We recently came across a new blog Badaude which is quickly becoming one of our favourite reads to discover new places in Paris. As well as brilliant writing her posts take you on a little adventure making you feel as though you were visiting each place with her.
The latest in Badaude’s Paris Address Book posts details a visit to Hôtel du Nord which she has kindly let us share with you on Little Break Big Difference.
‘The most romantic walk in Paris might be up in the 11e arronidissement along the Canal Saint Martin. Wander across a couple of the arched bridges between Quai de Jemmapes and Quai de Valmy in the evening twilight and drop in at the Hotel du Nord for a Kir.
This bar/restaurant has the cachet of being the current coolest on the canal. The incredibly romantic classic Michel Carné movie was named after the hotel, which was renovated and reopened in 2005. Now it offers a daily changing modern French menu in a smoky-walled 1930s ambience.
Spellbound by the warm atmosphere, after hanging around for an apero, flicking through a book from the in-bar library, you might be tempted to stay for dinner.
One word of advice: Book. This restaurant is POPULAR. I visited on a freezing night in the middle of a financial crisis and both the dining room and the bar were HEAVING with the canal’s black-jeaned hipsters mixed with a sprinkling of cool tourists.
The menu is a bit of a mix: traditional/European/American-anglo, with an oriental twist. I started with old school fresh foie gras, perfectly cooked to melting point and layered with paper-thin slices of fried apple. My date’s chestnut ‘cappucino’ arrived in a Starbucks-sized mug complete with a head of delicate foam.
I went for the slightly adventurous Aiguilettes de canard (yes, that means ducks’ tongues) stuffed with wild mushrooms and roasted pleurotes (parsnips). The tongues were cooked to a delicate pink but over-salted, killing the delicate taste of the mushrooms. My date ordered a cheeseburger (she’s an American in Paris recovering from flu and needed comfort food). Again, the meat was perfectly cooked (as were the fries) but the bun was on the sloppy side and the dish had to be ‘deconstructed’ (ie – taken apart: she’s a literature Major).
To read the rest of Badaude’s visit you can continue reading the rest of her post here.
Photo Hôtel du Nord by Coolman 7540
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