'original art

You still have some time ahead !

But be careful, time flies...

To-day I visited an exhibition of aboriginal paintings held at the Australian embassy not so far from the Eiffel tower. Yes, in Paris, did I forget to mention that ?

If you do not like the crowds at Le Louvre or at D'Orsay, this exhibition is just for you.

The paintings are hung in a huge room, almost a hall. It is free. It is quiet.

And it is interesting.

Well I could picture myself hanging some of these paintings in my living room.

Except there was no mention of prices and there was no one around to give explanations. I was there around tea time.

The exhibition goes on until October30th.

No boundaries

Should you happen to drive through the Western part of Britanny there is one place you should clearly not avoid i.e. Huelgoat which is famous for its rock chaos and for its lake. Located in the center of Arrée mounts (South of Roscoff where the ferry from Plymouth calls) the small town boasts a few restaurants and shops.

  Most noticeable are a Mexican + Columbian restaurant and also just next door ' le Brittany Pub'. This last place is a paradox. The name first, the fact that the food is 80 p.c. English but the beers on draught mainly from North France. I can warmly recommend the dark beer the serve, it is excellent. The food is quite palatable and the waitress (a young local woman) is charming and helpful.

Where to eat in Brittany (if you are fed up with creperies)

Recently like most Parisian I left the Capital for a few days.

I drove around Brittany.

I thought I would mention this place in Rennes called 'L'Epicerie'.

To any French person over 30 it will bring back memories of grand parents house in the countryside.

The food is original and good. The service is young and very friendly. A little drawback is that the choice of dishes is limited. So one cannot stop there too often.

 

 

 

Kok cooking

Last Sunday evening I just felt I had to get some Asian food. It had been one of my favourite food, the one my mother would cook on special days. She was quite a good cook. And as so many people who had lived in Indochina she had fallen in love with this country, its population and its food.

My feet led me to a red awning restaurant. Why this one ? It is hard to say. The tables outside were packed with clients mainly Asian. I took that as a good sign.

One inside a middle aged matron led me to tha table. Her French was limited but I still grasped that she recommended the Tonkinese soup. At € 7.50 the large version I found it a good deal. A large bowl filled with noodles, meat balls, slices of beef and broth. On the table a plate with fresh peppermint, soy, onion rings one can add to the soup. 

It was a simple yet delicious soup. 

Some candied ginger and a jasmine tea completed a perfect dinner.

The place is named Kok and is located 129 bis avenue de Choisy in Paris 13th.

Belgian ?

If you happen to stroll through the 12th arrondissement of Paris, east of Gare de Lyon the train station from which you can reach southern France and Italy, if you happen to follow this rather long street called Rue de Charenton you will come across this bar called 'Le Mastroquet'.

If you like Belgian beers, I can only recommend you to make a short stop at this place. I write short but I think it could last a little more. 

Why should that be ? Well, because first the atmosphere is pleasant. Second because while you sit you can enjoy looking at the 'quartier' life flowing by. Third because once you have tried maybe the beer of the month, you will feel like tasting another one.

At lunch time they also have a small offer of dishes of the day which are good value for money.