Good enough to eat

JUST being in Paris is a culinary experience, from basic shopping to the finest dining.

Paris transforms the act of simply buying groceries into a deeply cultural experience. Pic: Christine Manfield

Paris, the most ravishing city in the world, has become an all-consuming love affair for me for more than 30 years.

 My emotional response was immediate. The city’s magical air stole my heart. It was impossible not to be overwhelmed by its beauty, its history and its passion, the songs of Edith Piaf drifting from sidewalk cafes, the very essence of France.

Visually beautiful, its architecture, planning, trees and gardens are so structurally perfect, its ambience unique, it has that amazing ability to seduce and tantalise all the senses. The City of Light is symbolic of romance, food, wine, civilised living, intellectual discussion and hedonistic pleasure. Its style and sophistication embrace the latest haute couture fashion, culinary trends and every aspect of contemporary design.

Paris is the ultimate city of love, its romantic air palpable and enveloping. It demands that you christen your visit with a glass of your favourite champagne. Walking along the river or across one of the many bridges (Pont Alexandre III is the best) on sunset is a revelation: majestic buildings are bathed in golden light, the twilight sky is clear and blue. Who wouldn’t feel a tug at their heartstrings? I could soak up those captivating views forever.

Central Paris is defined by its 20 arrondissements (districts). It’s handy to carry the pocket-sized, red-covered Plan de Paris with maps of each district on a double page, metro and autobus routes at the back. These lifesavers can be purchased from any of the newsstands on street corners.

Each arrondissement has its own distinct character and it’s worth devoting time to each one, exploring hidden corners as you walk and discovering some of the city’s delicious secrets. The Seine cuts across Paris, dividing it in two - the Right Bank on the north and the Left Bank to the south of the river. It defines the city, gives it shape and has shaped its history throughout
the ages.

The two islands in the middle of the Seine – Ile de la Cite and Ile Saint Louis – were the centre of religious and political power for centuries. This is where you will find the imposing Notre Dame cathedral and the Conciergerie – history at your fingertips.

Each time I visit I make a pilgrimage to Ile Saint Louis to eat a cone filled with Berthillon ice cream and sorbet. The glacier’s menu of flavours includes salted caramel, wild strawberry, blood orange, peach and dark chocolate; the hardest part is choosing. The food markets of Paris are among the most exciting and seductive in the world, filled with intoxicating aromas, colours and all manner of fresh produce displayed with great pride and consummate style. Parisians do not expect to have their produce bound and gagged beyond recognition in plastic cling wrap and displayed under fierce artificial lighting. There are food markets, big and small, all over the city.

Asparagus and strawberries were in season on my most recent visit and they were everywhere. I admire the locals’ respect for the seasons and how the produce is used to infinity during its eason when flavours are full, delicious and mouthwatering. Morel mushrooms, tomatoes, cherries,
tiny new potatoes (so luscious when cooked in duck fat) … such offerings almost demand a kitchen.

However, all is not lost if you don’t have cooking facilities in your accommodation. Seasonal produce is reflected in the daily bistro and restaurant menus du jour. Even if you’re hotel bound, it’s possible to buy ready-prepared items from markets or charcuteries and indulge in a private in-house picnic. A crusty baguette from the boulangerie, some handmade cheese from the fromagerie, saucisson, pate, and celeriac remoulade from the charcuterie, sweet pastries from the patisserie and some handmade chocolates from any one of the artisan chocolatiers provide a complete taste experience.

Breakfast demands you succumb to feathery light, buttery croissants or a pain au chocolat. The choices are positively sinful, yet utterly compulsory.

Paris is redefining itself food-wise and stepping up to the mark, with challenging, intriguing and funky places spreading like wildfire, and challenging the tried-and-true, upscale (often out of reach) Michelin formula of constrained predictability. Chasing the 3-star dining experience
seems so 20th century sometimes – the world has changed and Paris offers so many more inspiring gastronomic choices.

Thankfully, many of my best memories are beyond the gaze of the Michelin system. If you do feel
the desire to splurge at one of the starred restaurants, go for lunch when it’s possible to get a great deal with set-price menus; you can soak up the glamorous ambience and style for a fraction of what it costs at dinner. Lunch is a time-honoured tradition and it’s when you will find most
Parisians imbibing. The afternoon siesta follows lunch, sensible and entirely appropriate somehow. It gives order to the day.

Read the full story in Wish magazine, inserted free inside The Australian, tomorrow, Friday October 2. Wish is published with The Australian on the first Friday of each month.