So, when Greg Plowes gives me a food or drink recommendation, I don’t fark around. Greg was a waiter at Tetsuya’s, one of Sydney’s best restaurants, and ascended the ranks to become chief sommelier, and is now part of David Thompson’s Pan-Pacific empire (stretching from Perth to Bangkok). So, when he indicated where to find the best croissant in Paris, I hopped on my Vélib and went!
However, on a Saturday morning, the particular branch he’d described (at 134 rue de Turenne) was closed, but luckily, a second branch is open just around the corner at 59 rue de Saintonge. Phew.
I was greeted at the door with a seal of approval:
Best Croissant (Concours du Meilleur Croissant au beurre AOC Charantes-Poitou) 2nd place in 2013.
And what did I find? Tucked into the corner of the pastry shop, with an espresso from a machine, and I couldn’t resist getting a pain au chocolat at the same time… I seemed to have gotten the last of the croissants. Someone who came after me left empty-handed. Neither were warm, which made me think that room temperature in Paris in February is cooler than anytime in Sydney.
The first bite: an extreme crunch, the outer layer is so crisp, it’s like a small pane of glass giving way to a thinner layer of density (where the outer leaves combine) before you get to a chewy almost squeaky texture of the buttery pastry inside. It was an extraordinary experience eating this, unlike one I’ve had before! The pain au chocolat had a more expansive, airy feel, the larger rectangular shape hiding more pockets of air, a soft cushion of pastry that allowed the hiding place for the chocolate. Also delicious.
Of course, now I’m on a mission. There are lots of blog posts up about best croissants in Paris, but really, I’ve got to try these for myself… One of the blogs recommended Erik 
Kayser, a popular high-end baker who has shops all over Paris; they seem to be known also for their baguettes. I’d have to say though, having tried their croissants more than once, they just seem regular to me. Tasty, of course, but not particularly crisp, or with an interesting texture (The one pictured, I sneakily ate along with a chocolate concoction at the Lindt cafe).
Staying at an AirBNB in Montmartre means that, for some reason, there are many of the famous and recommended bakeries nearby, both in the 18th, and just across the boulevard in the 9th. On a sunny Saturday morning, I went in search of Sébastian Gaudard at 22 Rue des Martyrs, 75009 Paris, France. The shop looks wonderfully old-fashioned and high end. Unlike the branch near the Pyramides, this one had nowhere to sit, so we had to do take-away…
We ordered two croissants, and well, first of all, they look beautiful. Shiny. There is a sweetness from a sugar glaze, but also salt. A very crisp pastry and a complex chewiness inside. It tasted to me high quality, and special indeed. 
But wait, there’s more. I have seen chouquettes, the tiny chou pastries covered in rock sugar, but never tried one and these looked too good to pass up. I asked for two; the server started putting together a bag of a dozen (the minimum order) and there I was thinking: it’s Paris, there goes 10 euros. But it was only 3 euros… and man, these are perfect, light, crispy bits of air, pastry and sugar. Yum.
Now, if you’re name is Sadaharu Aoki, it’s hard to go wrong in my books (branches all over Paris, the one I go to is close to Segur where I work: (25 rue Pérignon 75015 Paris). 
This is one of my favourite patisseries in Paris: the Japanese flavours matched with ridiculously rich French pastries makes me squeal with delight. So, I couldn’t resist trying a matcha-flavoured croissant. As something to try, why not? It’s probably the least expensive item in the shop, and I thought it tasted just fine (though having bought it at the end of the day, and transported it home, I’m not sure this was the right technique compared to getting one from a bakery at the start of the day). Cutting it open… is a fabulous effect, you have to admit, though closing my eyes, it was hard to discern a matcha (green tea, if you didn’t know already) flavour. 
I wasn’t expecting this Sunday morning to be able to get a table here, as I remember another time I went it was packed out. I’m surprised I didn’t review it at the time!
We’ve been cutting down on high-end meals lately… I think if you have too many of them, it not only knocks down the bank account, but you lose a bit of what makes each one special. But an Entertainment Book special meal for Est. was rather too hard to resist, and I’ve wanted to try it for ages. Three courses, matched with delicious Evans & tate wine (and some Taittinger champagne to start). Oh, and dessert.
I think the quail breast might have been my favourite, super rich and flavourful.
A few months ago, I stopped by for coffee at this social enterprise cafe. How interesting, I thought. Profits to charity? I couldn’t help but applaud, but I was drawn to have coffee because it looked like a nice, modern, cool place to hang out. The coffee was superb. Tips go to charity! I vowed to come back to try the food.
My potato cakes were superb: light, tasty and savoury. A perfect balanced dish. My pal had grilled haloumi on a salad. Service was great, vibes were great, profits to charity, still great. Photos of food didn’t turn out though. I’ll add some the next time I go.
So, around Eveleigh Markets is kind of confusing. Cornerstone Bar seems like it should be a great idea, but we’ve been turned away because of a VIP function, and then, with an absolutely packed theatre event finishing (and patrons wanting to grab a bite to seat), no, the kitchen had closed.
most amazing morsel of risotto ball which we though was possibly the best thing of the evening.
It’s a bit of an interesting timeline to learn that since we travelled to Sweden, Finland and Denmark in Oct 2013 that it’s taken us basically two years and four months to finish up two different bottles of Swedish liqueur. I mean, it’s true. We weren’t quaffing them, so it 
seems like we were measured and perhaps respectful.
Andrew, who I went to dinner with, pointed out it’s a far cry from Lentil as Anything, the non-profit pay-as-you-want vegan cafe from Melbourne (but lately of Sydney as well). He said the food is awful there…
And really, though I knew that I’d feel good eating there, I still couldn’t quite match up the concept of a charity restaurant with the fact that the FOOD IS SO GOOD. The spanner crab rolls in zucchini. Delicious. Like an interpretation of a sushi roll.
Very nice harissa chicken dish, also a lamb dish, and cauliflower rice. All designed for sharing. The food was both hearty and elegant, very Modern Sydney.
Ah, and finally, a vegan ordered dessert, without finding out before that the dessert was not vegan. And they gave it to us! A nice treat, adding to the crazy feel of a Rugby Sevens night where the streets were filled with pirates, flamenco dancers, cat people, and more.
I don’t know what exactly will happen to these sushi restaurants with Tsukiji soon due to move to a new location. So, it was a MUST to take my better half (and myself) to morning sushi at the fish market, in the days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, 2015.
So, I hopped in the line next door, thinking I’d take my chances. It was a much shorter half an hour wait, and we were in the door to Ichiba Sushi, the last sushi restaurant on the left when you are facing the busy row, and next to Sushibun).
Choosing Menu B at 3000 yen (Menu A looked like it had Uni, sea urchin roe, not my favourite, and a few other more possibly challenging dishes), we had a beautiful selection of sushi with perfectly soft rice, amazing pickled ginger, and as expected, seafood so fresh that it really does taste different than anywhere else (except the other two times I’ve eaten at Tsukiji!). Also, a beautiful miso soup.
At my other times at Tsukiji, the sushi were served one at a time, so I think there was something a little less rushed and special about that. And if someone had offered me a 
place at one of the other super-busy restaurants without such a wait, I would have been curious to try them…