Bon appetit in France!

Being the foodie that I am, one of the things that made me really excited to go to France was the eats. But alas, four days wasn't enough. Still, I feel so lucky to have sampled the cuisine and would definitely go back in a heartbeat to eat more.

It's not hard to find good food in France. Communicating with the waiters and understanding the menu is another matter though. If you have difficulty just take the plat du jour, un boisson, and a dessert...if you can even pronounce those words correctly. =p Here are some of the things I was able to try during my Parisian vacay.

Pastries: Tarts, Croissants, Eclairs, & Pain au chocolat. The latter is bread that has the same texture as a croissant filled with what else? Chocolat! The French baker version here in the Philippines is quite good, but the ones (take note: I didn't just eat one) I tried in Paris were a bit flakier and the ambience makes them taste so much better. As for eclairs, the chocolate ones were one of my favorite breakfast items. Pastry for breakfast is simply the best. 

You can see from the photos below why Paris is the sweet tooth's dream. I think I just died and went to pastry heaven. Patisseries are everywhere!

 Above are pastries we bought at Versailles. We ate these after taking some jumpshots near the Arc de Triomphe. They're so dainty! Even the packaging is cute.

Crepe & Galette Provencal. Any trip to France wouldn't be complete without these. I had my first authentic crepe with nutella & bananas at Montmartre, set against the backdrop of the artists painting portraits. *sigh* 

The gallete provencal was lunch at a cafe in Versailles, and it was so good! Tomato sauce, ham, cheese and egg in a galette=perfect! My sister and I vowed we would go back there if given the chance.

Here's manong  making my crepe, me and my huge smile even before taking a bite, and the galette which is making my mouth water right now.

Macarons. Thin, circular merengue sandwiches with different fillings.We bought some from a patisserie near our hotel, if my memory serves me right. The delicate circles had the right sweetness with a lovely surprise in the middle.See photo above where I have coffee and pastries in front of me to get a glimpse of the tiny but mighty macaron.

Four-cheese pasta. The French love their cheese and with reason. Look at that entire section, devoted only to cheese! My four-cheese pasta was so delectable and creamy, yet it had just the right richness to it. It was just cheese and cream-no meat, no veggies, no nada. It was simple but amazing.

French onion soup. I didn't pass up the chance to try authentic French onion soup. On top of the hot, spicy , and sweet soup filled with caramelized onions was cheese melted over a big slice of crouton. Not for those who hate onions. Good thing I don't.

Steak. I have now a new standard for future steak dinners. Near the Centre Pompidou we had dinner at a cafe and I discovered what I now consider the best steak of my life. It was medium rare, had a smoky flavor, and it wasn't overly-seasoned. The steak made that restaurant unforgettable, as well as the loony old French man who kept talking to other people, us included.

Japanese food. Crazy, that's what you're thinking. You go to France and you eat Japanese food? My sister really wanted to since she hadn't eaten Jap in a long time. There was this area filled with Japanese and Chinese restos near the Palais Garnier where our Filipino appetites were satisfied by yummy evening fare at a tiny eatery with French-speaking Japanese servers. Kinda disorienting? It didn't matter especially when the delicious food came out and was served to us.

Mars Noir. I'm a sucker for everything dark chocolate. On our way to the Charles de Gaulle Airport we needed change for train tickets and bought Mars noir from a vendo. It was one of the snacks I had in my bag (Marks &Spencers thai curry crackers, French pick and mix candies, more French pastry, among many others) on the way to Barcelona. I love Mars but I love ze noir version even better. 

There are so many things I have yet to try and I really hope to go back to France someday. Just added to my long blog list that just keeps on growing: My culinary tour of Barcelona and London. I have so many things to share and remember but so little time. I'll be back soon.