sophie calle

The restaurant at Hotel Amour is one of my favourite spots in Paris for a fun, stylish night out.

Tucked away on rue Navarin in hip South Pigalle (SoPi), Hotel Amour is an affordable boutique hotel with a popular restaurant and terrace. Co-owned by the inimitable graffiti artist and entrepreneur André Saraiva (Le Baron, La Fidelité, Monsieur A.) and Thierry Costes, the hotel is always buzzing with a cool crowd of Parisian creatives, fashion folk and clued-up travellers.

Many of the rooms are designed by artists such as Pierre Le-Tan, Mark Newson and Sophie Calle and there’s plenty of erotic artwork to live up to the hotel’s name – it is in racy Pigalle, after all.

New hotels and restaurants open in Paris all the time, but there’s something timeless and sexy about Hotel Amour – it never seems to go out of style.

I knew there was nowhere else I wanted to spend my recent 30th birthday than the restaurant at Hotel Amour.

Not only does it have a great atmopshere, a romantic garden and good food, but there are also tons of great bars nearby (check out Glass, Dirty Dick, Chez Moune, Le Dépanneur and Le Mansart). Also, we were conveniently staying in the neighbourhood at the delightful Hotel Josephine.

We caught up with our Parisian friends Coralie and Sunny, who managed to secure us a fantastic table on the terrace overlooking the lush outdoor garden. The evening started on a high with an unexpected birthday present for me – a very Parisian boho-luxe leather purse (Coralie has excellent taste in accessories).

We began by ordering some cocktails – Coralie and I both went for a deliciously sweet Amaretto Sour topped with toasted almonds while Sunny and Steven went for the stronger, sharper Godfather Sour.

After ordering, we were brought a basket of really good rustic bread served with a pot of French salted butter. The butter covers are printed with the cool Hotel Amour logo and even the wine glasses are engraved with André’s signature scrawl – they sure know a thing or two about branding.

Being indecisive and deep in conversation, it took us a while to decide what to order, but our charming waitresses were so relaxed and patient. As usual, I was tempted by the Cheeseburger (€19), which was cooked perfectly medium and spiked with a jazzy cocktail stick. The lean, well-seasoned beef patty was smothered in gooey cheese and packed in a seeded demi-brioche bun.

Happily, they came with a big bowl of crispy, delicious French fries – in fact the portion size was so generous that I could easily share them with the table. On other occasions, I’ve ordered the Poulet Roti (€19), which is equally moreish and comforting.

Coralie and Steven both ordered the Gratin de Macaronis au jambon blanc (16.50). The long tubes of macaroni were perfectly cooked and baked with thick-carved, flavoursome ham and lots of cream, Emmental and Gruyère. The portion size wasn’t particularly big, but the richness of the dish made it a satisfying choice.

Sunny’s Salade de Légumes (€18) took quite a while to arrive after a Salade Nicoise was mistakenly sent out. Luckily, there were plenty of fries and bread to munch on while he was waiting.

It seemed only fair that Sunny’s Chocolate Ganache (€9.50) dessert was the clear winner. The velvety, decadent milk chocolate ganache was served on a cookie crumb and topped with toasted hazelnuts and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Coralie ordered a classic Café Gourmand (with a Mariage Frère tea instead of coffee), which included a platter of four nicely-presented mini desserts. Steven and I shared a large slice of home-made Crème Caramel. It tasted fantastic but it was comically unattractive – a large slab of bubbly cream sitting in a moat of light caramel sauce, rather than the petite, quivering desserts that I’ve had before in Paris brasseries.

Hotel Amour is great for a spot of people-watching, catching up with friends or enjoying a few cocktails on the terrace. There’s room for improvement, but its charm always wins me over and I know I’ll be lured back there time and time again.

For more information and booking, visit: www.hotelamourparis.fr

Photos by Chérie City & Hotel Amour Paris

Art fairs can be great barometers for finding the new trends in collecting and while I thought painting was still top of the agenda, the London Art Fair are looking towards the future of photography.

I went to the preview and press conference where fair Director Jonathan Burton told that their increased interest in photography has resulted in Photo50, a showcase of work by 13 artists selected by a panel from the ICA, Goldsmiths and Anita Zabludowicz. They have also organised tours and talks about how to collect photography.

The main fair shows works represented by 116 leading galleries, 13 of them including Union, Atlas and Storm exhibiting for the first time.

Major galleries like ICA, Beaux Arts and Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert are featured in the main fair showing mostly higher priced works by leading contemporary artists and the big guns like Damien Hirst, Gavin Turk, Peter Blake and Bridget Riley.

The second room is dedicated to Art Projects, featured more daring, experimental pieces, represented by the likes of BEARSPACE, Sarah Myercough Fine Art, Sesame Gallery and James Hyman Gallery. Some key works include a sculpture of five severed toes by Alex Robbins, disturbing, mangled portraits by Yuko nasu and film noir-inspired Chromogenic prints by Thomas Allen.

The London Art Fair are probably one of the only fairs to try and please casual and high profile collector alike, with works starting from just £250 and going up to around £500,000. Jonathan Burton was keen to point out that despite a tough economic year, the fair is still flourishing and that they have adapted the concept to make art buying more accessible and inclusive of a wider demographic.

On the mezzanine level, I was pretty struck by this work by John Monks Marcasin at Long and Ryle. Beaux Arts also have an interesting, ethereal piece by Marlilène Oliver where feathers were suspended on thread from a spun coil.

art fair

But if you’re looking for a real bargain, head to the Whitechapel Gallery stand, where they are featuring a piece entitled Souci by Sophie Calle from her recent exhibition at the gallery. It’s a clinical yet strangely comforting work based on the final few moments of Sophie’s mother’s life. Consisting of a sandblasted glass plate, a metal framework and plastic backing, it is priced at a £2000.

There are a number of free tours, talks and discussions scheduled during the London Art Fair week and there are late night viewings until 9pm on Wednesday and Thursday.

London Art Fair, until 17 January – Business Design Centre, Islington N1. Tickets from £11/£9.

An Amazing Dinner at Hotel Amour Paris

Photography rules at London Art Fair