TOP EUROPEAN BREAKFAST HOLE

Okay so WHENEVER I AM IN PARIS which is not as often as it should be, I ALWAYS MAKE A DETERMINED EFFORT to visit L’Estaminet d’Arômes et Cépages for brunch on Sunday morning.This trip I had a fish brunch - smoked salmon, fig and cinnamon confiture, a home made crab paste, another oniony paste with green things that was so delicious, scrambled egg, a scone, natural yoghurt [with a bloody star anise seed if you please which I struggled around London not so long ago to search for!] fruit salad, salad, coffee, apple juice and fresh bread for €20.



You have to sit at this big shared farmhouse table and all the staff are women. I was lucky enough to sit next to some upper class Frenchies who spoke like the recorded voices on language CD's and listen to them go on about food.



This one was in 2007, with a little Amuse Bouche - a tomato soup, charcuterie, and the jam didn't come on the plate this time for some reason but it was confiture de chataigne.

So where is this incredible place? It is at the back of the Marché des Enfants Rouges on rue de Bretagne in the 3rd. The nearest Metro is Temple. The Marché is apparently a bit of a foodies market - there are loads of great wines and cheese, organic vegies and stuff and some well known Asian 'restaurant' there too. It isn't very big though. In the market building in a shop selling vintage photographs and the owner has always been the rudest prick to me when I have been to the shop and I have never managed to have a proper look at anything however year after year I go back in the hope he will be nice and let me look around and buy something. The market is also pretty close to an APC store, another nice boutique called Shine that has nice jewellery in it even though all the clothes are stuff you can get here - Marc, See by Chloe blah blah.

There is also another store not far called ie which sells all kinds of baby and children's wear from Indian and Japanese fabrics made by a husband and wife team I think. She's Japanese and he is from India. You can also buy there fabric, toys, tiles, posters all from India. A bit like Brick Lane only cuter and not as smelly.



Anyway the phone is ringing. Who is it that cares if I live or die at this hour?

xx Lektrogirl