HOTEL REVIEW: Hotel Paradis, Paris

My recent 24 hours in Paris meant I was able to continue my search for an affordable luxury hotel and I think I hit the nail firmly on the head when I found Hotel Paradis Paris. This small boutique hotel is located in the 9th, a 10 minute walk from Gare du Nord, which means it's a great spot for those arriving in the city by Eurostar. There's a ton of metro stations in the area as well as a huge selection of bistros and bars.

When it comes to design Hotel Paradis is awash with vibrant wallpaper, mid-century furniture and splashes of fun accessories. The overriding colour scheme is navy and light grey with wooden furniture making the space feel relaxed and comforting.

There's a few different room options with prices starting at €68 for a single and €81 for a classic double, however this does increase a fair bit come the summer. Come the less popular months this is a fantastic deal for such a well situated and unique hotel. We actually booked a superior double as it was only €10 more than the classic but promises more space and a sofa.

The king size bed in our spacious, superior double room was incredibly comfortable with a perfectly squishy duvet. The compact bathroom had a powerful shower and a lovely selection of Malin + Goetz toiletries. We even had a lovely view over the classic Parisian street with one of those tiny, barely-there balconies.

I really enjoyed our stay in Hotel Paradis Paris and it was a real shame we weren't there for longer. Breakfast isn't included in the room rate but for €12 you can enjoy a continental spread in the morning. The staff were extremely helpful so if you can book a room when the price is at the lower end I promise you that you'll be in for a great stay.

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RESTAURANT REVIEW: Juveniles Wine Bar, Paris

My trip to Paris at the weekend was such a foodie affair. After a huge, two hour lunch at Les Papilles we weren't that hungry come our 8pm dinner reservation. Fortunately Juveniles offers an a la carte menu as well as a set menu so we were able to keep things reasonably small. Juveniles is a classic French wine bar with a Scottish twist, thanks to owner Tim Johnston, a Scotsman, who has subsequently handed down the reigns to his daughter and her boyfriend.

As with our lunch, the walls are lined with bottles of wine for you to choose from, however the menu does include wine per glass as well. We asked for a recommendation (again) and were given a bottle of François Crochet, Sancerre Blanc, Millésime 2015, a light and crisp Sauvignon Blanc. It was very nice.

Wanting to keep things small but still try a selection of courses we decided to share a starter. We went for the calamari risotto which was heavenly. The risotto was buttery with a refreshing hint of lemon. I enjoyed the deconstructed style of the calamari, butternut squash and parmesan. Any remaining risotto was mopped up with the crusty bread served on the side, this was an incredibly delicious dish.

My Mum knew she wanted the haggis as soon as I told her we were going to a French / Scottish bistro. Apparently she's been craving it since Burns' Night 2016... The mash was the creamiest I've ever tasted and the haggis was perfect. This was a huge portion of food and Mum was a little disappointed to not finish it.

I ordered the guinea-fowl with sweet potato, kale and almonds. The meaty was gamy and perfectly cooked. I really enjoyed the selection of winter vegetables plus the almonds gave this a nice crunch.

As soon as I spied a chocolate dessert on the menu I knew I wanted to order it. Rich, gooey and utterly moreish, this was a perfect way to finish our foodie, French day.

I thoroughly enjoyed Juveniles and would recommend it to anyone looking for a reasonably priced French wine bar that serves excellent quality food. The atmosphere is pretty casual but you can tell it's a really popular joint, I don't think a single table was empty during our meal. As with many French bistros, the food is simple but done well. I love this style of cooking and am ever thankful that Paris isn't too hard to reach from London.

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RESTAURANT REVIEW: Les Papilles, Paris

Last weekend I popped over to Paris for 24 hours with my Mum. I used the trip as an excuse to visit some of the restaurants that are forever frequenting the 'where to eat in Paris' note saved on my phone. I booked a table at Les Papilles for lunch, a classic French wine bar in the 5th that does a four course set menu for around €35 per person.

I expected this wine bar to have a classic bistro vibe so I was a little surprised when we turned up to a bright yellow fronted restaurant. Moving inside things felt a little more familiar. Classic, yet well looked after, the restaurant has a wonderful homely vibe with it's dark wood furnishings and closely packed tables. The kitchen at the back is tiny and I do wonder how it manages to work. Downstairs is a private dining room with a large table that has the ability to seat around 12 people. It looks like the perfect place to host a small party.

As you come into the restaurant the entire left hand side wall is lined with bottles of wine of all varieties and prices. Once the food menu has been explained you can go and choose a bottle to drink. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with asked our waiter to recommend us a bottle of white. The result was Domaine de la Bongran 2011, a lovely deep chardonnay with citrus and tropical fruit flavours. Whilst it didn't taste anything like my Mum's preferred crisp and light New Zealand sauvignon blanc, I thought it was rather moreish and different from anything I've tasted previously.

Before visiting the restaurant I was a little worried about the food. I'm not at all a fussy eater but when faced with the prospect of a set menu with no room to manoeuvre I can't help but worry that I'll be served everything I hate i.e. mushrooms and snails. I had nothing to worry about, the menu was perfect and I couldn't have been more thrilled with the ingredients in each course.

We started with a carrot salad and carrot soup. I love that you serve the soup yourself from the terrine that's left on the table. The soup was creamy and absolutely moreish. It was smooth, just the right thickness and not too sweet which is often the case with carrots. The salad of carrot, bacon and croûtons worked really well, making this dish one of my favourite things we ate that day. We were also given a basket of warm sourdough. I tried not to eat all of it as I knew we had three more course to come, but trust me when I say this was difficult as it tasted delicious.

The main course was surprisingly huge. Red wine braised beef paleron with baby potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The serve yourself nature of this dish added to the rustic, family vibe of the restaurant which I really enjoyed. The meat was perfect, it was so tender and flavoursome that I really regretted not being able to eat it all. The vegetables were simple yet wonderful, the perfect accompaniment.

As I'm not a fan of blue cheese so I was glad we were able to swap one of our third course orders for a salad. It was a pretty simple affair but nevertheless a tasty one thanks to the balsamic dressing. I did try the blue cheese but I hated it. Despite it being mild and creamy I just can't get on board with the mould, give me a brie any day.

Mango panacotta for dessert was perfect. Creamy and sweet thanks to the fruit, I couldn't think of a better way to finish our meal.

I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch at Les Papilles and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good value, classic French meal whether it's lunch or dinner. The menu was a little on the heavy side for lunch but if you're looking for a leisurely afternoon meal then this is a lovely place to spend a couple of hours. The staff speak English and will happily assist you when choosing what to drink. It's a popular spot so I'd recommend booking in advance. Every few minutes people were coming in looking for a table but the restaurant was fully booked. This is somewhere I'd return again as the changing menu means there's always something new to try. Simple and seasonal food that's full of flavour, c'est magnifique.

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PHOTO DIARY: Paris, France, November 2015

I mentioned the other day that I'd visited Paris with my Mum at the end of last year. We like to make a visit on the Eurostar every year. It's a chance for us to spend some quality time together as well as indulge in a fancy lunch and some sight seeing. Paris is a city known for food, wine and art. Fortunately for my, Mum is fond of these three things just as much as I am so she leaves the planning up to me and enjoys the experience of trying something new.

We normally catch the Eurostar at 8am which brings us into Paris just in time for lunch. We hopped on a metro to City Pharma to quickly stock up on some skin care. I took Mum here last time and whilst I thought she'd hate the hoards of people she was actually quite fun of the bargain and French skin care. I had a few items on my list, as did she, plus we had to pick up a little something for my sisters.

Back on the merto for a few stops and we headed to Les Halles for lunch at Pirouette. I wrote about this modern, French bistro so have a look at my review. Spoiler, the food is amazing.

It was then time for a little sight seeing. About a 10 minute walk from the restaurant, past the Pompidou, was the Musée Picasso. This gallery had been on my list for years so it was nice to finally visit. I'm not actually a huge fan of Picasso. I don't mind his work when it's just one or two paintings in an exhibition but when I was in the museum i.e. a hotel dedicated to his art it was all a bit too much. I think it's the abstract paintings of various people that make my head start to spin after awhile.

Next up was the Maison de Victor Hugo i.e. the house Victor Hugo of Les Misérables fame lived in. The apartment is beautiful. It's full of intricate, colourful wallpaper and rich, mahogany furniture. There are a few different rooms to look around but I particularly enjoyed the Chinese themed living room with a beautiful collection of china plates.

Mum and I visited the week after the Paris terrorist attacks so we decided to pay our respects to the victims and visit the memorial at Place de la République. I've never felt so overwhelmed with sadness as we walked around the monument, thinking about the innocent people who had lost their lives. The place was covered with people mourning the loss of the family, friends and fellow Parisians. I wasn't sure if I was going to upload this picture as I sometimes feel that these things can be a little crass. But the picture made me remember that sad moment as well as reminding me that even though terrible things can happen in a city much similar to the one I live in, there is a silver lining in that these awful occurrences bring a city and a nation together to stand strong and fight for their freedom.

We headed back west to reach Frenchie on the Go just in time before it closed. Steve and I had enjoyed a wonderful meal at Frenchie Wine Bar last year so I wanted to visit their deli next door to grab a lobster roll to give to Steve. The deli sells a few different sandwiches which I'd love to try on another visit but be rest assured that the lobster roll is wonderful (it would have to be for €20 to be honest). The brioche bun is sweet and ever so slightly sticky and the lobster is meaty and succulent, it's perfect. If you're getting a sandwich to take away they wrap them up pretty well which makes it easy to transport back home on the Eurostar. We ate it super late that evening and it was heavenly.

I don't have any photos but we spent the rest of the evening wandering around Montmartre, one of my favourite areas in the city. We had crepes at Crêperie Brocéliande and enjoyed some wine in the local bistros. We walked up to the Sacré-Cœur and enjoyed the night time views over the city. It was soon time to head back to the Gare du Nord which is only a 10-15 minute walk away.

It may seem a bit full on visiting Paris for the day but if you live in London it really is doable. It was raining for most of the day which is why we didn't spend that much time wandering the streets but we did that on our previous visit so it was nice to show Mum a different area. Next time I think I'll take her to the Eiffel Tower because she has shockingly never seen it up close.

I'm keeping an eye out for some cheap Eurostar deals so we can visit this summer or autumn.

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RESTAURANT REVIEW: Pirouette, Paris

Last November I went to Paris for the day with my Mum. This is becoming a little tradition of ours; we hope on the Eurostar early, have a lovely lunch, check out a gallery or two, and then spend the rest of the day wandering around before catching the last train back to London.

I'd heard about Pirouette on a previous trip but never had the chance to visit so I made sure that this time around it was top of the list for lunch. I made a booking a month or so in advance and eagerly awaited our trip.

Pirouette is a lovely, modern bistro in the heart of Paris. It's around the corner from the Pompidou centre in the 3rd arrondissement. It's very light thanks to the large windows and fairly generous in size with a mezzanine level above the main area. The staff were very attentive and I very much appreciated the English menu.

There is an a la carte menu as well as a lunch special and tasting menu. Mum went for the lunch special which consisted of black risotto and prosciutto to start, followed by seabass. The food was heavenly and as we ate we noticed that many other people had ordered the same thing. For €20 this is a fantastic deal, especially when you consider the quality of ingredients and presentation of the restaurant.

I went for the Pirouette special which is basically your choice of three courses for €42. A little more expensive than the lunch deal but absolutely worth it.

I started with the poached egg, pumpkin, chorizo and celery salad which was wonderfully fresh and light. For my main dish I had the duck and kale which was rich, flavoursome and everything you could want from a French meal. I finished with a white chocolate tart which was indulgently delicious. I was in Paris so of course I'm ordering chocolate.

Mum ended up ordering the rice pudding with salad caramel, it was heavenly.

Our meal at Pirouette was wonderful, one of the best I've had in Paris actually. It wasn't cheap, especially as we accidentally ordered a €50 bottle of wine (it did taste amazing) but it was worth every penny. The food is classically French but with a modern twist. The ingredients are seasonal and used to create some stunning dishes. This would definitely be a special occasion spot for dinner but the lunch time deal means it's affordable and the perfect location for a casual yet indulgent lunch.

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RESTAURANT REVIEW: L'Assiette, Paris

The final restaurant in my Parisian eating series belongs to L'Assiette which is a traditional French bistro in the south of the city. Everywhere else we'd eaten was pretty contemporary so I wanted to make sure we tried somewhere really authentic and French.

We were served a lovely bottle of Pinot Blanc and before we knew it a generous portion of bread and ham was trusted in front of us.

Steve ordered the pork croquettes which were lovely and rich.

I ordered the seafood tartare which was excellent. The fish was incredibly fresh and the addition of seeds made the contrast in texture delightful. I loved this dish!

For main course Steve had the cod with herb risotto. A beautifully cooked and delicate dish this was full of flavour, the fish was fresh with a crispy skin. Extremely enjoyable.

I apologise for the not so pleasant picture but what the cassoulet lacks in aesthetics it makes up for in taste as this bean and meat stew was simply divine. The slow cooked beans that melted in the mouth were so luxurious I could have forgone the meat entirely and to be honest all the different varieties of pork, beef and veal became a little too much for me. Most people in the restaurant had ordered this as it is some what of a speciality and I can totally understand why.

A simple but rich chocolate mousse for dessert, delicious.

I really enjoyed our meal at L'Assiette, it was nice to have traditional French fare but now that I've been once I don't feel like I need to return unlike some of the other places I visited. That being said, it's definitely worth a visit for an authenic French meal, specially if you're staying in Montparnasse which is a delightful part of the city.

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RESTAURANT REVIEW: BREIZH Cafe, Paris

You cannot visit France without having a crepe or two. I did a little research before our trip to Paris and read about BREIZH Cafe in Le Marais who claim to do the the best crepes in the city. We headed along for lunch one day and found a little modern cafe packed full of people but with just enough space left for the two of us.

The menu is split into savoury galettes (traditional buckwheat pancakes) and sweet crepes with a typical chalkboard menu du jour.

We ordered an obligatory karafe of cider which was sweet and to be perfectly honest not to my liking but that's because I favour dry west country scrumpy.

I ordered a cheese, onion, chorizo and soft egg cooked in cider galette from the special menu which was delicious. I haven't had a buckwheat pancake before, they're a lot woodier in flavour but this really compliments the savoury ingredients.

Steve went for the tripe sausage and salad galette from the main menu, a little adventurous I'd say but the tripe was surprisingly nice and not as powerful tasting as I expected. I definitely preferred my pancake though!

Of course we had to have a sweet crepe to finish so we shared a chocolate pancake, not that horrible Nutella rubbish but proper melted rich chocolate, divine!

I enjoyed out lunch at BREIZH Cafe, I wouldn't say they were the best pancakes I've ever tasted but they were lovely and if I was in the area again and in need of a quick bite I'd be sure to pop in.

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