After many years, I decide to do a short stopover in a city which as a young woman I had planned to live in — Paris. The epitome of elegance, chic and all that I thought important in life at 21. Its beauty inspired me. I mastered the language, the manners and I even began to shrug my shoulders!

So, on a recent visit, my only agenda was to relive some of that old magic. I decided to begin by flying French — Air France… business class. My earlier AF experiences weren’t remarkable but I had heard changes have been made. Indeed they have. Everything has been mindfully upgraded, from check-in through to on-board. It was a late flight, so all I did was have a glass or two of bubbly and sleep on a highly comfortable flatbed. Air stewardesses were quiet and tiptoed around with little flashlights so as not to disturb anyone.

We were met by a pre-ordered taxi, which whisked us into Paris and into the swish 16th arrondissement, around the Arc de Triomphe down the almost untouchably elegant Avenue George V to Plaza Athenee Hotel. 

I had seen the red awning, geranium-clad balconies of this very chic hotel in pictures and somehow thought it must be a bit over the top but as we entered the white marbled, chandeliered lobby, the welcome was disarmingly down to earth. “Can I leave my bag with you for five minutes?” “No problem,” said the concierge. “Can I take a picture?” No problem. No airs. No snobby-snotty attitude that’s often associated with Paris.

I was shown down to the Dior Institut where I had booked a treatment. Yes, this is the way to start your visit (however short!) to Paris. I must admit I am a bit of a “spa junkie”. I can’t resist an invitation to be pummelled and pampered, especially after a long flight which can be brutal on the skin and cellulite. I chose to have a Dior Prestige facial which is customised to your skin type. They do a skin analysis with an impressive-looking electrical instrument which ever so 
gently pokes your skin like a mosquito bite. 

Then some beautiful girl with impeccable manners proceeds to do the facial based on the information she acquires. The warm massage bed, soft duvet, soothing shades and beige interiors lulled me into deep sleep. The massage is a whopping 45 minutes, relieving any visible signs of tension or jet lag. I woke up ready to take on Paris!

THE FARE AT ALLARD, STARTED IN 1932, GIVES PARISIANS A TOUCH OF COUNTRYSIDE COOKING

 

THE QUACK PACK

Ali, our driver, was dutifully waiting outside alongside the smartly-clad doorman, who happily posed for a picture and off we went to lunch. Allard, an old bistro in the Latin Quarter, was taken over in 2013 by none other than chef extraordinaire Alain Ducasse. Ducasse does have a fine-dining restaurant at the Plaza Athenee among others. But I’m happy that I chose a French bistro and not fine dining as my first meal in the city.

Allard is tiny. Two small rooms with six tables in each, quite closely packed in with a kitchen in between. Young Fanny Herpin, chosen by Ducasse to run the restaurant, is hands-on. The restaurant looks like a turn-of-the-century home with flock wallpaper, wooden chairs and red banquette seating. It is as traditional a bistro setting as you can find. Almost as if it came out of a movie set. 

Ducasse has changed nothing. Marthe Allard, a ‘salt of the earth’ cook from Burgundy, came to Paris in 1932. Armed with her family recipes embodying local traditions, she set out to give Parisians a touch of countryside cooking. This is Ducasse’s third bistro, so obviously a trend he continues to pursue. Thank goodness! Her husband Andre Allard wrote in one of his early menus: “People don’t come to us for gastronomic discoveries but to enjoy old culinary favourites”. 

We went a bit mad, starting with lashings of creamy butter from Isigny (I declare “the best butter in the world”), which we slathered on sourdough bread. People come here for the escargots (snails in their shells) stuffed with tons of herby butter, the garlicky frog legs, the delicious Pate en Croute, a rough pork and liver pate in a rich pastry crust and the Canard de Challans aux Olives. This is a whole duck from the village of Challans which is famous for breeding a certain kind of duck since the 16th century. The duck is a cross between wild and farmed, so you get both the flavour and texture. They say the duck is for two people but it could feed a family of four easily. We ordered it all and waddled out of there like two peasants from the countryside.

GOURMET SHOPPING 

Apart from eating well, Paris also has some extraordinary food-shopping experiences. ‘Le pain, le vin, le boursin’ used to be a catchy phrase in the ’70s based on an ad for the cream cheese boursin. 

Cheese in general, along with the other two — bread and wine — is what the French refer to as “the holy trinity”, biblical reference intended. I have never had a bad baguette in Paris. So when people ask me for recommendations of bakeries and patisseries, I am somewhat stumped. They are all good! However, Chez Poilane on the Rue du Cherche-Midi in the 6th brings back bucketfuls of memories. They make big round loaves of country-style sourdough bread, the way they used to in France before Louis XIV decided he liked bread made with white flour and beer yeast in long slender loaves (the baguette).

Nearby is one of the best food shops in Paris — La Grande Epicerie at Le Bon Marche, started in the mid-19th century, is one of the oldest gourmet stores in the country and where all the chic Parisians of the neighborhood shop. You’ll find everything edible and gourmet from around France here. Worth becoming addicted to is sel de guerande — sea salt from north-west France. You have fleur de sel (the most prized variety of this salt — sel de guerande — comes from the top of the salt flats), coarse sea salt for cooking and a great product of ground sea salt with herbs. 

All old Parisian cafes have that je ne sais quoi. Whatever people say about Deux Magots (the cafe at Saint-Germain-des-Pres where Sartre used to visit) being touristy — it’s iconic and you have to do it… and you have to order a hot chocolate in winter. It’s still made with real melted chocolate, milk and cream. In the heart of the Latin Quarter and near Allard is a fabulous daily market near Rue Saint Andre des Arts. It’s also near Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts (School of Fine Arts), so you will find artists and students in the nearby cafe, La Palette.

On my way back from Paris, I decide to try premium economy on Air France. After all the excesses on my trip, I felt a little “economy” was needed. There was nothing “lesser” about premium economy. Comfortable seats, nice earphones that you don’t need to plug in, the gastronomic journey continued on board with a deliciously fresh piece of marinated salmon followed by a chicken stew of sorts, a piece of Camembert and a mouth-watering chocolate cake. 

Well, Paris is Paris. Any trip to this city is always filled with memories and magic.

 

Karen Anand is a culinary consultant, food writer and entrepreneur. In recent times her name has been synonymous with farmers’ markets. Follow her on www.facebook.com/karenanand