Food Shopping in Paris
Chic Outlet Shopping® invited renowned food writer Tom Parker-Bowles to share with us his insights into the world of European food.
PARIS
Marchée Monge
Open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, from about 7 am until around 2, this marché volant (meaning temporary) is one of Paris’s great food markets. Surrounded by trees in Place Monge, a baguette’s throw from Rue Mouffetard in the 5th, this offers all manner of French produce, some of it artisanal, some of it more commercially produced. There are around 40 stalls, including spanking fresh fish and crustacea from the Norman coast, well-kept cheese, proper charcuterie and some decent fresh meat too. Marc Mascetti is one of my favourite stalls there. It’s, stuffed full with the finest fruit and vegetables, all grown at his farm close to Paris. There’s organic produce too, but this is a market for cooks rather than souvenir hunters, although there is the odd cloth- and- chair stall scattered about. There are plenty of other Marchése Volants dotted around the city but this one, to paraphrase the Michelin Guide, is well worth the detour.
Epices Roellinger
Owned by former Michelin 3- star chef Olivier Roellinger, this is a Parisian spice shop like no other. The lighting is elegant, the floors and shelves dark wood, the packaging exquisite and the spices, mostly ethically sourced and Fair Trade, all blended in his home town, the Breton port of Cancale. Aside from the usual suspects, from Agar to Sumac, he also has created some rather wonderful blends. Poudre Rrêeve de Cochin mixes nutmeg, coriander, green anise and cardamom, inspired by the Indian port. While Poudre de voyage is supposed to be carried at all times, ‘inspired by the contents of caravans that wound their way from India to the Middle East.’ A touch of the purple prose, perhaps, but the contents are superb. He also has spiced salts, a dozen varieties of vanilla, over 20 peppers – black and white – and some excellent scented oils too. Drop in, and escape into a heaven-scented world of the Spice Islands.
51 bis rue St. Anne, 2nd arr.
Metro: Pyramides or Opera
Open 10AM to 7PM, Tuesday to Saturday
Tel. 01 42 60 46 88
www.epices-roellinger.com
Poilâine
Sometimes, the originals really are the best. And Poilâine, opened in 1932 by a young Norman baker, is one of the great boulangeries not only of Paris, but the entire world too. It’s the traditional French sourdough loaf that made its name, a mixture of stone- ground flour, water, sourdough starter and sea salt from La Guerande. It’s baked in wood fire ovens, giving a thick, golden crust and a texture that makes the most incredible toast. It also works wonders with cheese, hams, salamis and foie gras. Bread is still baked freshly every day, and the queues still snake around the block. Their other breads are pretty decent, and their jams well worth taking away. It might be a Parisian institution, but a slice of toasted Poilâine sourdough is a taste of true Gallic history.
8 rue du Cherche-Midi,
Paris 75006
Tel +33 (0) 1 45 48 42 59
From Monday to Saturday, 7:15 am to 8:15 pm
Poilâne Paris - Grenelle bakery
49 bld de Grenelle,
Paris 75015
Tel +33 (0) 1 45 79 11 49
Take advantage of a new special partner rate with the exclusive hoteliers Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ when planning your visit to one of the nine Chic Outlet Shopping® Villages. Click here for more details.
12-07-2011
