S is for Spring Special

Pre-emptively

Spring is the time for regrowth, the end of hibernation. The moment of first blooms, warm and silky evenings, and most importantly, light. Seeing as we have not had Spring this year, in Paris at least, these moments of regeneration and rejuvenation have been severely lacking. I feel it deeply when the arrival of Spring is continuously postponed, it feels personal. I’ve felt it especially deeply this year, with the longest winter lull gripping its icy claws into March, April, and May. Paris in the sun is one of my favourite places in the world, I like it in the winter as well, but it hits different when the pavements are radiating warmth in the evening light, having been scorched by the blazing midday rays. There aren’t many retreats out of the sunshine once she does arrive meaning you have to be willing, open, ready to embrace it.

This Spring special, therefore, will showcase things that have brought the sunshine this dreary printemps, and honestly there haven’t been many. But May gave way to a quick weekend in London, full of eating and a glimpse of what a life in London might look like for me (read: never hungry and very broke).

This epistle is being written from the Basque Country, where I will be spending the next four months working in the restaurant of Villa Magnan; De Puta Madre. The sun has been shining here, giving hope of a hot kitchen summer, although interspersed with torrential rain showers, keeping the garden very lush and green. If anyone is heading down to the South West of France this summer, let me know and I can impart my quickly expanding restaurant recommendations, and we can have a beer.

Edible Recommendations

Chez Philou

When compiling this list with the idea of a sunny outlook, this bar was the first to spring (pun intended) to mind. Recently taken over by a very friendly new owner Guillaume, Chez Philou has a three table terrace in front of its old, tabac-style storefront. Full frontal sunshine all afternoon gave way to a 4pm sangria with my friend Achille, which was so fresh and slidey that it led to a second. The bar serves snacks (not quite tapas but nearly) and sandwiches (not quite bocadillas but nearly) and fun cocktails. For 6 euros, a sangria in the sun is never a bad idea.

Café des Délices

Continuing in the same vein without worrying my family about an over-consumption of alcohol, this bar has become an HQ for afterwork, afternoon drinks. The terrace, equally, gets direct sunlight and shelter from the Boulevard breeze, making it a perfect little sun trap. I used to dislike it, honestly, I found the bar pretentious and the staff quite cold, but as the sun has thawed them off, the place has become more and more palatable. It is sure that the moments passed in one place can swing your opinion and Café des Délices has had its fair share of sunny times these past few months.

Zoé Bouillon

Just down at the bottom of my street is a small café (daytime) / restaurant (nighttime) called Zoé which has become something of a canteen for me. On a Monday, my first weekend day, I like to do nothing, really nothing at all. It’s a daylong recup after a working weekend and a quick potter to Zoé Bouillon for a pulled pork sandwich and a vegetable loaded salad is the perfect not-work-from-home lunch. The menu changes daily (except the pork sandwich which is served on a fluffy galette berbère) and it is fresh and greedy.

Gramme 11

I used to work here, so it feels biased, but the jokes on me, that the food coming out of the kitchen as Gramme has improved significantly since I left. A dinner amongst friends was the best meal that I’ve had this year, with absolutely nothing to fault. Asparagus transformed into slick Dandan noodles with a confit egg yolk. Lamb brochettes with a chilli and tamarind glaze. Millefeuille potatoes (that made my life stressful during my months working there) were now such a treat to eat, better on a plate than directly from the fryer perhaps. The stars of the show were the desserts, a strawberry cake with crème diplomate, light as air, tear-inducingly spongy, and a chocolate coulant, like a fondant but almost totally liquid, which is of course the best part.

Plimsoll

This was sold to me as the best burger in London, so with this honour in mind, I expected a fancy, or trendy, spot. It is, in fact, quite a pubby pub with wooden benches and wooden walls. The food, however, is far from wooden, it is vibrant and delicate, fatty and light. A really well-executed small plates menu, even though I am not sure that a burger belongs on a menu designed for sharing, especially one so good that you absolutely do not want to cut it in half or even give away a bite. It deserves the title of the best burger I’ve eaten this year, and honestly, maybe even ever.

The spring was brought to the plate by broad beans that are podding into season, beautiful light green drops, whose mouthy texture paired extremely well with the clams and cider.

St John Bread and Wine

Hard to say much more about St John than what has already been said by many a fan, but it really is that good. British classics, done well. But done so well, that you can’t believe the simplicity of the dish isn’t masking something more complex.

Goat’s curd on toast, mint leaves, and slow roasted shallots made me nearly lose my mind. It is a proof that the best produce, the best ingredients, are able to produce the brightest plates.

KAïA olive oil

Not a restaurant but an edible recommendation nonetheless. A family business taken over by Sarah Ben Romdane, an olive oil export from Tunisia, that Sarah has transformed into a flourishing international brand. You can read the cover story with Sarah over at Semaine and watch the beautiful video to see an insight into the whole KAÏA world. Sarah dropped by my restaurant a few weeks ago to drop off the new varietal of oil and it is really fantastic. A slick pepperiness that neither underwhelms nor overpowers, making it the perfect catch-all olive oil to dress salads, pastas, or to just be eaten with a morsel of bread.

Inedible recommendations

Fiasco

This very stupid French tv show had me hooked for three days straight. Completely slapstick and hilariously bait, the concept is a faux Behind the Scenes on the set of a film where everything imaginable and unimaginable goes wrong. Pierre Niney and François Civil, the Morecambe and Wise of 21st Century French cinema are such a perfect duo, but the star of the series, is Juliette Gasquet, the intern who tries to fix all of the absurd problems. Every quip that comes out of her mouth had me in stitches.

Dinner with Edward

Dinner with Edward by Isabel Vincent is one of the few books I’ve managed to get through this year, my New Year’s resolution to read more has not been going so well so far. (Nor was it a SMART goal) But this memoir, short and sweet, was an enjoyable détente at the end of the day. Vincent, an investigative journalist based in New York, writes this memoir about her friendship with the father of one of her close friends. Edward invites her for dinner most weeks, cooking a splendid feast, teaching culinary techniques, but most pertinently, imparting his 90 or so years of wisdom. Come for the semi-cheesy learnings, stay for the elaborate menus that bookend each chapter.

Taylor Swift Eras Tour

24 hours in Lyon, a 6am train, bad food in the gastronomic capital of France. But none of this mattered after the spectacle that was 3h20 of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Perhaps this shouldn’t be a recommendation, as it not the easiest task to nab tickets, however if you come across the opportunity for a ticket, take the train, plane, car, bus, bike, because it is the concert of a lifetime. Never have I ever seen such a well-manicured show, from start to finish there was not one foot put wrong, truly a feat of strength.