06/06/2016
Yann Couvreur opens his pastry shop

Goncourt metro statin, Parmentier avenue. It is at the heart of this lively neighborhood that Yann Couvreur – pastry chef of the Prince de Galles palace – decided to open his own pastry shop. Light wood, hanging plants, pretty waitresses in leather aprons, here is the attention paid to every detail, to refined packaging decorated with copper-highlights-foxes reminding us of the chef’s hair color. Pastries are made with Pamplie salted butter, plated desserts are prepared by the minute, éclairs are fille with mocha and anise, and the “Wonderful” praline cakes lives up to his name. My heart thrills, my taste buds quiver. My favorite is definitely the raspberry tart with its surprising tarragon cream, a perfect mix of acidity and crispness of the exquisite pastry.

Where:
137 avenue Parmentier
75010 Paris

When : Tuesday-Sunday from 8pm til 7pm / 8pm Thursday-Saturday

How much : 6€ éclair / 10€ desserts / 26€ entremet / 9€ breakfast / 6,50€ chocolate

24/05/2016
Avocado style

The avocado is so in right now, whether it is spread on a toast, twisted in a dessert or cut into the shape of flowers, the hashtags avocatotoast or avocadorose have exploded on Instagram. So if you are fans of this delicious fruit, this is how you can get dressed. Such a fan of these shoes!

1. Espadrilles – Soludos x Jason Polan –> Saks (70€)

2. Socks –> Urban outfitters (7$)

3. Earrings –> Etsy (17€)

4. Sweat –> RAD (32$)

5. Cap –> Inu Inu

6. Poster –> Etsy (13,75)

7. iPhone case –> Etsy (13)

23/05/2016
Meriggio

In the lively Grands Boulevards neighborhood, Meriggio transports us directly to Italian lands. You can come here to drink your morning coffee, eat lasagna on the run at noon, drink a spritz for apéritif or stay longer for dinner around typical Italian dishes. This warm modern trattoria – marble tables, parquet and colored tiles – offers generous plates, and carefully selected products from small Italian producers shipped weekly, like mortadella or truffled pecorino that you can also buy. The burrata is creamy, the vitello tonnato is melting like a carpaccio, and we can’t get enough of the parmigiana or the limoncello pannacotta!

Meriggio

3 Rue Rougemont

75009 Paris

Formule café + panteonne: 5€

Plats : 11/20€

Desserts: 8€

18/05/2016
Gluten-free asparagus tart

Maybe you’ve noticed already, I stopped gluten a few months ago – not to follow trends as some might think – and I see a real effect on my health. All that to say that I improvised this gluten free pastry which is just a killer, without wanting to pride :-) It’s as good or even better than a normal one! However it is more friable. I served it with seasonal asparagus, you can even sprinkle them with grated parmesan. I used a lemon salt that I brought back from Portugal, a true delight! I will prepare a supplement on Lisbon city guide soon! Stay tuned !

The Ingredients

– 100g corn flour
– 100 de rice flour
– 100g salted butter (soft)
– 2 tablespoons of water
– 1 egg
– a dozen fresh asparagus
– a few pine nuts
– 5 tablespoons of mascarpone

The Recipe

1. Beat the egg, then add the flour. Add the softened butter cut into small pieces.
2. Mix well, then add the water. Form a ball.
3. You can then roll out the dough (you can also chill it for 1H before in the fridge) on a greaseproof paper.
4. In a buttered mold, place the dough and the mascarpone on top. Wash and peel the end of the asparagus, and place them in the mold as tight as possible.
5. Add salt and pepper, the pine nuts, and sprinkle with olive oil.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes at 180°C.

12/05/2016
Tawlet – Beirut

I had the chance to give a workshop in Beirut last month, and discovered this vibrant, puzzling, amazing city! Lebanese food is absolutely delicious, I really enjoyed myself eating mini crunchy cucumbers, tabbouleh, eggplants cooked a thousand different ways… I also discovered the “white coffee”, which is actually the essence of orange blossom infused in hot water! I was taken to this very nice organic restaurant, which invites women every week from the mountains to come and cook their specialties. They all come from different backgrounds, that day the chef was Palestinian: sheep tartare, labneh, bean salad, lamb marinated in spices, rice with pine nuts … A gargantuan buffet of organic fresh products from the region, savoury and sweets like seasonal fruits, cakes with honey, pistachio, figs … You can even buy organic products from the region, thyme, sumac, olive oil, and pretty ceramics.

04/05/2016
A Cevicheria – Lisbon

Kiko Martins graduated in marketing but quickly realized that his future was dedicated to cooking. After studying and working in Paris and London (The Fat Duck, Ledoyen, Eleven), he left for Mozambique for a humanitarian project. In 2010, he traveled the world with his wife, and ate with the natives of 26 countries, all turned into a book, Eat the World. Back to Lisbon with lots of ideas in his head and inspired by world cuisine, Kiko launched in 2013 O Tahlo, a project born from the desire to innovate and find new ways to eat meat, a butcher shop-restaurant. A year later, he opened A Cevicheria, his fish restaurant, inspired by Peruvian ceviches. Between TV shows, books, conferences and training, the chef never stops!

A giant octopus flying above a marble backlit countertop, azulejos tiles of the floor, and the iconic swallow bird cut out into the metal doors, the decor is here has elaborated as the plates. The chef revisits the famous Portuguese cod into a ceviche with a lime broth on a chestnut cream. The half cooked scallops are cluttered with a chilli crust, surrounded by a potato foam, egg cooked at low temperature and asparagus tagliatelle. The octopus smoked by the chef in front of us, is savoured with barbecue sauce and black squid ink potato puree. For dessert, the banana and chocolate mousse with salted caramel is perfect, while the surprising mix of celery granita, candied avocado, espuma of green apple and pistachio financier lacks a little balance. Although the dishes cost about 12 euros, the note quickly rises up with drinks, cuttlery and bread (which they charge you in Portugal)… We still are more than won over!

A Cevicheria
Rua Dom Pedro V 129
Lisboa

Open from 12:30 until midnight
Menu 6 courses: 37 euros