Sometimes as a food writer (okay, an enthusiastic dilettante, but cut me some slack here) it’s difficult to balance my expectations of a place with that of other diners, and then to evaluate this with that singular expectation that may be considered an ‘objective view’. We all know that one man’s meat is another man’s poison and it is for this reason that blogs and other forums have become so stunningly popular in the last few years. People love to share and maybe even argue their differing opinions. But at the end of the day despite what I may think on an ‘objective’ level, when I go out for dinner (or lunch or brunch) I do feel that there is a fundamental degree of satisfaction that I would prefer to be met.

So it’s with some ambiguity and an unspecified degree of disappointment that I write my ten cents worth about Le Chateaubriand. For those of you who don’t like reading the (admittedly long-winded) text and would rather stick to the photos and thumbs-up or down approach, I’ll cut to the chase: this place is so inappropriately named as to be hilarious. After dropping 145 euro I came away feeling remarkably disappointed, and sadly remained unsated. Of course to be fair, if you went there the following night you may have had a totally different (i.e. wonderful) experience in comparison with what I talk about here. But to put it simply, after the dinner we had I’d have real problems recommending anyone to Le Chateaubriand and not feeling guilty for doing so. … read more »

To walk into Denise’s Acabo’s sweets store A L’Etoile D’Or in the 9th arrondissement is to step into a world somewhere between Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This is a little shop of wonders: replete with a grown-up little girl to take your hand and guide you through its many marvels. … read more »

Most people find their way to rue Mouffetard in the 5th one way or another. Whether it is to visit the open market that springs to life every couple of days in Place Monge, or the smaller morning market at the bottom of the rue in Saint Médard’s front square, or even simply by stumbling upon it after nondescript wanderings around the Latin Quarter. It is a picturesque and lively street, catering to locals and tourists alike with food stores that spill onto the road and innumerable eating-places (most better avoided, if I am to be honest) that fill to the brim in the warmer months. Yet happily, there is a little corner of “Mouffetard” that remains largely untouched by this lively bustle, and in fact, has stayed much the same since it first opened its doors in 1870.

Wander into Le Verre à Pied and except for the contemporary art pieces that line the walls forming temporary art exhibitions, you could be forgiven for thinking that you have stepped back into the ‘old Paris’ of the 1870’s. Long, thin, mirrored, slightly crooked, crammed with old-fashioned bottles and glasses and populated by the same people who have been drinking here for the last 50 years, the bar embodies a slice of historic Paris that is often romanticised but rarely remains intact today. … read more »

Maybe it’s because of my Australian upbringing, but as soon as the weather begins to warm up I automatically start salivating for seafood. When I say seafood, I don’t just mean fish & chips or prawns on barbeques. I mean shellfish, lots of it, washed down with something fresh, chilled and grape derived and preferably ready to be removed from its protective encasing and delivered only moments later to my waiting maw. Yes, if it is normally served on ice or comes on a platter swathed in seaweed, it has fuelled at least one gastronomic fantasy this week.

And it’s for reasons like this, that people like me frequent places like L’Ecailler du Bistrot. … read more »

I have been reluctant to write about this favourite spot of mine for a while now. There is something about revealing my regular hang-outs that sometimes makes me feel kind of guarded, and even slightly vulnerable. Let’s face it: the more people that know of these little places means the harder it is for the rest of us to get a table. But having written this blog for a few months now, and especially as summer actually appears to be considering a comeback performance after a year off in 2007, I thought that not sharing this great place – with the animated terrace right on the Canal Saint Martin – would certainly be very selfish of me.

What is known as “the local” in French Fling lexicon, L’Écluse Valmy is the place where I take friends for impromptu dinners, or when I feel like eating out without having to go “out”. Everyone should have a place like this around the corner from home, as whilst the food may not be ground-breaking, it is reliable, affordable, crowd-pleasing and is always served with a smile. … read more »