This post is one of many documenting my week in Paris, a present to myself for graduating pastry school in the fall of 2012. Every moment was spent eating and one post wasn’t enough. It’s now a short novel. Kidding. I hope.
When I started writing this series, I jumped right into detailed accounts of my pastry excursions. I thought I’d go back to the first day and share what I did upon arrival in one of my favorite cities in the world. I was still a bit jet lagged so I warmed up my legs by just strolling around the neighborhood where I had rented my apartment for the week. St Germain des Pres (6th arr) has my favorite pastry and bread shops but there were still new places I was eager to try. And bonus for traveling with a friend, I got to taste twice as much.
I was starving after the flight so after my celebratory Yay-I’m-in-Paris croissant from Gerard Mulot, I had an enormous gyro wrap from Maison du Gyros in the adjacent neighborhood, the Latin Quarter (5th arr). The area is home to Sorbonne University, so the shop is a great spot for students to get something relatively cheap. The fries were done well, crispy and soft on the inside. It could have used a little bit more lamb but overall very satisfying.
Then it was time for something sweet. Kougn amann was on my list of things to try. It has become a trendy pastry here in the states and I’m very happy with the version at b.patisserie. In Paris, I’ve heard good things about the mini versions at Maison Georges Larnicol. I picked out my current flavor obsession, salted caramel. I could tell just by looking at the caramel color that there was a ton of butter and sugar. It was a bit too crisp for me. The layers were compacted together for a tight spiral, similar to a palmier. At b.patisserie its more flaky and fluffy.
At Maison Larnicol, an entire window was dedicated to different flavors of kougn amann such as apple, chocolate, pistachio and my selection, salted caramel.
Time for a stroll in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was so green and the perimeter was outlined with autumn-colored trees. I’d also like to thank Mother Nature for being so kind to this Californian and easing me into real Paris weather by bringing the one and only warm day of the trip. It was a gorgeous 70 degrees.
Of course I had to have a bit of Berthillon ice cream on such a beautiful day. A scoop each of black currant and passionfruit. On Ile St Louis, there is a Berthillon shop but as was the case on my last trip, I went on the day they were closed. There are so many other shops that sell the ice cream but I was just hoping to go to the actual establishment.
For dinner, I ventured out of the area and over to the 13th arr for some pho at Pho 14. By night time it had gotten pretty cold so the noodle soup hit the spot.
Then back near my neighborhood, I wasn’t ready to call it a day so I went to the Louvre. This corridor was beautifully lit and goes straight to the courtyard with the famous pyramid.
Hmm.. Night at the Museum? We could see into the Louvre as we were walking through, which I thought was neat.
The glowing Louvre Pyramid up close
How cool is it that you can have functions in the Louvre? I thought it was a wedding but no one was dressed particularly fancy so it must have been something else.
I do believe many of the buildings in Europe look better at sunset and into the evening.
Reflecting on the pool of water around it
Fin! A day of sampling French and international cuisine and ending with a look at one of the great attractions in the City of Light.
Maison du Gyros
26 rue Huchette
75005 Paris
Maison Georges Larnicol
132 bd Saint-Germain
75006 Paris
Berthillon Glacier
31 rue St Louis en l’ile
75004 Paris
Pho Banh Cuon 14
129 ave de Choisy
75013 Paris
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