Mèmére au piano

This little place is just incredible. We discovered it in what is the best way possible: by walking past and thinking "wow, that looks good, we should come back". I am so glad we did.

I won't go into details here as posted above is a little (slightly drunk) video made in situ at the end of the evening. However, I will say this: next time you are looking for a lively little resto with great service, consistently delicious food, vibrant atmosphere and reasonable prices, Mèmére au piano is your place.

Enjoy!


Mémère au Piano / 63, rue Jean Pierre Timbaud / 75011 Paris / Ph: +33 (0)1 43 14 47 28 / Metro: Parmentier / Hours: open for lunch and for dinner from 7:30pm / closed Sunday lunch and all day Monday / http://www.memereaupiano.com

Sucré Cacao - Patissier Chocolatier

This patissierie / chocolatierie is perfect for those of us who are inclined towards toothsome sweet things. This is not your average corner shop cake store: these guys mean business.

It sounds like a bizarre suggestion, but I recommend factoring this in when you go to visit Père Lachaise. Do as we did, as odd as it may sound: buy some cakes, take them to the cemetery and eat them on location. Cake and death actually go very well together - trust me.

Sucré Cacao / Pastissier Chocolatier / 89, avenue Gambetta / 75020 Paris / Ph: +33 (0) 1 46 36 87 11 / contact@sucrecacao.com / www.sucrecacao.com

Cimetière du Père Lachaise

Instead of taking photos of each of the more notable figures to be buried in the grounds, I took shots of what are to my mind the most beautiful gravestones in the cemetery.

Oscar Wilde’s grave is not only mesmerising to look at due to its wholly remarkable early 20th century design. Nor simply due to the fact that it appears to be permanently guarded by a horde of French arty-type students bidding their final farewells to their master of Literature and Libertine lifestyle (an aside: the look on their faces of sheer contempt as I took the photos made me feel like I was in some way desecrating the grave in a most horrid fashion, and made me want to cry out by way of justification: “But I spent eight years at art school too!”).

Moreover, it is the fact that the headstone is covered in lipstick kisses from thousands of Wilde worshippers. I won’t indulge in even the merest diversion concerning the interesting dialogue created when contrasting the implications of the great man’s sexuality with the myriad of rosy lip-shaped tints on his grave… Suffice to say that I too am a fan, and the art student within felt oddly nurtured to have been able to witness Mister Wilde’s final quarters.

Two of the other tombstones I have included here do have art historical references (old habits die hard), but moreover, they are simply stunning. I can now understand what at first seemed slightly fou – the idea of happily traversing a cemetery on the way to and fro work, as many Parisians are want to do – but now I can see why. Cimetière du Père Lachaise is the most visited cemetery in the world for a reason: it is hauntingly picturesque.

Artazart design bookstore

Artazart is a design bookstore par excellence. Whether you are a design professional, a student, an enthusiast or just curious about the bright orange shopfront (or a wannabe who looks good in skinny black jeans and second-hand biker boots artfully juxtaposed with black horn-rimmed glasses), this densely-packed space promises to contain something of interest to you.

The field is wide in terms of the areas of ‘design’ covered: architecture, landscape architecture, art, art direction, graphic arts, clothing construction, advertising, publishing, typography, photography, industrial design, interior design, even eclectic guides to Japanese street fashions and Parisian street artists, it is a very easy spot to spend an hour or two happily immersed in itinerant publications devoted to design culture. There are two large rooms that are literally bursting with books, spilling out of their grubby boxes and lining the walls, beckoning intrigued hipsters and normal people alike to pick them up and pour through them.

Next door is a small space that doubles as a gallery or unruly gift store, depending on the mood, and scattered throughout both is a collection of droll little bits and pieces (such as the Moleskine City Guides, or slightly dirty fridge magnets) that make far more appealing gifts than your average Eiffel Tower tea-towel.

Come for the books, stay for the hell of it.

ARTAZART / 83, Quai de Valmy / 75010 Paris / FRANCE / +33 (0)1 40 40 24 00 / info@artazart.com / http://www.artazart.com/fr

Bienvenue!

Welcome to the inaugural day of this blog.

For you, Dear Reader, I'll aim to present a (completely biased and probably quite wayward) guide to all the things I love about Paris. I’ll harp on about food, wine, art, music and everything else that feels appropriate, and I’ll provide photos and later even maps to help you tame this often-unapproachable yet intoxicating city (and I'm not just talking about all the French wine I'll be drinking as I write this thing).

For those of you who are not familiar with Zoomorama, the application that I have used for the display of the images in this blog, have a look at their website.

It's simple - if you scroll over the image you will see arrow icons that allow you to "zoom" into it the photo for more detail (and of course, back out again); if you click the little box in the top right-hand corner it blows it up to full-screen size, and then you can get in really close (much to the chagrin of the poor individuals who find themselves in my photos, I'm sure)...

I'll try to take photos that use this application to it's fullest potential, but I make no promises: I am not a professional photographer, only an over-excited dilettante with too much time on her hands.

The view from my desk...