Pierre Herme, St Germain des Pres - Paris

Herme is dubbed the Picasso of pastry and I can see why. The shop we visited was tantamount to a museum of edible treats. He’s famous for his macaroons so that was a must. We tried the chocolate, caramel and almond (each 2 euros). The build up to trying these circles of joy was immense, so as I stood outside his shop and took my first bite I was both excited and scared it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. Unfortunately my fear was realised. Don’t get me wrong here, there was nothing wrong per say, but it was just too rich, too sweet and not the texture I had come to know and love from the ones I’d previously had.

The shop in itself was a little ludicrous. It reminded me of a very high end jewellery shop, which didn’t put it our of place on a street with shops like Max Mara and Didier Guerin. If you walked past it you’d be none the wiser to the fact it wasn’t a place to buy diamonds. It felt odd having 5 servers in a shop that was no bigger than a walk in wardrobe, and equally odd that the chocolates and cakes were securely locked in glass cabinets.

I wanted to show my husband a genuine French patisserie and unfortunately this wasn’t one. Twas a bit too la-di-da.

Pierre Hermes
5/10
72 Rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 54 47 77

www.pierreherme.com

La Station Rambuteau - Le Marais, Paris

We were hungry. It was close to midnight. La Station was the only thing open. A bistro like every other on the corner of a road that offered nothing of great interest. Places like this are my favourite discoveries. The unassuming, un-publicised little gems you find by accident because you’e desperately searching for food at a late hour.

We sat outside next to an old English couple that looked liked they’d been together for more years than I’ve been alive. That was a sweet little touch and I guess added to the romance of the place.

We had the Charcuterie slash Fromage board to share. It was lovely. There was salami, coppa, serrano and a good mixture of soft and hard cheeses. It came with bread and a healthy dollop of creamy butter. It was a steal at 9 euros for the amount we got.

Our first night in Paris, our first stop for sustenance and our first culinary success. 

La Station Rambuteau

9/10

20 Rue Beaubourg

75004 Paris

Tel: +33 1 42 72 80 85