Ullysses

The hot summer in Paris should lead you away from the traditional French cuisine with its cream and butter. At least that is what it does to me. So I ended up with a friend in a Greek restaurant. 'Odyssée'    is located 54 rue Daguerre in the 14th. You know Daguerre, he is one of the inventors of photography along with Niepce also in France and in the UK, Talbot.

The ambiance for a mid-week day was quite nice. The maitre d' very nonplussed but diligent brought excellent dishes. Fried cod with fried zucchini in garlic sauce for me, a mix of cold starters for my friend. The house red was round, tasty and powerful. Halva for dessert and - of course - Greek coffee.

All in all a very good experience which I can only recommend.

 

餃子

For lunch I cycled to this high ground place (on Rue de Belleville)

They are renown for their excellent ravioli.

You can get them either grilled or served floating in a light broth. Both versions are very respectable. If you venture to the back of the restaurant you will see the ravioli being prepared.

I suggest you mix you own dip with black vinegar, a splash of thick, spicy, red sauce and maybe some liquid soy.

The desserts are few but enough.

Tea, beer, even wine can be ordered.

By the way, prices are very OK.

But do not call there on Saturday dinner time. The queue on the pavement can be long.

Pho

 

Yesterday I was once again in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. I went to have lunch in a place called "L' Indochine" located 86 avenue de Choisy.

  The welcome is warm. The food is good. The jasmine tea is very good. It doe not get bitter at the end like is so often the case. I had some fried noodle with prawns and pork slices. And lukewarm maize in coco milk as dessert. Hummmmm.

You can sit inside or outside which considering the weather was my choice. The tables are sheltered from the sun by a red awning.

 

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.

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.