Now, isn’t that beautiful? This was the the second course of a ten-course dinner from Rome’s Glass Hostaria, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Trastevere, helmed by an Italian chef who did her training in the States (and has the American-sounding name Cristine Bowerman but was born in Puglia).
If we can, we like to treat ourselves to a special meal in places we travel to, and this was a recommendation from my friend Costanza. Certainly a special night out, with many courses to let the chef show off, and by international standards, 110 euros for ten courses is very reasonable for a restaurant of its type.
The first course, as seen above, was a selection of tiny amuse bouche, and that gives a good flavour of the place, literally and conceptually. The presentation was amazing, the plating up and the plates itself. I missed taking a photo of the very first offering, a butter-cream sphere filled with cinzano, and resting atop white sugar: also a little theme here, resting the food on something not to be eaten, sugar, rose petals and tea, the bread below resting in popcorn kernels…
Radish wrapped around a fish tartare…
Ah, I particularly liked this one, the char on the fish, barely cooked and a big shiso leaf, I think it was shaved fennel below. While we found the flavours of the preceding dishes tasty but one-note, this was complex and sophisticated.
And the pasta dishes, of course, being in Italy, were what really impressed me. The most delicate ravioli with sea urchin… just a taste of the sea but with the beauty of pasta: slippery and chewy and luxurious.
A simple broth with truffles. Sometimes, I think I ‘get’ truffles (the first time I think was a dish with soft polenta), and other times, not. Shaved truffle just tastes a bit woody to me. I like the flavour but not necessarily the texture, which can even make me forget the flavour!
This lamb was done really nicely, and we loved the gold dust on the carrots! Strange but pretty effect. The service was very attentive for the most part, and charming. We opted to do one wine flight with the meal, which was to have 5 glasses. But for some reason, the sommelier just seemed to forget about us. He didn’t look busy, particularly, but neither could we get his attention, so I receive 4 out of the 5 wines (and was charged for 4, not 5) yet, matching wine with food is a great pleasure, and missing one of the wines meant I didn’t have wine with some of these courses.
While I’d have the same comment that I don’t appreciate shaved truffle, this pasta with very long aged parmesan was incredibly rich, and with an unfamiliar flavour and power. Yes, I’ve had parmesan but probably never of this quality. This was my top dish of the night: unforgettable. 
A jumble of greens, fruit and spices (it was actually hot and spicy), I think this was meant to clear the palate, or shake things up, before the dessert. Nice presentation; I thought it was just kind of weird.
Although simple, this yoghurt semi-freddo, with flowers, and a sweeet syrup was also one of my favourite dishes. I really liked the texture and flavours.
I found the decor of the place all over the place, strange texture on one of the ceilings, crazy railings to the staircase leading up to the mezzanine, plexiglass panels in the floor with rocks and bottles underneath, a bit like a Disney amusement park ride. I’d have to say it felt dated to me, and I’d recommend finding some locals artists to showcase in these many wall recesses rather than these tacky jars of dried beans.
Finally, a selection of petits-fours, beautifully presented, although the same issue as the amuse-bouche. They were tasty but not stand-out, the prettiness and quantity were what stood out.
In all, we were certainly glad to come here. There were a few standout dishes, and for me, a few misses about the night. After the meal, on returning to Paris, we had a much better meal at a non-Michelin starred restaurant (inventiveness, tastiness, cost), and I think I wanted to like this restaurant more than I did. Maybe it would been better for us to choose from the regular menu, carefully.
But that’s 20:20 hindsight, and anyways, I’m off to dream about that parmesan ravioli…
The first time I tried Spanish sherry, fino, sometimes known by one of its famous brand names, Tio Pepe, I found it sharp and dry and slightly unpleasant. This was when I was working at Expo 92 in Seville, in my early 20s and without a particularly sophisticated food or drinking palate. But somehow I came to like the flavour quite quickly and since then, the taste of it brings me back to hot weather in Andalucia and this feeling of everything beginning.
A weekend in Madrid, away from Paris, and what a lovely city… a relaxed and chilled atmosphere for eating and drinking and wandering around, and the temperature a few 
degrees warmer too.
The fancy mushrooms, deep fried, was tasty; and the pork dish was also very delicious.
Calle de Pelayo, 24
Food and memory is a funny thing. I’m sure we didn’t eat more than two or three times at the Ethiopian restaurant in Vancouver, but I remember the times we did vividly: the slightly sour soft aerated pancake and the mysterious varieties of vegetables and meat to be scooped up by said pancake. Also, for something that I liked so much, I don’t know why I didn’t hunt it down more often in the many years after.
In any case, finding out from a work colleague about a good Ethiopian restaurant was exciting. In Sydney, I believe there’s one restaurant that’s opened, and it’s not so easy for me to get to. Someone ran a food stall at local markets, where I was able to grab a snack, but it wasn’t the same as a proper meal.
I found all of the dishes interesting and tasty: chicken, beef, ground meat, lentils, carrots, a cabbage mixture, fish. The sauces were savoury and rich, without being oily. My better half found the injera filled him up rather quickly, and god, it was a lot of food (and such value, for Paris: 40 euros for the two of us including a half-litre of house wine).
4 rue Sauffroy
There’s nothing more than I like than an interesting food recommendation… it’s perhaps why I offer the same with my food blogs. So, over a fabulous gin cocktail called 
But the question is: how did it taste? We couldn’t fit the whole thing in our AirBNB’s toaster oven, so whacked it in half (and thankfully, the butcher removed the blue feet before handing it over), and had it over two dinners. It was… quite extraordinary. The drumstick and thigh were so dark… and being so tender, it reminded us of really good turkey, or a rarer bird to eat, like pheasant or goose.
Possibly confusing to some, the name of the area in the back of the wine shop, La Caves des Abbesses, is Le Trou dans le Mur, or the Hole in the Wall. We’d gotten a recommendation to try it out. I was a little worried that it would be packed out, as you can’t see it from the front of the store, but it was relatively quiet when we went.
And of course, being a wine shop, there’s an amazing selection of wine. It had a great vibe with wandering tourists like us and locals hanging out and talking about wine, but really, the best thing: oh my god, the planche was amazing. Four types of cheese – all great (in fact, better for the differences between them). Three types of meat. The goose rilletes was so rich, I kind of wanted to mainline it. The pork spread also tasty and the sausage. Between that platter of food, and a few glass of delicious wine, we were in heaven!
I liked the look of this modest restaurant around the corner from our AirBNB; and we were glad to try it. Decorated in amusing art, photos and ethnic dress, it has the feel of a family-run business, keeping the authenticity of a culture and it’s food, married to the demands of the Parisian restaurant market.
I mean, what can one say but ‘No Problemo’? This bar, on the corner of a street, at the bottom of the stairs below Sacre Coeur is cute, tiny and casual. For such a small place, it looks like it has a very impressive food menu, but we just wanted to have a nightcap, and had a delicious glass of Montepulciano and Côtes du Rhône. We’ve walked by when it’s been super crowded, and other times when it’s not so crowded. On a rainy Thursday night, early evening, it was not so crowded. Nice guy behind the bar, a good vibe from the other patrons. No problemo!
I love a food gimmick. There’s a Buzzfeed post going around making fun of hipster food gimmicks, but for me, the problem is when the gimmick loses its originality, or it was never a very good trick in the first place, probably lacking in intelligence or interfering with the enjoyment of the food itself. So, of course we had to try Privé de Dessert, where all of the savoury dishes are 
designed to look like sweet French pastries, and two of the desserts are designed to look like savoury dishes.
As for the mains, I had to try the Mont Blanc, as I like the real thing, a chestnut pastry. Here (and pictured at the top), chestnut flavoured mash potatoes imitated the icing, covering up some crisp, nicely cooked fish. My better half had Tiramisu, actually beef cheeks with mashed potatoes, and yup, it looked like a gigantic serving of Tiramisu. With gravy.
I could have exploded. All in all, a fun experience with great service and a cool concept. The restaurant is pretty new, apparently, and I think the story goes 
started by a Chinese webmaster who did a pastry course, and then eventually assembled her team to create her dream restaurant. Seems to be doing well, and as a a bonus is in one of the coolest neighbourhoods around.
So, I’m not sure why they run the name together like that… but having found this cafe from lists of good coffee in Paris on the interweb, we love this place, located in South Pigalle.
Apparently, 
Looks like they do brunch too, and sell their beans to whoever wants them!