Eastern Paris | cheriecity.co.uk

Punk Rock Pizza at Pink Flamingo – Paris

December 29, 2010 by cheriecity

Parisians love a good food revolution (just see the neo-bistro revolution at Le Fooding) and Pink Flamingo have certainly revolutionised the humble pizza!

Jamie Young and Marie Ravel opened a tiny pizza parlour just off the Canal Saint-Martin and since Pink Flamingo has brought gourmet oddball pizza to Paris’ hip neighbourhoods – the Marais, Aligre, Montmartre and downtown Berlin.

In the summer, you can try out the Pink Flamingo ‘pink-nik’. Just order your pizza at the counter, take a pink balloon and find a spot on the canal, then they’ll bring it over on a bicycle.

But what’s so unusual about the pizza? Rather than the tired old ‘Cappriciosa’ and ‘Quatre-Saisons’, Pink Flamingo pizzas are named presumably in homage of the owners’ favourite folk.

There’s ‘La Bjork’ with smoked salmon and crème fraiche, a paella pizza hybrid named ‘L’Almodovar’ and the pizza of the moment, the ‘Obama’ topped with grilled bacon and pineapple chutney.

We visited the original rue Bichat joint, just a block from the Canal Saint-Martin and conveniently, Le Citizen Hotel, where we were staying. After ordering two pizza at the take-out counter, we went back out into the restaurant, armed with cutlery and a pizza cutter – god help any potential muggers outside Pink Flamingo!

With checkered table cloths and neon pink lighting and lack of central heating, Pink Flamingo feels like an underground bunker diner, where munching on oddball pizza feels slightly illicit.

Staff are friendly and laid-back and our conversation was a schizophrenic mix of French and English words – the easiest way to get by in Paris. They were dressed for the winter chill with woolly jumpers and bobble hats, as it seems their chosen method of delivery is by bicycle.

Everything is chilled out and simple at Pink Flamingo and you’re left to chat and eat your pizzas in peace while the pizza chefs dash around next door.

I noticed that Pink Flamingo also offer their own beer with the Pink Flamingo logo, which would make a pretty cool souvenir. Also spotted was the super cool spray can ‘fire extinguisher’, only to be used by graffiti artists!

Our pizzas arrived quickly and we ordered La Che (14,5 Euros) and La Macias (15,5 Euros), then split the two.

‘La Che’ is topped with Cuban pork (marinated in garlic, lime, coriander and spring onion for 24 hours) and banana plantain chips. The pork was juicy and succulent and the banana plantain chips were more roasted than deep fried and added a lovely sweet flavour to the pizza.

‘La Macias’ was my favourite, covered in tagine-style marinated chicken and preserved lemon, finished off with green and violet olives. It worked surprisingly well with regular mozzarella and tomato sauce and the base was thin and crispy – made using organic dough.

Both pizzas were subtly flavoured, generously adorned with toppings and quite not as wacky as they sound.

Pink Flamingo is perfect for grabbing a quick pizza with friends and I’ve already picked my spot next to the canal for my summer ‘pink-nik’.

Pink Flamingo, 67 rue Bichat, Canal St-Martin, 75010 Paris.

Hotels - Design, Paris

A Great Stay at Le Citizen Hotel Paris

December 22, 2010 by cheriecity

I’ve stayed in most Paris neighbourhoods on the numerous trips to my spiritual home, but the Canal Saint-Martin has long been neglected due to the lack of hotels in the 10th… that is, until the arrival of Le Citizen Hotel.

The Canal Saint-Martin is known as the bobo heart of Paris and was the whimsical location in Amélie where she skims stones across the water and as a little girl, frees ‘le Cachalot’, her suicidal goldfish.

Location

Le Citizen Hotel is a stylish, minimalist-luxe new abode on the Quai de Jemmapes, right at the centre of the ‘canal scène‘. As the name suggests, it takes a functional, democratic approach to travel and is affordable with luxury touches.

The hotel is discreet and unmarked, accessed by pressing the buzzer on the door. Once inside, it is warm, intimate and calming, with a canteen-style lounge filled with art and design books.

The Suite

We stayed the Zen Suite on the top floor – a bright, airy open-plan room in soft muted colours with pale wood features, dark wood floors and some interesting design touches.

The most telling mark of an exceptional hotel is the bed, and our double bed was cloudlike, with sumptuous linen and simply divine. A testament to the bed’s superiority was that on arrival, we fell asleep for a good three hours (also helped by a 5.30am Eurostar train).

Add to that a flat screen 26″ TV mounted on the wall, a selection of hand picked art and design books and you’ll find it hard to actually leave your bed!

I fell in love with the landscape of structured wool cushions that made up a graduated sitting area next to the window, framing an enviable view of the Canal Saint-Martin.

I’ve made a mental note add such seating arrangements to my future ‘dream apartment’, which currently looks like a melange of my favourite hotel rooms.

The Bathroom

The blue-tiled bathroom was perfectly sized and came with plenty fluffy towels, soft bathrobes and spa toiletries by Omnisense Paris, mounted on the shower wall.

The water pressure in the shower was just right and another cool design touch was the flat disc shower head.

All the toiletries we could possibly need for our stay were presented on a slate and my favourite thing was the bottle of Omnisense Paris body oil, which had a warm vanilla scent.

A fun feature was the magic tablets, which grew into a disposable face cloth when dampened – very Japanese and fitting the to ‘zen’ outlook.

We were given an iPad to use during our stay, although we could also get complimentary WIFI access on my laptop with a log-in code.

Le Citizen have really thought about how to use the iPads as a self-concierge service and have added homepage shortcuts to information about the breakfast, minibar and hotel facility information.

To help us visitors get the best out of our stay in Paris, they have loaded the iPads with apps from ‘in the know’ travel sites, including French food bible, Le Fooding.

The mini bar and cupboard were filled with a combination of delicious healthy or indulgent snacks at a reasonable price.

The only aspect that could be improved was that housekeeping was slightly relaxed and there was no coffee or filtered water that is usually offered. As the hotel is so new, this will no doubt be brought up to speed and I’m sure the friendly staff would have obliged with replacements had we requested.

Breakfast

In the morning, Le Citizen offers a Cafe-Croissant for 5 Euros or a full continental breakfast for 12 Euros, a selection of Japanese tea and cake in the afternoon and a choice of fresh bento boxes throughout the day.

Le Citizen Hotel has been thought out to the last detail to suit the luxury budget traveller and the Zen Suite offers more value than the average Paris hotel room at the same price.

The location is perfect for experiencing the charm of the Canal Saint-Martin and the buzzing bars and restaurants of the 10th arrondissement. By the end of your stay, you’ll feel like you belong in this small neighbourhood and you’ll never want to leave…

Double rooms start from 169 Euros and the Zen Suite is priced at 249 Euros per night.

Le Citizen Hotel, 96 Quai de Jemmapes, 75010 Paris.

Must Eats in the 10e: Hotel du Nord, La Fidélité, Pink Flamingo Pizza, La Tête dans les Olives.

* Cherie City received press rates for Le Citizen Hotel.

France, Paris, Restaurants

A Wonderful Dinner at La Fidélité, Paris

December 14, 2009 by cheriecity

It takes a special kind of restaurant to lure models to the Rue Saint-Denis area of eastern Paris to munch on bloodied steak and chocolate fondant. Colette’s Fashion Week dinner for Alexander Wang at La Fidélité was well-documented in the blogosphere, with Purple’s Olivier Zahm, Natasha Poly, Dasha Zhukova, Lou Doillon, Lara Stone and Milla Jovovich in attendance.

La Fidélité is on the wrong side of the tracks from the bobo Canal Saint-Martin, but then again, the restaurant belongs to André and Lionel (of La Clique and Le Baron), so it must be worth a try, right?

la-fidelite-table

Given that it’s La Fidélité’s first birthday this month and everyone is going out before Christmas, I thought that it would be almost impossible to get a table, but Coralie rang ahead and booked us in without any problems.

We arrived at 8pm and as usual, we stayed chatting and drinking wine until closing time at midnight! La Fidélité has a traditional, unpretentious brasserie atmosphere and it feels sociable but more private than other restaurants, with the tables set quite far apart and cosy booths. The waiters were laid-back and friendly and didn’t try and hurry us up to free the table.

la-fidelite

La Fidélité was most recently a brasserie called Les Zingot, before the take-over, so it attracts a mixed crowd of local regulars, in-the-know couples and groups of young, trendy friends. At the end of the night, we saw a model and her boyfriend dancing around the bar to tradition French chansons, so its reputation is totally undeserved.

There is just enough choice on the menu and there were a number of different wines to go with whatever you order. We chose a bottle of Brouilly (€30), and though it was on the pricey side, it was light, fruity and dangerously easy to drink. Our waiter also brought a full basket of fresh rustic bread.

la-fidelite-booth

The food is mostly good old traditional brasserie fare, but I was more than happy to have steak with béarnaise sauce and grilled potatoes (€22) – Steven had the same.

When our meal came, the steak was enormous, juicy and cooked to perfection. The béarnaise sauce had a hint of tarragon and was so delicious, I couldn’t help slathering it all over my steak and potatoes and bread. It also came on a bed of green salad with French dressing and the grilled potatoes were tasty but could have been a bit more fresh out of the oven.

la-fidelite-steak

Coralie went for a veal cutlet with a ragout of potatoes (€20) cooked pink. Her potatoes came bubbling hot in a mini Le Creuset pot and the veal was, by her account, just right.

la-fidelite-veal

Even though Steven and I ate cake at almost every meal in Paris, we all couldn’t resist ordering a dessert each, well it was holiday time after all. Coralie went for the brioche pain perdu with a caramel sauce (€8.50), which tasted incredible! The brioche was moist and infused with a light custard and had a caramelised, crunchy top.

la-fidelite-pain-perdu

After watching Master Chef: The Professionals, I discovered just how hard it is to make a chocolate fondant, so we thought we’d test the chef’s skills. The fondant had just the right level of gooiness and the molten chocolate sauce came oozing out straight away.

la-fidelite-fondant

La Fidélité is now one of my favourite restaurants in Paris and I hope to keep revisiting whenever I’m in town. It really does have everything – great food, a informal but buzzy atmosphere and friendly, genuine service. Bravo André and Lionel, my next stop will be dinner at Hotel Amour!

France, Hotels, Hotels - Budget, Hotels - Design, Paris

Boutique Budget Hotel at the Bastille

November 6, 2009 by cheriecity

Christmas time in London is always magical, with ice skating at Somerset House, German markets in Hyde Park and Covent Garden’s piazza all lit up, but after what feels like a lifetime since the last summer beach holiday, I’m just dying to get away for a few days.

Next month I’m going to Paris (my ‘third home’) for a few nights and now is the time when I obsessively search for the prettiest hotels in the area I want to stay in and then trawl the net for the best deals. For most people may sound like a pain worse than death, not a secret indulgence, so if you’re planning a winter city break, I’ve done some of the leg work and picked out one of the best affordable boutique hotels in Paris.

A while ago, I went to Paris with my mum and as we planned a night at the Opéra Bastille and particularly love the Marais, we booked to stay three nights the affordable design hotel Le Quartier Bastille Le Faubourg in the 12e arondissement.

le quartier reception

The hotel is sleek and contemporary with retro features like curved leather seats, fringing and glass orbs in the reception/lounge. When you arrive, you’re hit with the kind of seductive, wood and musk aroma that you’d expect from Hôtel Costes.

Neutral tones with bold statement colours are the order for the bedrooms and they have cool design touches like perspex chairs, a flatscreen TV and a very touchable fibre optic light feature. The beds are so comfortable that you just can’t wait to curl up in the crisp, cotton linen and catch some zzzs after a long day walking in the city. They also place delicious Granny Smith apples on your pillows each morning to help you get your five a day amid the steak and fromage overload.

le quartier hotel

The best feature of the hotel is its beautiful outside terrace with wooden decking and red tables, beautiful plants and flowers and gardening can watering features. Paris is full of secret courtyards and Paris fashionistas flock to them for brunch or drink with a bit of secluded people-watching.

le quartier hotel

We didn’t have breakfast at the hotel, but we found an adorable bakery on the Rue du Faubourg St-Antoine where you could sit and have a café crème and pastries.

Le Quartier are a small hotel group that used to own a property near République and now also run Le Quartier Bercy-Square on the nearby Boulevard de Reuilly. The staff were friendly, talkative and speak excellent English and there are plenty of coffee table books and magazines like Madame Figaro if you feel like practising you French reading.

Rates start at 110 Euros a night for a double classic room in November and December, but check around the web for the best deals (we paid 95 Euros per night when we stayed).

Le Quartier Bastille Le Faubourg is best suited to second-timers or Paris regulars who are familiar with getting around on the metro. The location doesn’t have the grandeur of the Louvre area or the Left Bank, but you get a boutique hotel with individual design touches without the sky-high prices of more central hotels. It’s one of the best places to sleep in style and still have enough Euros left for a late-night aperitif.

Le Quartier Bastille Le Faubourg, 9 Rue De Reuilly, 75012 Paris

France, Hotels, Hotels - Budget, Hotels - Design, Paris

A Great Stay at Mama Shelter Paris East

July 31, 2009 by cheriecity

After years of searching for that perfect Paris hotel, I never thought the answer to my prayers would be found way out in the 20th arrondissement! Le quartier Saint-Blaise may not have the elegant appeal of Hausmann’s linear boulevards, but it is a charmingly untouched and arty area that is sure to be heralded as ‘the new Belleville’.

I am a huge fan of Marie-Antoinette decadence and usually seek out hotels decked out in the most elaborate toile de jouy, but the Hackney girl in me screamed out for more postmodern adventures…

Mama Shelter reception

A ‘luxury industrial refuge’ seems like a rather abrasive contradiction in terms that, but Mama Shelter Paris East does have a sense of humour and a surprisingly warm and vibrant atmosphere.

After getting used to the exposed concrete walls and dangerous-looking giant power switch, the Phillippe Starck-designed rooms feel like a home away from home (albeit a très stylish abode). They feature a multi-purpose Apple iMac, kitchenette with a microwave, more-than-travel-sized Kiehls shower gel and shampoo and those dreamy beds that make you sleep in and miss your alarm!

Mama Shelter room

Mama Shelter is all about affordable luxury and has clearly been tailor-made for design-conscious folk who don’t want the cultural experience to end when they head back to the room for the night.

It’s a real labour of love created in pain-staking detail by French hotel powerhouse the TRIGANO family (co-founder of Club Med) and philosopher Cyril Aouizerate, whose intellectual presence is very much sewn into the fabric of the hotel.

Mama Shelter restaurant

But the real jewel in Mama Shelter’s crown is the buzzing but cosy restaurant and terrace. Hotel guests seem to get priority, but you still need to book ahead as it gets pretty busy.

There is now a guide to all the coolspots in Saint-Blaise that you can download from the Mama Shelter website and they’ve recently opened the rooftop terrace for lazy, summer BBQs – what more can you want? Well, maybe a spa, but I’m not going to push my luck!

Stroll along to:
Gambetta, Belleville, Ménilmontant, Cimetière Père Lachaise, Rue Oberkampf.
Drink in: La Fleche D’Or, Le Gambetta, La Bellevilleoise
Put on your iPod: Friendly Fires ft. Au Revoir Simone, Paris (Aeroplanes remix)

Rooms at Mama Shelter Paris East start from €79 a night.