My favourite places in Paris vol.2

Let’s read about places thanks to which the stressful and quite unhumanised Paris gains an image of a city full of kind people and good food.

Rue Champollion – Cinema Street

First, I would like to introduce you one special street, hidden just around the corner from the famous Sorbonne University. This tiny discreet street gained its name after a famous French Egyptologist Champollion that deciphered the Egyptian hieroglyphs. The thing that makes rue Champollion for me so special is the fact that its narrow surface hides directly three wonderful cinemas. The first is called La Filmothèque du Quartier Latin, the second one Reflet Medicis and the last one Le Champo. They’re all artistic cinemas built somewhere in the 50’s or 60’s, they’re showing the best films both of the cinema history and present, and, they have an extremely familial atmosphere. In all the cinemas, there are always the same ticket sellers that are passionate about high-quality films and that know each other. For a student of cinema like me, the discovery of this street was a real revelation. As in Prague, there are only a few artistic cinemas, I was astonished by such an extreme choice of good films and didn’t knew where to go at first. It is better to see the retrospective of John Cassavetes or to please myself by some digitally-restored Hitchcock? I felt like in a heaven.

Le Reflet – Cinema Bar

And, there is another famous thing in rue Champollion – next to the cinemas, there is a tiny bar called Le Reflet. This bar is somehow connected to surrounding cinemas which means that it is always full of cinema lovers that are going there before or after a screening (or both) for a drink. The cinema staff is going there too – the old man that sells ticket in La Filmotheque buys there a cup of coffee before his working time, the young assistants of Reflet Medicis are taking here the break and eating. And, there is also this nice and chatty projectionist from the same cinema called monsieur Bernard that stays always at the bar and drinks the wine during the film is shown. During my first years in Paris, I passed a lots of time in Le Reflet – as I didn’t know many people there and I wasn’t really motivated to stay every evening alone in my place, I went there after the film screening, I sat down at the bar with some interesting book. Soon, I knew all the staff, as well as the chatty monsieur Bernard. Once, he even offered me a French book called Zazie dans le metro – and I remember that is was really complicated to read it as it was full of spoken French expressions…. I also met there a very nice Italian waitress called Margherita. She studied philosophy at Sorbonne and as she understood perfectly the situation of a foreigner in Paris, she decided to introduce me her friends with whom we’ve done during the summer some picnics and so on,.. Margherita was really kind and wise person. The next year she decided to leave Paris and she went to Argentina with her boyfriend to become a yoga teacher. I hope she’s happy there. Apparently, Paris is not a place where the people settle up. Rather it seems to be an interchange station in a constant movement….

Street Food Markets

One thing that I love on Paris is its multicultural aspect – the French tradition mixes here with the culture from Africa, Asia or Latin America. One of outcomes of such a melting pot is an extremely rich and interesting street food scene. The crepes from the rue Mouffetard that I’ve already presented are a good example of this mixing – tourists are going to the street that has preserved the aura of old Parisian live to taste a dish commonly accepted as one of the French essences. However, this best crepe of Mouffetard is made by an old Greek man whose assistants are from India. Well, Paris is full of such paradoxes. There is another place where you’ll feel this cultural melange really strongly – Parisian street food markets. These markets, that take place in every Parisian district at least twice a week, belong to Paris as perfectly as the crepe or baguette. They have a long tradition that doesn’t seem to fade out as they’re always full of locals that are coming there regularly. They know their sellers and this fact creates a special familiar atmosphere. I love these markets – I love to look at all the stands full of fresh fruit and vegetable, fresh fish, home-made bread and cheese. Everything seem so tasty! At the same time, even if really “traditionally” French, the markets are also full of Asian and African sellers that offer their own products. Wanna have a real Lebanese flatbread? The Parisian street market is the best place to get it. Need spices or dried fruit? The Moroccans will have the best ones. Need pasta? Go to the Italians!

My favourite sellers

During my Parisian years, me too, I found my favourite markets and sellers which I visit regularly. Every Wednesday and Friday, I am going to Place Monge to buy fresh tomatoes to one guy from North Africa whose name stays for me a secret. He’s smiling even during the bleakest days, and he’s always asking me how I am going. And, as he knows me, he has for me a special discount and a small clementine as a gift. He really makes my day nicer! Another seller that became my “market friend” is a bread seller at the Bastille market. He is called Ms. Bruno Plaisance and he’s selling delicious home-made bread, baguettes and sweet treats. I get used to buy at his stand delicious black-rye bread with cereals called “Viking”…. I just love street markets!

Chez Le Libanais

Yes, I am definitely a food lover and I love to discover new and unknown dishes and tastes. I think that that’s how I find the tiny Lebanese bistro called Chez Le Libanais. Chez Le Libanais is situated at the street called rue Saint André des Arts just around the corner from the metro and RER station Saint Michel. It is specialized in the creation of fabulous sandwiches made from home-made Lebanese flat bread. They’re preparing the bread directly in front of your eyes on a special concave sort of oven. Once the bread is goldish, they fill it with many tasty ingredients. They have an extremely large choice of filling, going from home-made spiced meat to the vegetarian sandwiches with spinach or falafel. Everything is in plus accompanied by fresh vegetable! Just perfect for a lunch or dinner I may say. I can’t forget to mention their sweet variants that are a fresh alternative to the ubiquitous crepe – I just love the one with ricotta, banana and honey!

During my first year in Paris, I ate there almost daily, as the prices are really reasonable and as I wasn’t motivated to cook. I quickly found my favourite sandwich – it is called Chiche Taouk and it consists of boneless chicken pieces marinated in a special mix of spices. Alongside with a hummus (that I choose instead of the garlic spread that is normally served within), tomatoes, salad and pickled cucumbers, it is just perfect. In addition, as went there really regularly, the sellers remembered me and sometimes, they gave me the sandwich for free alongside with a small baklava as a complimentary dessert. They were really kind to me during this time. Actually, the next year I moved in the flat that was just next to this Mecca of great food – and paradoxically, I stopped to go there so often, mainly because I found more advantageous to eat something in my place. The Erasmus year full of discoveries and tasting was finish, now it was time to begin the real Parisian life that is really expensive and that doesn’t provide you enough time to wander around. In all the cases I come back there occasionally to say hello to all the kind sellers and to enjoy such a delicate food.