Paris Day 9

It was back to Eiffel Tower in the morning after we have decided that we might as well go up the world's most iconic tower since we're here.

Don't be put off by the long and winding queue for the lift though. It moves pretty fast. On the other hand, you can always choose to scale the over 600 steps to the second level in the lashing wind. Speaking of wind, I did notice that the Eiffel Tower seemed to sway in the wind, as if the entire structure were on springs!

Do beware of black people walking around, selling trinkets and what-nots. One word of advice: stay away.

Lunch at a local bistro in the area. The classic croque-madame et frites and an omelet et frites.

Then, it was off to the awesome Champs-Élysées via train.

Paris must be the only city in the world that is so aesthetic that it has its horse-chestnut trees that lined the street be clipped into uniform box shape.

Walking down the street that is famous for its cafes and boutiques.
Ladurée. 75 Avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris, France

Hence, my pastry pilgrimage continues.

Ladurée's patisserie looked so beautiful, I wanted to try every single one of them if I had the stomach. Damn, why didn't I bring someone who can actually eat along.
Les macarons, millefeuille fraise and a pot of orange bergamot tea.

Saint-Honoré Rose Raspberry.

We kind of stumbled into this chocolate shop. It was Aileen who first alerted me: Heidi! Look! It's Patrick Roger!
Me: Patrick who?
Aileen: The famous chocolatier!
So Patrick Roger, the rock star of the chocolate; an artist who combines sleek design with sublime flavours. This was my first impression of him as I entered the chocolate boutique. He had boxes of neatly arranged truffles lying exposed on the table, not in a glass box mind you, and had these two mountain of chocolate showpieces displayed right at the door. It was practically chocolate everywhere. You'd even smell the chocolate before you see them.

We certainly did buy our fair share of chocolates in there. They were so expensive! but what defenses we had? They were so good..
12 cité Berryer Village Royal 75008 Paris

And we meandered off Champs-Élysées into Madeleine: Fauchon.

24 - 26 - 30 place de la Madeleine, Paris, France

Fauchon is one big gourmet powerhouse. It has everything from wines, jams, pastries, and breads to seafood, poultry, cooked vegetables and boxed lunches. Even their packaging is a thing of marvel. They must have consultants from Japan to achieve these standards. I am impressed.

Fauchon Boulangerie.

When you come to Fauchon, (die-die) must have their eclair. Best eclair I had so far compared to the common flaccid variety. Caramel et fleur de sel.

My mum cannot resist white asparagus. And we got a vegetable sandwich to share. All excellent.

Dinner at Les Pâtes Vivantes, a Chinese noodle house near our hotel that got a mention in the Michelin guide.

46, rue du faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris, France

Jellyfish with cucumber in sesame oil (salade de méduse aux concombres et à l'huile de sésame).

Look at this! Tsing Tao in Paris! Eggplant and pork noodle.

Crispy duck (Canard croustillant) and Zha Jiang Mian. The noodles being hand-pulled were okay, but the sauces for both noodles had an over-powering hoisin sauce taste, which I didn't like. Out of everything, Tsing Tao was the best, which tells a lot about the food yeah.

End.