Stay, Stray, Play and Feast: Paris Food Trip: Eating on a Budget in Paris (I Love Paris Series 16)

Paris Food Trip
Eating on a Budget in Paris
I Love Paris Series 16

Paris is considered as the culinary capital in the world.
French Cuisine is a revered art, top notch French Chefs

are world class and treated like rock stars, and formally

dressing- up for a luxurious leisure dining is a norm.

But for impoverished tourists from a third world

country traveling on a limited budget like my family,

the popular and sophisticated French restaurants

could be too expensive and elegantly intimidating.

We had a taste of basic French Cuisine

in A l'Ombre de Notre Dame, a budget

resataurant near the Notre Dame Cathedral.

The place served good affordable French food,

had a comfortable, non- intimidating ambiance.

The service was excellent as it is manned

by a majority of friendly Asian staff.

We also got to try Mira Cuisine Espagnole

a Spanish restaurant at the Café du Monde,

….that provided a delicious Spanish Cuisine prelude for my family as
we were scheduled to visit Spain on the last leg of this European tour.

We were lucky for having a Chinese restaurant

the Traiteur Asia: Asia Delices Paris as our

next door neighbor at the Hotel Bresil Opera,

…as their delicious rice- based dishes kept my family

well fed and the staff’s hospitality made us feel at home,

…that we ate there almost everyday.

Still, scrimping and saving doesn’t mean starving

yourself to death as there are ways of enjoying
delicious French food without hurting your wallet.

Below are some of the must try dishes when in Paris.

1. Crêpes

When in Paris it is an indefensible crime

not to sample the traditionally sweet Crêpe.

It is delicious and affordable,

…and we got ours, a delicious

melt in the mouth Nutella Crêpe

…at the Torcadero’s conventional food stall.

2. Macarons

While were we strolling the Parisian landscape, we were always on a
hunt for the sweet, colorful Macarons, the most coveted cookies in Paris
and found them at the La Petit Musee du Chocolat, in the Mortmantre

We also got to try the Macarons at

the upscale Angelina ’s in Versailles.

The macaron is available in variety of flavors:

almond, lemon, salted caramel, chocolate,

fruits, honey and believe it or not - rose!.

These famous colorful bunch. wherever they came from-

either from upscale patisserie or a lowly roadside stall,

they are a must eat and a must try goodies when in Paris.

3. Éclairs

Éclair comes from French word

that means ‘flash of lightning’.

It was apparently named so because it is very delicious and

irresistibly tempting that it disappears quickly when served.

It is soft and mouthwatering and devoured ‘fast in a flash’

The Éclair from Angelina’s was served with a mini- spoon,

Ditch the decorum, devour the it like there is no tomorrow.

That’s exactly what we did. It was very delicious; it melts
in the mouth, and the éclair was gone in seconds.

4. Madeleines

Madeleine is a traditional cake that tends to dissolve

in your mouth and leaves a sweet, pure buttery taste.

We were lucky that Hotel Bresil Opera provided us

with a daily supply of this delicious cake in our minibar.

What can be more thoughtful than having several pieces

of Madeleine upon arriving in your hotel room everyday?

5. Baguettes

Of course, one should not miss the Baguettes. Generically
referred as French Bread all over the world and deserves
to be called so, as it is essential in every French meal, as
it is as staple as rice for Asians, and specially for Filipinos.