19 December 2007

Paris - Dec 06 - Latin Quarter - Part IV

Latin Quarter, located on the left bank in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, is known for its many reasonably priced bistros due to it proximity to the Sorbonne University.
Come night time, the atmosphere is lively with lots of souvenir shops scattered around and bistro owners touting for business along the street.



Conveniently located right across Notre Dame.



Hmmm...I needed a toilet pretty badly then and so I believed I must have hopped into the second or third bistro in sight since almost all look very much the same offering similar seafood fare.

We ordered a fresh prawns salad as starter, crab roe and salmon as mains and a chocolate muffin as dessert. Food is good especially taking into account how difficult it is for me to find fresh seafood in UK and it's also the cheapest dinner in Paris so far costing us slightly less than 40 euros for a meal for two.









Ended the cold night with a warm and sinful nutella banana crepe.



The hotel for this trip is the conveniently located Paris Hilton, right across the street from Effiel Tower. Service is particularly good especially when on the day of our scheduled departure, alot of flights to UK were cancelled due to very bad weather and the staff went to extra mile to print out the details of my flight to assure me that the flights cancellation would not affect me (although the flight was delayed for 6 hours due to the weather after we reached the airport).



The view from the room's window



People say the French are arrogant...but I say they definitely know how to indulge in their way of life...

I like Paris...so much that I am planning for a trip again next summer...

Till then...

15 December 2007

Paris - Dec 06 - Fastfood - Part III

Food on the go is especially convenient when there is too little time and too many places to cover, thus breakfast for the day was a simple baguette from a local bakery.

The bread was extremely fluffy and soft in the inside while moist and cripsy with the layer of cheese on top of some slices of tomatoes...simple ingredients with fantastic results.





Some sights of Paris...

Notre Dame



Arch De Triumph



The building which is a nightmare for pockets of students like me!



Centre Pmpidou



Lunch was at a local fastfood restaurant across the street from Pompidou...operated in Marche-style manner...







Final part to be up soon...

14 December 2007

King Ludwig's Castle @ Disney Village - Paris Dec 06 - Part II

Disneyland...I imagine it must be every kid's dream to be there once in their lifetime ...immersing in the out of the world experience where all troubles are forgotten...



And despite the near zero degree weather, I have a fabulous time going from castle to castle and seeing all the disney characters coming alive!

So engrossed in the whole experience that I've forgotten to take photos of any food until my first generation camera decided to die on me after just one shot while having dinner at King Ludwig's Castle @ Disney Village...



The castle-themed restaurant was bustling with life and filled to its maximum capacity during dinner time and we waited for a good 45 minutes before getting a table...a good ending to the magical day indeed...

King Ludwig's Castle

13 December 2007

Paris - Dec 06 - Part I

Been very busy with school currently so here's a short entry on my Paris trip last December.



Don't you love it when there's nobody rushing you through a meal...and simply indulging in the gratifying food with a glass of wine while good conversation flows...with the Effiel Tower proudly shining its Christmas lighting as the backdrop no less...

This is no dainty food...

But unpretentious cooking at its very best...

The complimentary bread served with red wine vinegar, mustard and butter.



Seafood platter on ice.

Anyone caught the Mr Bean vacation movie where he went to Paris and ordered this similar dish and felt intimidated with the chief waiter observing his take to the seafood? It was indeed so initially...imagine using the hands to deshell the prawns and such and trying not to create a mess! But for seafood this fresh, it's worth every bit (and a little mess)...



The main courses of grilled seabass and steak with roasted potatoes...





This meal alone detroys any perception that good Parisian food has got to be in tiny portions served in big plates.

More to be up soon...

10 December 2007

Mini-break

After weeks of being in the depressing library...



It's good to still be alive :)



Cheers!