite as spectacular as Gallerie Vivienne or Véro-Dodat, it certainly has character.

Gyoza Bar is the second offering from Guillaume Guedj and Shinichi Sato, owners of the two Michelin star Passage 53, just a few doors down.  It’s a petite bar with a counter to seat fifteen and an open kitchen where you can watch the gyozas sizzle in the grill pans.

The interior is sleek and minimal with grey slate tile walls, natural wood floors and a pale wood bar.  As it’s communal dining, the atmosphere feels intimate and social, although this can depend on who you have sitting next to you.

There are basically three items on the menu (at the moment) – gyoza served in portions of eight (€6) or twelve (€8) per person, sesame marinated beansprouts (€1.50 or complimentary with gyoza) and steamed ponzu rice (€2).

We ordered eight gyoza each and in less than ten minutes they were served to us piping hot on long platters with a deliciously sharp, citrusy ponzu dipping sauce.

The gyoza were filled with ground pork loin sourced from esteemed Paris butcher Hugo Desnoyer, mixed with yuzu, garlic and ginger and encased in ravioli shells.  The special grill pan cooked them steamed on one side and grilled underneath – a delicious combination of crispy and soft.

The meat was high quality, succulent and subtly seasoned.  Sometimes gyoza can have a slightly mushy texture, but these ones were plump and full of meat.

Being used to the diminutive London-size portions of three or four gyoza as a side dish, I thought I might lose interest before reaching the 8th, but by the end, I could have happily worked my way through a few more!

Another surprise was just how delicious the marinated beansprouts were.  Far from being just stir fry filler, these ones were silky, nutty and fresh – well worth ordering!

The best thing about the Gyoza Bar is that you don’t stung on the drinks.  Paris, I love you, but why are your drinks always over-priced?!  We ordered a coca cola and a chilled Oolong tea, both at a reasonable €2.50, but you can also try a Yebisu and Kirin beer (€3-€4) or chilled green tea (no hot drinks as yet).

Gyoza Bar is a perfect for a quick after-work beer and snack, or having a gyoza party with a small group of friends.  In fact, it’s worth trekking across the whole of Paris for, just before the Eurostar home, which is exactly what we did and would do again and again…

Gyoza Bar, 56 Passage des Panoramas, 75002 Paris, open 18h-23h

All photos by Chérie City

But that didn’t stop me from picking up a few little romantic gifts for myself.  What can I say, I can’t resist a cute Valentine’s display…

Large Pink Praline Brioche, €5, Eric Kayser

My Little Paris, €14.95, Librairie Delamain

Monin Rose Syrup, €4.50, Galleries Lafayette

Plenty more memorable treats were had in Paris, but these are the ones that made it home on the Eurostar!

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