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WENZHOU OF BELLEVILLE

In Paris we’ve got the Chinese quarter, Chinese traiteurs up and down streets in many neighborhoods…. and then the places that people recommend regardless of where they are located. Wenzhou was recommended to me by Valerie, and we went one day for lunch to this magical place. Located in one of my favorite parts of Paris, Wenzhou is right up in Belleville, a hustle bustle of a neighborhood filled with restaurants serving specialties from across the globe, and every kind of person strolling the neighborhood as a local. It’s the perfect mixture of all places, and has a little bit of everything, and for me is a part of the real Paris. I just love this neighborhood.

Wenzhou has Chinese specialties, from raviolis  to noodles to chicken dishes to whatever you heart desires. It’s busy and quick, but a filling plate of delicious. Their menu is quite visual – literally – showing pictures of the dishes which I find quite amusing.

Wenzhou
24 rue de Belleville, 75020
Tél:
Métro: Belleville (2, 11)

THE MORNING IN BAILEY







When I’m visiting back home in the Rocky Mountains, one of my favorite things to do is to drive around and stroll through the little mountain towns.

Not far from where my mom lives is the town of Bailey, Colorado. As a sidenote, Bailey is (now) the home of the Coney Island Hot Dog stand, which when I was growing up, was a bit more down the mountain in Conifer, and I would go as a girl scout on our way up to camp and do girl scout things like learning about which berries to eat in the wild and how to make a fire and how the weather works and such. Good times. I was thrilled to find it again and realize how it really is just the same… so charming…

We wandered up the dirt roads and back around for breakfast at the Cut Throat Café, a precious and affordable café with a cozy mountain touch. I sure do love my breakfast burritos. Oh, mornings in the Rockies…

EASTER WEEKEND IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Easter is a holiday I grew up only celebrating the all-American-commercial type of way. It was a day filled with family and close friends, epic Easter baskets carefully crafted and well thought out by my mom, egg painting and plastic egg filling for the big hunt, Easter candy corn binging and Charlie Brown. One year my sister and I even got Furbies for Easter, which was pretty intense. I have random blurry memories of huge fields in the mountains with tons of kids and someone dressed up in a huge bunny costume. I would wear pastels dresses and Keds and feel so delighted to look under rocks and behind trees for the colorful hidden eggs.

Easter now is something still close to my heart. The tradition part of it has stuck with me, despite having never grown up with the true reason for celebrating Easter (oops). Even when far away from actual family, brunches with girlfriends and now my in-laws have always been added to the agenda. An excuse to whip out all things pastel, treats both savory and sweet, and some good company.

This Easter at the in-laws it was a laid back lunch out in the sunshine, which already was a blessing in itself. It was a weekend of relaxing outside of the city. I had needed some family time. And as you know if you’ve been following my blog for some time, this spot if a paradise in itself. With some beer from the region and epic grub, it was a hearty weekend even topped with a game of Monopoly.

On the gloomiest day in the world this house would still be precious as ever to me, but with the sun rays and colorful camellias, daisies, wisteria and nasturtium, it truly felt like Spring. The only things missing in my book aside from my Colorado family were Jell-O and Brach’s Easter Candy Corn. I hope you all had a magical Easter.

LUNCH AT LES DEUX ABEILLES

Les Deux Abeilles is a precious little restaurant and tea room in the 7th arrondissement, right around the corner from the Eiffel Tower. It’s got that homey- grandma feel… the floral wallpaper, the wooden shelves and furniture with the cakes all sliced perfectly and placed nicely on cake plates, the white tablecloths and greenery indoors…. It’s cozy and girly but elegant, and has everything you could hope for on  the savory menu, from salads to quiches to pasta . The dessert menu offers all of the classic tarts, lemon, apple, rhubarb, chocolate, crumbles of all sorts…

I discovered this place through a colleague, despite having studied all four years of my Bachelor’s degree only 5 minutes away. Lunches are crowded and reservations most certainly needed, but pop by a late afternoon after a stroll along the Seine and have a high tea if they’ve got open tables. You’ll feel as if you’re in a farm house paradise far away from the hustle bustle of Paris. The hometown feel screams ladies who lunch, and they’ve got a killer hot chocolate to lure you in in the winter months.

It’s open from 9am to 7pm, best for lunch and high tea. The back room is like an indoor courtyard, with heaps of light and the perfect ambiance for a slice of tart with your favorite tea.

Les Deux Abeilles
189 Rue de l’Université, 75007
Tél:
Métro: Alma Marceau (9)
Reservations needed

LAST SUMMER AT LOUSTIC

These photos are a bit old, but I had forgotten how much I like them. I feel like they capture the evening so perfectly. There was a Yelp Elite event at  last summer, a cozy coffeeshop that I adore, and the evening tones made the place even more precious with an inverted atmosphere. There was wine, cheesecake, coffee, homemade marshmallows and more at this magical evening. The Yelp Elite crowd is a fantastic one, we all come together around one common point despite our different career paths and stories : grub in Paris. It’s a sense of a community. Loustic was the perfect spot for this place because it is that special café where you go and feel like a local. You get the “hey how ya doin’?” when you walk in, and a sense of comfort and coziness. It’s not everyday you come by this type of place.

Lately the time has flown, and I have had little time to sit and relax and organize my photos to share with you guys here on the blog. Going through these photos made me realize how fast the months have gone by (and year!) and how the photos are still just as much worth sharing. The Spring season is coming and going here in Paris, not quite sticking yet to prepare for summer. I’m anxious for summer evenings on terraces and café doors open to let in the fresh breeze. That with a cuppa, sure does sound like my kind of paradise.

More on Loustic, which is also a part of my Paris Guide.

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