Le Marché des Enfants Rouges.

As per always, I was in the 3rd on Sunday. I know this is becoming old news but it is just one of those places. Anyway, whilst in the 3rd and awaiting a coffee date with BT I took a minute to get my bearings in the pretty cobbled streets. Little did I know how close I was to Le Marché des Enfants Rouges. Now this may sound hugely exciting; a market filled with red children..? Sorry to shatter your image of paint-splattered children swinging their little legs whilst perched on market stands or running around reckless smearing customers with their red pigment but this market is a covered market and there are no red children. 

Now, a brief history lesson for you; this market is known to be the oldest food market in Paris and the name refers to the uniform worn by the children from the local orphanage way back in the year 1615. Today the market is an ideal breakfast/brunch/lunch spot as stall holders sell the freshest cooked dishes made from their own produce. There are also stalls wafting with smells of fresh fruit and vegetables, cheeses, olives, charcuterie, breads and croissants and a huge variety of different cuisines ranging from Italian to Moroccan. You just want to taste EVERYTHING. 

The market is open every day except Mondays, 9am-2pm and 4pm-8pm; Sunday hours are 9am-2pm and it's definitely a swell place to go especially if you have a hungry appetite.

Bubbles in my tea.

This post doesn't really serve a great deal of purpose however I just want to draw your attention to the joy that is bubble tea.

I would go as far as saying I'm a bit of a bubble tea nerd, (if I could make a word-cocktail for that I so would but it's pushing my capabilities.) My darling mother even put some chubby straws and tapioca balls in my stocking so that I could make bubble tea at home!

Bubble tea or Bobas originate from Taiwan and first came to people's attention in the1980's. There's are an endless menu of flavours including mango, strawberry, green apple, mocha, green tea, rose, almond, ginger and the list goes on. There are two types, one made with milk and the other without which tend to have the fruiter flavours. The most exciting part of the bubble tea concept are the bubbles themselves. Made from Tapioca which is a starch extract taken from cassava (some woody shrub found in South America would you believe?) the chewy bubbles add texture and you can even get them in different colours. Just imagine rainbow coloured bubbles in your gorgeously sweet tea floating around having a merry little time. Magic.

These photos were taken on the steps of Opéra in the hometown that is Paris. BT and I spent our last evening together as blogger pals splurging on katsu curry, miso ramen and of course bubble teas. I couldn't have asked for a nicer time even if I tried. Thank you BT, this one's for you!

P.s Check out this place if you're in London anytime soon to get a crazy tea experience. You'll have a right bubble. 

Palais de Tokyo play time.

Seeing as we were in the vicinity, we thought it would be rude not to have a further explore around the intriguing looking exhibitions at Palais de Tokyo. 

 Controversial looking posters were literally asking for some poses. 

 Word.

 I do love a good visual map. Arrows included and all. 

 Have you ever seen so many colours in one space?! That's my excited face just so you know.

 It was like a rainbow submerged indoor skatepark.

 Sitting pretty Miss. BT

Play time really is underrated. It's such a delight to see things for the very first time and that's what art and exhibitions allow you to do. Palais de Tokyo is definitely worth a go.

Here's a playtime-esque kind of song that always gets my toes tapping and yes I do often sing along despite being ever so slightly tone deaf. ENJOY OY OY.

N°5 Culture Chanel exhibition.

Chanel is one of those names that just exudes glamour. Simple, chic and ever so typically French, whenever those two monochromed C's are together one can't help but get drawn in. The N° 5 Culture Chanel exhibition is being held at Palais de Tokyo in the swanky 16th arrondissement and after having seen many a poster with the iconic N° 5 bottle I was keen to learn more.

I met BT after work and after being handed wadding guide books of hardback goodness we were also pointed in the direction of FREE audio-guides. FREE. This is seemed rather novel to us and as we sheepishly put on our head-sets it became apparent that the layout for the exhibition was somewhat confusing. I know it doesn't take a lot to throw me but this zig zag format really wasn't ideal for manoeuvring between each of the glass blocks displaying pictures, letters, pieces of artwork all personal to Gabrielle Chanel herself. Despite being very informative, we actually decided to do the exhibition on our own terms with the help of the beautifully put together guide-book. 

 Gabrielle really knew how to work a string of pearls. 

 DALI. 

 Given the chance, I so would've smuggled these out of Palais de Tokyo. 

The FREE audio-guide plus guide-book that I am now going to keep forevs.

What I found surprising were the amount of references to other artists such as Dali and Guillaume Apollinaire who influence Gabrielle Chanel and even the name of her most famous and first fragrance N° 5. Did you know that 5 was Gabrielle Chanel's lucky number and all throughout her childhood she attached it to symbols and signs. It's also a number with secret meanings associated with Hinduism, Buddhism and the mystification with the number 5 in China. Gabrielle wasn't just thinking about aesthetics or how Nicole Kidman would look sporting the N° 5 necklace specially made for the perfume advert directed by Baz Lurhmann. In fact Gabrielle Chanel was one tough cookie and she really pushed the boundaries in the creation of fashion designs, causing controversy whilst simultaneously changing the face of fashion for generations to come. 

B.I.A

As it happens, I have visited this establishment a couple of times and I'm also proud to say  that I've been to both of its branches on the right and left hand sides of the river. I'm talking about the marvel that is B.I.A 

Breakfast In America is a kitch, cosy-corner of a diner, serving up typically American dishes such as the humble burger in many different varieties including the SUPER B.I.A burger, the New Mexican burger and even a veggie burger for all you herbivores out there. Equally as tempting as their burgers are their selection of sides, sweets and shakes. It's all too much to take in but my advice would be not to go overboard and order one of everything as from experience one can have that eyes-bigger-than-your-belly feeling. 

The Sunday brunch menu makes this place truly delectable. Let me break it down for you. Basically it's a €16.50 formule compromised of three choices made by you from the three sections of the menu. The first section is mainly egg options served either as an omelette, sunny side up, scrambled, all with a side of bacon or a serving of tomatoes or home-made fries which I'd definitely recommend. The second section is all about pancakes. In my mind this section doesn't really pose a choice as for me it's pancakes every time. Finally you have to make the choice between OJ with an expresso or a regular mug of filter coffee, obviously the two aren't combined together as that would be an orange hinted coffee experience gone wrong.

Of course MP and I went for the formule, embracing the two course brunch experience, whereas BT opted for a less greedy option with the 2 x 2 x 2 (2 eggs, 2 rashes of bacon and 2 pancakes).

What a delight.

Unfortunately once I had poured syrup over stack of fluffy goodness I got too distracted to take a picture, so here they are without syrup in all their pancake glory. 

This place is a little bit of an escape in the gastronomic centre of the world that is Paris but it's hard not to love it. The staff are friendly and service is efficient even with the queues of people waiting for their fix of typically diner-esque grub. For me it's a winner every time as it hails the most important meal of the day and my personal weakness; breakfast.

MP in Ptown - Sunday.

No Sunday in my eyes would be complete without a full on breakfast with all the trimmings followed by a hearty walk to march off that second helping of toast. This is pretty much how MP and I spent Sunday in Paris and it was bliss.

We started where I tend to gravitate every Sunday, in the 3rd. B.I.A was our brunch destination and because of its popularity there was a queue but did we let that phase us? Did we heck. My usual Sunday funday companion BT also joined us for brunching festivities and needless to say we were served up with delights that were totally worth the wait.

More about B.I.A to follow as I feel it deserves a post of its own. It's that good.

After rolling out the door with fit to burst stomachs we had an amble around the Marais of course taking in a couple of vintage shops as well as sprinting generous amounts of Jo Malone fragrances. Place de Vosges was occupied with many a couple, picnic goer and pottering toddler and the sun was even shining!

Next on the agenda was the Promenade Planté which starts just down rue de Lyon near to Bastille and follows an old railway line right down to Porte de Vincennes. I am proud to say that we walked the WHOLE way. 3.7km. All of a sudden, those pancakes covered in maple syrup didn't seem so bad.

The raised platform of the Promenade Planté is ideal for apartment snooping.

Babe. 

As the sun was in full array by this time we headed to Jardin des Plantes; another first time experience for me and frankly I can't see why I haven't been sooner. Lined with flowers and surrounded by other smaller gardens plus a menagerie of animals, Jardin des Plantes had that ideal, Sunday-afternoon-stolling-without-a-care kind of vibe.

A lesser spotted MP under a tree.

We made a bit of a detour to the mosque which again i had never been to before but heard so much on the grapevine about. The tea-room was teaming with people and the smell of sweet mint tea was swirling amongst wisps of sheesha pipes. By Paris standards the patisseries are quite cheap, €2 euros will get you something most likely containing almonds but totally delectable.

The intriguing looking green jelly was pistachio flavoured Turkish delight and a delight it was. 

I can't get enough of this few of the Notre Dame from the river. Beaut. 

All in all and pour conclure, it was a blissful weekend of discoveries, much needed catch ups and of course when in the company of MP countless laughs. Thank you for making the journey, you are welcome back anytime and in my eyes you are by no means a couple of sandwiches short of a full picnic.