Mmm, Paris! (March 2018) - Day 3: Munching in Montmartre and a Pain in La Butte

[Gill H]

<<<Day 2

Our alarm goes off at 7.30 and I wish Peter a happy birthday. I’ve brought a card with me which was just perfect – a little cartoon Paris scene. I haven’t bought him a present to open, because his present is the trip itself. His mum and sister have bought him some crafting tools which are waiting at home. And today’s main activity is also a birthday present, from my parents. But more about that anon…

We enjoy a cup of coffee each as we get ready – thanks to the extra cup we picked up last night! We take our time getting ready and watch a bit of BBC News channel, which feels odd for two reasons. One, no clock is visible, because it shows in lots of different countries. And two, it has adverts!

Eventually we go downstairs, where Rosy the owner is very apologetic about the noisy neighbours but says she spoke to them. It must have worked, as we didn’t hear anything last night!

I mention to Rosy that it’s Peter’s birthday, and she exclaims in delight and gives Peter a kiss on both cheeks in the best French manner. She says we should have told her so she could do something. I reply that I had sent an email a few days ago (though I don’t mention that the response, from another member of the team, basically boiled down to ‘Of course, how much money would you like to spend?’ so I hadn’t replied). Anyway, we drop off the key and head for a light breakfast.

It’s raining pretty solidly, as it has been since we woke up, so today we decide to try the bakery across the road which has tables and seats inside.

We each get a croissant, I have a pain au chocolat and Peter chooses a chausson aux pommes – a pastry filled with apple. We each get a coffee and sit down to enjoy our breakfast.

Hmm. This place is … eh, it’s OK. Your standard neighbourhood bakery, I guess. But after the delights of yesterday’s breakfast, these pastries are very pedestrian indeed. So once we’ve finished, we nip back across the road and grab ourselves a pastry from Nicolas Rançon to take away. I get a croissant and Peter has a pistachio and chocolate roule. Yes, this is very naughty. But it is Peter’s birthday, after all.

We’re now starting to feel like real Parisians – we’ve discovered which local bakery is the best, which is surely item number 1 on any Paris-dweller’s list!

We head to the Metro station to get the RER B line once again. This time we are not changing at Chatelet, but instead going back to Gare du Nord, where there is an interchange to La Chapelle Metro station. This will take us on line 2 to Anvers, where today’s main activity will begin.

At least, that’s where it will take us eventually. Initially we head up the wrong escalator, and have to go down a long flight of stairs and back up the other side, to put us on the correct platform. Ooops.

The train arrives, and is extremely full. I don’t know what time rush hour ends in Paris, but it’s about 10am now and it feels like full-on rush hour in London. Fortunately there are only two stops, and soon we are off the train and out of the station. And I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you about the main activity we have planned for today.

If you know anything about us at all, you will know that we love to try different kinds of food. Over the years we have tried many special dining experiences on holiday, including guided food walking tours in several cities. So when we started looking for something Peter could do on his birthday, it didn’t take long before we found the website of a company called ‘Secret Food Tours’. They do food and drink walks in various cities, including four different ones in London, as well as several European and American cities, and are even branching out to include Asian cities also. They seemed to have great reviews, and though the prices weren’t cheap, it looked as if you got value for your money. Plus there was a 15% discount for first-time bookers, just to help us make the decision!

So it is that this morning we have made plans to meet our guide in front of Anvers station at 11am. However, right now it’s only 10.15 and it’s still drizzling with rain, so we decide to find somewhere for a cup of coffee (and of course, what a friend of mine calls a ‘precautionary loo break’ as we’ll be walking for several hours!)

In the search for somewhere big enough to shelter from the rain and to have decent loos, we end up at … would you believe it … Pret a Manger. Yes, really. In case you don’t have one of these near you, Pret is a UK coffee/sandwich shop whose quality – and prices – are considerably above the likes of your local Greggs. They’re nice enough, but we were rather surprised to see they have caught on in Paris! Anyway, that’s where we end up while we wait, and we take the opportunity to phone my parents and Peter’s mum and sister, so everyone can wish him happy birthday.

[Gill H]

At about 10.50 we leave and go back across the road to the Anvers Metro sign. The area is a lot busier now, and all the shops have opened. Earlier we spotted a beautiful shop on the corner with old fashioned ornate lettering and shutters. By now the shutters have opened, to reveal a shop consisting of trays piled high with cheap clothing which people are rummaging through after a bargain. A bit of a disappointment maybe – but as we are to learn, it’s not always wise to judge by appearances!

We can’t see anyone else who might be in our group, and start to wonder whether it will be a private tour! At that moment I catch sight of someone with a bright orange rolled-up umbrella – the sign of a Secret Tours guide. And so he proves to be! He introduces himself as Stéphane, and explains that we are waiting for two more people. He’s tried to contact them but hasn’t heard anything yet so is phoning the office to see if there’s a message. After a few minutes there is still no sign of them, so he begins our tour by bringing out a paper bag and offering us – what else? A croissant. Let’s not mention that it’s our fourth item of viennoiserie this morning.

Anyway, he asks us to taste it, and then asks us if there is anything we notice about it. Well, for one thing we notice that it’s a bit dry and doesn’t have that much flavour, but we’re too polite to say so. He then goes on to point out that it is crescent shaped, whereas the ones we have probably had elsewhere may have been straight. Now we come to think about it, that’s true. Although the classic crescent shape is what comes to mind when you think ‘croissant’, actually we’ve more often been given straight ones. Stéphane explains the history of the croissant, and tells us the version we are eating is the ‘croissant ordinaire’. It originated in Vienna (not this actual one, obviously, it’s dry but not that dry!) and the French decided to improve on the original by adding loads of butter, resulting in the ‘croissant au beurre’ which ditched the crescent shape and went straight.

While Stéphane is part of the way through this explanation, a woman and a teenage girl rush up. They are the other half of our party, and apparently they have been desperately trying to find us. They introduce themselves as Amanda (the mum) and Isabella (the daughter, who is 13 and on her first trip abroad). It turns out they arrived last night, and had trouble navigating a strange city while coping with jetlag – which doesn’t surprise me at all. In fact they have been hanging around the area for a little while but didn’t realise they had to look for the orange umbrella! Anyway, Stéphane gives them a croissant and quickly recaps his explanation for them, before turning to the map by the station entrance and showing us where we are about to go. He then takes the four of us across the road and up the hill. We’re heading towards ‘La Butte’ (stop sniggering at the back there) which several websites translate into English as ‘The Hillock’ – a word which to me sounds only slightly less snigger-inducing for its ability to rhyme with ‘pillock’ and not much else. There’s a famous French song ‘Complainte de la Butte’ where ‘Complainte’ translates as ‘lament’. It’s a terribly sad song – such a pity the title sounds to an English ear like something you’d go to your GP with.

Anyway, we don’t get far before we see some more beautiful old fashioned shop fronts …

Stéphane warns us that sometimes, the fancy shop fronts are really only there to snare unsuspecting tourists (I can’t comment on this particular shop!) By contrast, some of the best stuff – particularly when it comes to food – can be found in quietly understated places you might easily walk past.

[Gill H]

And so we start at a chocolate shop. Stéphane’s guiding principle is that shops which concentrate on only one thing, or a few related things, are often better than somewhere that tries to do everything. And this place certainly concentrates on chocolate.

We’re given a brief explanation of how chocolate is made, and invited to choose several different kinds to try. There’s also a chance to see the amazing chocolate sculptures (sorry for the reflections!)

We move on to the top of the street where we have a superb view of Sacre Coeur.

Stéphane tells us a little of its history – he’s a great storyteller and equally good at bringing the past to life as he is at explaining the intricacies of chocolate. Amanda and Isabella listen intently, as all this is new to them. As we walk I ask if they have ever seen the film ‘Amélie’ which of course is set in this area, but they don’t know it. I hope they get to see it one day and remember all the places they saw.

[Gill H]

Next is a shop which is almost entirely devoted to macarons (which, as Stéphane points out, are not the same thing as macaroons, and also not the same thing as their President, Monsieur Macron!)

He also explains the significance of the various awards indicated on the window, and which ones to rely on, before taking us inside the shop.

The lady who serves us here is very chatty and friendly, with excellent English. There’s a reason for that, as you will discover later. Again, we are invited to choose a selection of macarons to taste.

As we walk, we learn more about Montmartre, particularly its famous windmills which are now all but gone. It’s a fascinating area, and so much more than the touristy bits.

We move on to a bakery, where Stéphane buys the bread and dessert we will be enjoying later.

While we’re outside waiting for him we take the opportunity to chat with Amanda again (Isabella is understandably shy at being the only teen in the group, and on her first trip abroad). We discover that they have a croissant making class lined up for tomorrow, and later on in their trip they are of course going to Disneyland Paris. We tell them we can give them some tips later!

As we move on, I manage to trip on a kerb and fall spectacularly to the ground just in front of a café. A waiter immediately rushes out to help, and soon I’m installed in a chair with a glass of water. Thankfully I have some painkillers on me, which I’m going to need because my knee is already throbbing, but fortunately I haven’t done any major damage. Readers of my previous trips will know that I specialise in falling over (my ‘flamenco related injury’ in Madrid was pretty spectacular) and I usually judge foreign places by how helpful people are when I take a spill. Paris gets an A. And it’s not the first time I’ve fallen over in Paris either – there was a tumble outside the Gare de l’Est a few years back, and someone rushed to help then too.

Once I’ve recovered slightly, we move on to a place which Stéphane says is specially for this group. Usually they have larger groups and aren’t able to fit this in, but if we are willing to share a crepe between two later rather than have one each, we can have another little treat. Of course we agree! And thus we end up at ‘Les Choupettes de Chou Chou’ which makes nothing but beautifully delicate little choux pastry cream puffs, freshly baked and then filled to order, which means the pastry doesn’t get soggy.

(Interestingly, ‘Choupette’ is also the name of designer Karl Lagerfeld’s pet cat, who apparently has two maids and her own Twitter account. Isn’t the internet a wonderful thing?)

We complete the sweet part of our tour with a stop at a nearby crepe stall. Again, Stéphane has wisdom to impart on how to spot the good street stalls, of which this is evidently one. We order a classic lemon and sugar crepe between us, while Amanda and Isabella share a Nutella crepe.

[Gill H]

And now, high on our sugar rush, we turn to all things savoury – particularly to a nearby butcher’s shop.

We're told about all the awards they have won, which are displayed in the window.

Here Stéphane goes inside to buy some more items for later, and we try some cured belly pork. And this is where we feel really sorry for the Americans. So far things haven’t been too challenging, but faced with a plate of cured meat with a thick layer of creamy fat on it, they start to look a little dubious. We all try a little (and frankly we’re all going for the bits with the least fat on) but I don’t think it will be something they rave about at home.

We move on to a cheese shop. This was always going to be a high point of the tour for me – I love cheese. In fact I could give up chocolate more easily than cheese.

Here we taste what Stéphane’s notes tell me is Tome du Caussenard – made with raw sheep’s milk. Absolutely delicious. We’re also taken inside the shop to look through a window into their cheese-making room, to see some of their hard cheeses being aged. The cheeses are huge and look as if they’re going to be superb when they’re ready. Again, Stéphane picks up some goodies here for later.

And that’s pretty much the end of the walking part of the tour. We make our way down a very steep cobbled hill (me walking rather gingerly with my dished knee) and soon find ourselves back at Anvers station. Stéphane explains to Amanda how to get to other places from here, though she says she will probably just go to her hotel to crash, which doesn’t surprise me at all! He also describes the nearby Pigalle area as ‘somewhere you think you’ve learned to read French, because you can understand all the signs!’ before explaining that, like Soho in London, it’s more gentrified these days and its seedy areas have been much reduced. I still don’t think they will be touring the area though…

We’re now taken to the ‘secret place’ advertised on the tour, which we promised we would not reveal the location of, for our indoor picnic. Having done some food tours in other places, we’re expecting this to be a few bits of bread with some meats and cheeses and a glass of wine. Boy, were we wrong. We are treated to a veritable feast. Firstly there are bottles of red, white and sparkling wine on the table. Stéphane explains the drinking laws in France, and says that if Amanda permits, Isabella can try some wine as long as it is under supervision. She does try a little, but as expected, she’s much happier when provided with what Stéphane calls ‘American wine’ aka Coke!

Next some huge loaves of fresh bread, bought from the bakery, are placed on the table, and we’re given an explanation of the history of baguettes, and French bread generally. We learn that in France you are rarely given a side plate for your bread, and that it is considered proper to put your bread on the table beside your plate, rather than on the plate itself. And now it’s time for the ‘secret dish’, which again we have promised not to reveal. Let’s just say it is a small taste of something very luxurious, and absolutely delicious. And writing this, I really want some more!

We then spend about an hour tasting various meats and cheeses, with plenty of bread and wine. Peter keeps forgetting the ‘bread on the table, not the plate’ rule and getting jokingly told off! We learn about each item (though fortunately we aren’t told what the andouille is until we’ve eaten it – sausage made of intestines…) Poor Isabella isn’t eating much, though she does ask some excellent questions, such as ‘why would you want mould in your cheese?’ – answer: because it’s yummy! Amanda is rather thrown by the variety of flavours on offer, declaring “Before this, I thought I liked cheese!” Now I know that you can get ‘artisanal’ cheeses in the US, it’s not all processed plastic stuff, but evidently this is a bit of a culture shock for them both. I don’t think I would take a teenager to this unless they were already an adventurous eater (GopherLass’s Poot would love it, but then he is so knowledgeable he could probably work here for a summer job in a couple of years!) I lean across to Isabella and whisper that she should ask Mom to take her to McDonald’s later … I’m a bad tourist. But poor love, she was so overwhelmed.

While we eat, we pass on some tips for Disneyland Paris. Being from California, they are used to Disneyland in Anaheim, which DLP is similar to in many respects. We warn them not to expect the hyper-cheeriness of American CMs – French people regard that as fake and annoying, and their CMs are more reserved, though if you engage one in conversation they usually blossom and are happy to chat. Stéphane comments that the lady who served us in the macaron shop is a former CM and has never forgotten her ‘Disney manner’ hence why she was so friendly!

We finish with dessert – some eclairs from the bakery, in chocolate and coffee flavours. Apparently the rule about eclairs is ‘what’s on top has to show what’s inside’ which is useful to know.

Eventually, very full and very happy, we all bid goodbye to Stéphane, thanking him profusely for such a wonderful tour. He really does know his stuff – he’s worked for various food tours for the last 20 years and is clearly passionate about his subject. It’s been an amazing day.

[Gill H]

By now it’s about 3pm, and we need to decide what to do next. As we didn’t get much chance to walk by the Seine yesterday, Peter proposes that we find our way there. Let’s face it, we need to walk off some of this food and wine by now. Checking the Metro map, we make our way to nearby Pigalle station and catch a Metro a few stops to Assemblee Nationale. Here we wander about, trying to find our way, and eventually flag down a lady and ask which way the Seine is. With a rather surprised look, she indicates that it’s ‘over there’ and indeed, within a few minutes we’ve found it. We make our way across the road and down to the towpath, starting to follow the river along for a while and see where we end up.

However, the steadily darkening sky has been threatening rain for a while, and here it comes. Not just one of the slight showers we’ve been dodging most of the day, but a big old full-on downpour. And there is very little shelter here. So instead we take refuge in a nearby moored boat which houses ‘Café Rosa’. It’s a very informal place, with children doing crafts at some of the tables. We get ourselves a latte each and sip them gratefully, enjoying the view despite the rain.

After a while the weather clears, and we decide to find our way back to the hotel for a rest before dinner. Checking the map on our phones, we see there is a bus stop nearby we can use to get a bus back to Boulevard Montparnasse, so we head over there.

Check out that sky...

Fortunately we’re not waiting long, and soon we are sitting on a bus and making our way through the rainy streets of Paris. I rather like taking buses in new places, actually – unlike the Metro, it gives you a chance to see how various bits of the city fit together. Before long, we spot the familiar sight of Port-Royal station, get off the bus and just a few minutes later we’re relaxing in our little room.

It won’t surprise anyone to know that we manage to doze for a while, before getting changed and ready for tonight’s dinner. We’ve made a booking for 8pm, but decide to head out early and go for a walk round Montparnasse, hoping to drum up an appetite.

To be honest, if we had known how substantial our food tour lunch was going to be, I think we would have booked the restaurant another night. We really aren’t that hungry now. However, we’ve made the reservation and let the restaurant know it’s Peter’s birthday, so it seems a shame to cancel. Seriously though, folks, if you book a Secret Foods Tour (and you really should) don’t plan to eat for the rest of the day!

Meanwhile we walk right down to the streets around Montparnasse Tower, and take a stroll. Practically every building is a restaurant, many of them creperies. If you like crepes and seafood you’ll be OK round here. It’s a very busy area, and while it feels perfectly safe, I think we are glad we are staying slightly further away in a quieter location. We also spot a shop selling pet food and accessories, which is rather cute, but everything in the window is something we could have bought at home, so we don’t bother going in.

[Gill H]

And so, just before 8pm, we make our way back to La Coupole, our restaurant for tonight. Dating from 1927, it’s an Art Deco dream full of outrageous décor. Famous patrons include Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, Ernest Hemingway, Josephine Baker, Picasso, Matisse, James Joyce – the list goes on. Perhaps they came to gawp at the décor (which includes a startling number of naked ladies and a central statue looking like something out of Cirque de Soleil) or perhaps to be seen; maybe to dine on the restaurant’s speciality, a lamb curry which is still brought to your table on a trolley and served by a waiter in full ceremonial Indian uniform. This was apparently the last meal of former President Mitterand, who died shortly after eating it - which is perhaps not the best recommendation!

Recent reviews of La Coupole seem to have been mixed, with some saying the restaurant is living on past glories, but others promising a good meal. We’re prepared to give it a try.

We are welcomed and shown to a table near the back of the restaurant. I’ve read that there is definitely a pecking order in this place. The celebs are sat in the centre, and the ordinary folks like us are sat further out. We aren’t quite at the furthest point though, so perhaps a birthday counts for something.

Whether any celebs are in tonight isn’t clear (although of course no-one would dare draw attention) but we are pretty sure that the petite blonde lady of a certain age is actually the judge from ‘Le Meilleur Patissier’ we saw on TV.

Despite all this opulence, the restaurant has a surprisingly reasonable set menu at 31 Euros for two courses. We had actually put aside enough for the three course menu, but frankly we don’t feel able to tackle that tonight. Instead we order our drinks – a glass of red wine for me and a beer for Peter – and entrecote steak for our main course. We ask whether it comes with any vegetables, as they aren’t mentioned on the menu, and our waiter replies that of course it will.

One thing about this place – it doesn’t feel at all snobby, despite the rumours about seating. We are treated just as politely and kindly as anyone else, and our attempts to order in French meet with great approval from our waiter.

Before long we have our drinks, some crusty bread rolls (with a side plate!) and butter, and some complimentary water in a fancy bottle bearing the restaurant’s logo.

(Look closely, and remember that ‘La Coupole’ means ‘the dome’. Or domes, indeed.)

Speaking of domes, the restaurant takes its name from the decorative cupola (ie dome) in the ceiling. It’s well worth a look, but I couldn’t really get a close picture without risking leaning over the 'beautiful people' in the middle of the restaurant!

Our steaks arrive, accompanied by garlic butter and good hearty chips. The promised vegetables amount to a wisp of lamb’s lettuce and a tiny tomato – that’s Paris for you. But the steaks are pretty good, though they have cooked them a little more than I’d like (perhaps assuming all les Anglais like their meat cooked to death). Still tasty, though.

While Peter nips downstairs to the gents, I take the opportunity to call over our waiter and remind him that it’s Peter’s birthday. Of course, no problem, he smiles. And a few moments later Peter returns and we’re chatting away, when suddenly the lights dim, a waiter makes an announcement “Madames et Messieurs, ici, c’est Paris!” (Ladies and gentlemen, this is Paris!) and suddenly there is a chorus of ‘Happy birthday’ from all the nearby waiters, while two of them run to our table bearing an enormous multi-tiered cake complete with sparklers.

Fortunately for our appetites, the cake is entirely false, being just for show. So we can still have a dessert!

Unsurprisingly, we choose a light dessert. I go for a lemon meringue tart, which comes with little dots of lemon and meringue on the plate – not strictly necessary, but at least it wasn’t a pointless mint leaf.

Peter has the restaurant’s signature dessert – a dome of Valrhona Grand Cru chocolate with a delicate mousse filling and an orange sauce. Both desserts are light and full of flavour, good choices both.

We finish off the evening with a café crème while we sort out our bill.

Service has been leisurely, as befits Paris – why would you rush good food? But it’s also been friendly and helpful, and the food has been excellent. A great experience all round.

As I make my way downstairs to the ladies, Peter tells me to keep an eye out for the display cases of souvenirs available – little match books and pens among other things, quirkily placed among a large arrangement of stones like a bizarre rockery. In fact you have to work hard to find the souvenirs among the rocks! We decide we can resist these, and instead say our farewells and take the short 10 minute stroll back to our hotel. We fall gratefully into bed after a wonderful day.

Tomorrow, join us for a very grand café, a musical disappointment and a heck of a lot of travelling, on our last day in Paris.

>>>Day 4

INDEX

[MrsBC]

What a fab tour! We always do walking tours wherever we are, but never done a food one - and now I'm off to see if there is a Secret Tour in Barcelona!

[Mel49]

What a fantastic day (apart from your fall) and the Secret Food Tour seems a great way to spend a Birthday if you are a "foodie" followed by a lovely relaxing meal. Love reading a different type of trip report and looking forward to the next instalment.

[Guest]

Lol, Gill - it can't be a trippie from EITHER of us without an embarrassing fall. Are we up to five between us? Poor you.

I thought Poot might like to read this day of your report. He did, and replies:

Mrs H., I don't think that English kids would have liked that food any more than the American girl did. Just look at the cheese aisle at Tesco. There's two hundred packs of Cheddar, but only one little corner of things that aren't Cheddar.

If you get your groceries from Amazon (Prime Now) - you can get some good cheeses that way. Today we got some Moliterno - with truffles! But I suppose because you live in London you can get good cheeses any time. I like to go to Neal's Yard and Paxton & Whitfield. But they are both very expensive - not like in France.

Thank you for complimenting me in your trip report.


Back to me. Was that Andouillette you had? I am not squeamish - but that is the one food I've eaten in France that......when I cut into it and I could see all the chitterlings and tripe...it was a bridge too far. Even Papa Poubelle draws the line at Andouillete.