PARIS Le Souffé

Trip: Europe May 2022

On our last morning in Paris, before checking out of our hotel and taking the train to the South of France, we had lunch at Le Soufflé, conveniently located in the Tuileries near our hotel.

We shared an escargot appetizer, Henri IV savory soufflé with chicken and mushrooms sauce, and for dessert, a chocolate soufflé with dark chocolate sauce.

This was a special farewell meal to end our 2022 visit to Paris, and we loved every minute of it. A "must try", but make sure you make reservations ahead of time!

One dozen escargots in garlic butter

Henry IV soufflé with chicken and mushroom sauce

Chocolate soufflé with dark chocolate sauce

PARIS Café des Musées

Trip: Europe May 2022

We went to the Café des Musées in Le Marais for their renowned Bœuf Bourgignon, voted best by Le Figaro in 2018.

We shared three appetizers and one order of Bœuf Bourgignon. The terrine, similar to a pâté, but with a chunkier texture, was pretty good, but not as good as the pâté and cornichons from Robert et Louise. The salmon tartare was excellent. The mushrooms stuffed with escargots were delicious as well, as they were drenched in herbs and butter sauce. But most delicious was the Bœuf Bourgignon. The Burgundy sauce was light and amazing, the beef was tender and the carrots sweet.

This was a "must try". Maybe you should even order your own portion of Bœuf Bourgignon and not share.

Terrine de porc (similar to pâté but chunkier)

Salmon tartare

Mushrooms stuffed with escargots

Best Bœuf Bourgignon!

Mashed potatoes served with Bœuf Bourgignon

PARIS Boulangerie Yannick Martin

Trip: Europe May 2022

We were really looking forward to finding a nice simple boulangerie near our hotel for fresh baguettes, and were pleased to discover Boulangerie Yannick Martin so conveniently located near our hotel.

On the first day, we bought a wonderful baguette still warm, and picked up salted butter cubes from the hotel breakfast, just to have a baguette snack in our hotel room.

We also picked up baguette sandwiches to eat on our day trip to Versailles, and they turned out as delicious as they looked.

We returned the next day to sample their chocolate croissant and an apple tart, and again picked up baguette sandwiches to eat in the Jardin des Tuileries between our visit to Musée de l'Orangerie and the Louvre.

This was our Paris dream, to be able to drop in a local boulangerie for fresh baguettes and sandwiches first thing in the morning. A "must try", and if you are not in the Tuileries area, you may have to find your own heavenly little boulangerie near you.

Baguette sandwiches from Boulangerie Yannick Martin

Baguette, chocolate croissant and apple tart from Yannick Martin
Pastries, smaller chocolate croissant and hot chocolate from Angelina

PARIS Pâtisserie Angelina

Trip: Europe May 2022

Even though Angelina was very close to our hotel, it took us a few days before we had the opportunity to stop by for a morning cup of hot chocolate. While we were there, the pastries looked so tempting that we purchase three to consume over the day or two.

The hot chocolate was as smooth and dark as the internet promised, so this was a "must try". We came back the next day for another one as it truly was delicious.

The pastries were also superb, but sadly we did not document the names of the pastries. We did, however, take pictures of them. You should definitely try the praline one, and as many as they are calling to you.

 

Hot dark chocolate drink, so smooth and delicious

This was our favorite of the three pastries: something praliné

Mille feuilles

Chocolate pastry

PARIS Berthillon ice cream

Trip: Europe May 2022

Another recommendation by Philippe, and mentioned on the internet as the famous Berthillon ice cream, so of course we had to try. We walked from Robert et Louise to Berthillon on Ile-St-Louis and topped off our amazing steak dinner with amazing ice cream.

There are multiple small locations of Berthillon around Paris, so this is a "must try" if you see a sign for one.

Two scoops: mango and passion fruit

Single scoop: coffee with caramel sauce

PARIS Robert et Louise Steakhouse

Trip: Europe May 2022

We have been looking forward to high quality steaks at Robert et Louise, and it did not disappoint. The ambiance was very cozy, our waiter was super friendly, the steak was amazing, and at the end, we came face-to-face with Monsieur Robert himself (recognized by Phil who used his limited French wisely to flatter the owner with a big "Monsieur Robert!" in a perfect French accent and got us free pins.)

This may be our favorite restaurant in Paris, and therefore is a "must try" for sure! Make sure to make your reservations in advance if you go!

The grill greatly impressed us as we walked into the restaurant

Amazing pâté served with homemade cornichons and baguettes

Lamb chops with salad and French green beans

Ribeye steak with potatoes and French green beans

Waiting breathlessly for our food to arrive

PARIS Pierre Hermé Macarons

Trip: Europe May 2022

During our Champs-Élysées stroll, we stopped into Pierre Hermé fancy macarons store. We do not typically rank macarons as our favorite desserts, but decided to purchase a small 4-macaron sampler box to check it out.

The macarons were very delicious, soft and melted in our mouth, and the flavors were very distinct and flagrant. We were glad we tried them. 

Rated "must try".

The four flavors we selected are described below.
It was difficult to pick a favorite.

 

PARIS Boulangerie Les petits Gourmands

Trip: Europe May 2022

On this day, we waited in line and were packed tightly in the elevator to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We spent an enormous amount of time taking pictures from the top of the Eiffel Tower, then from Champ de Mars. Before wandering to other recommended locations to take more photos of the Eiffel Tower, we stopped by the Boulangerie Les petits Gourmands that was recommended to us by Philippe for lunch.

It was an excellent recommendation, and we highly recommend this for anyone who needs a quick simple baguette sandwich while in the area of the Eiffel Tower. We noted that this boulangerie won the best patisserie of Ile-de-France for 2022, so you may find a long line here. After we bought our ham and cheese baguettes and grabbed one of three tables, we saw a long line forming as we ate.

Rated "must try"

PARIS Au Pied de Cochon

Trip: Europe May 2022

After a full day of walking, we ended up at Au Pied de Cochon near Les Halles, Paris for dinner. This is a very big restaurant that is open 24/7, and their specialty is pork (cochon.)

We saw on the menu "pig trotters" and saw a very recognizable fried pig foot at a nearby table. We were not brave enough to order an entire pig trotter, but we did try a "crispy pig feet and escargots" appetizer. This was not our favorite thing to try.

Overall, the pork entrée dishes that we ordered were excellent, but the menu included a large selection of seafood that also looked fresh and amazing. We saw many people order fresh oysters. We would come back to try other dishes on their large menu.

Since we had not had a real lunch in Montmartre, we also enjoyed desserts here, and they were both delicious. The crème brûlée in particular was amazing: nice crispy caramelized top and a very light creamy custard.

Fresh seafood counter

Baguette

Croustillants de pied de cochon et escargots
(Crispy pork feet and escargots)

Échine de porc confite 14H
(Pork shoulder cooked for 14 hours on risotto)

Faux-filet de cochon du tarn aux morilles de la maison montalet
(Pork sirloin served with buttered mashed potatoes)

Purée de pommes de terre au beurre
(Buttered mashed potatoes)

Chocolat Liégois
(Chocolate ice cream)

Crème brûlée à la Vanille

MONTMARTRE Crêpes

Trip: Europe May 2022

We spent a beautiful sunny day in Montmartre, taking in the quaint small town feel that was only 10 minutes metro ride away from Paris. After lots of walking, we stopped at a non-descript little restaurant and ordered a single Nutella crêpe to share. We sat and rested while people watching before getting back up for more walking.

The crêpe was a welcoming snack, but we did not record the name of the small restaurant so we could not make recommendations to get you there.

PARIS Bistro Richelieu

Trip: Europe May 2022

We arrived to Paris around 5PM from Gare du Nord, so after checking into our hotel Renaissance Paris Vendome, we headed to our first meal in Paris at Bistro Richelieu at walking distance from our hotel.

This bistro was chosen specifically for the classic French bistro fares, so we were able to check off our list of French must eats quickly.

The food was overall pretty good, but not the best of what we have had. Still, it was a good start to our French food journey.

French onion soup

Escargots

Steak frites

Frites part of the steak frites

Lamb chops and French green beans

Famished after taking the chunnel from London to Paris