Walk into this burger atelier and you’ll be pleasantly surprised- Michael Jackson and other 80′s reminiscent tunes hum above while you’re greeted by moustache-adorned smiles and berets. The latest creative take on fast food is catching wave in the Faubourg Saint Denis area and for good reason. Big Fernand is a unique up and coming gourmet burger spot- fast, fresh and damn tasty with a cool vibe that doesn’t try too hard. Still retaining a chic savor, this burger joint dons a warm atmosphere of down to earth deco with stone brick walls and large wooden tables.
When you think of Strasbourg St Denis, « chill » and « relax » aren’t exactly the words that come to your mind in the first place.
« L\Inconnu », « Jeannette » and « Mauri7″ are more likely to be the one you think of, along with « drink », « dance » and « total-mess-the-next-morning ».
How genuinely popular can a « Bistrot Populaire » be in the 3rd district nowadays? Or should I say, 10 feet from Merci, Grazie and all those very « popular chic » (ie, expensive) places of the neighborhood?
To answer to this question, first, there’s the look. 50′s formica furniture, an old 2CV embedded in a wall, a diner atmosphere and a delicious rotisserie behind the counter… Ok, the old school vibe is undeniable.
Meet Helmut Newcake. Thanks to this “deli-patisserie,” gluten-free has never looked sexier, and tasted yummier either. Everything is gluten-free, so you finally have an excuse to ask out that hottie with the raging allergies. Order some pastries to eat along the banks of the Canal, or sit down, stay awhile. Helmut has a beautifully lit veranda to lunch on and a few nice armchairs for lounging around with a coffee and a pastry. Service here is decidedly sweet and the place is rather dreamy (what’s with those mysterious feathers dangling from the ceiling?). For lunch, the kitchen offers a choice of two daily specials. Good luck trying to snag a coveted spot for Sunday brunch, which features a complete menu including scrambled eggs, salmon, and a stack of glutenless pancakes. Ten Days tried a hearty cod parmentier and a chicken/noodle stir-fry. The plates are good, but let’s be honest, we really came for dessert.
The charming couple of owners, one half an ex-pastry chef of Lenôtre, stock a pastry case that is pure eye candy, overflowing with financiers, cannelés, éclairs, tarts, and cupcakes, all baked in-house, and a fondant au chocolat that goes down smooth and hits all the right spots. So how do they do it?
What’s a better way to celebrate the first rays of sun in Paris than to sit in a charming visual environment with a couple of friends while listening to a vinyl squeaky? The recently opened tearoom La Chambre aux Oiseaux …
Opened two weeks ago in the same building as the freshly renovated la Maison de la Mutualité in the Latin Quarter, this chic loft-bistro is definitely one to watch in the Parisian dining scene. Its three-Michelin-star-awarded chef Yannick Alléno, also known as the chef of Le Meurice, pays homage to the growing locavore movement in the city by creating modern versions of traditional Ile de France recipes–only using local produce, of course. With the names for dishes taken from villages of its ingredients’ origin
This one-dish wonder tucked away in the curious Passage des Panoramas gives new meaning, and style, to bar food in Paris. Cooler than its Rue St. Anne counterparts, cheaper than its neighbours, Gyoza Bar is a little oasis in the dine-out desert of Grands Boulevards. The restaurant reflects a sleek minimalist design, with only 12 seats around a large, rectangular wooden counter. On the menu, there’s just one main dish: gyoza, or Japanese dumplings, in portions of 8 or 12 (there are also sides of steamed rice and marinated soybeans)
It takes a lot to make us put down a juicy hamburger, but we’ll admit it: we got mobbed. Straight off the mean streets of Brooklyn and fresh on the block of Rue Charlot, this little outer borough-inspired bodega is trying to prove that vegan food isn’t just for the ladies.
Sometimes, it happens that you were heading to get a juicy-trendy-burger for lunch, but the spectrum of queuing for half an hour in the damn January cold to get it forces you to change your plans. So you just go down the street and see the cutest spot, with a big sign on its door « Bio et sain »