Atlantica - 01.03.2001, Qupperneq 28

26 A T L A N T I C A
cosmetics and sexy sounds to Comme
des Garçons clothing, Philippe Starck
kitchenware and the latest must-have
aluminium baby pram. The basement
features a “water bar”, with over 80
mineral waters to choose from.
Disappointed in not seeing Icelandic
water on the menu, we decide to go to a
“real” gourmet store. Our first stop is at
the famous Ladurée, an ornate tea room
and patisserie dating from 1862. Its
speciality is macaroons, with a variety of
delicious fillings. Further down, on the
Place de la Madeleine, are two of the
cities most famous food stores: Fauchon
and Hédiard. They look more like food
galleries, and a tour of both is an extra-
ordinary visual and olfactory experi-
ence. Hédiard, my favourite, has lus-
cious towers of fresh fruit and vegeta-
bles, huge barrels filled with perfumed
olives, and an amazingly exotic-looking
coffee and tea section.
My in-laws had been sending us lots
of tea to Iceland from a renowned spe-
ciality tea shop. (They probably thought
we didn’t have tea up near the North
Pole.) Determined to continue our morn-
ing of gourmet shopping, we head for
the Marais district to find the shop. The
Marais is quite a different sort of area
compared to the rather snobby 8th dis-
trict we’ve just left. Its golden-stone
mansions, lively bars and quirky shops
make it a magical arondissement. Its
narrow streets retain pre-Revolution
architecture, and are the unlikely
cohabitation of Paris’s Jewish quarter,
with its kosher shops, and the city’s
“pink triangle”, a myriad of bars and
shops where the rainbow-coloured gay
flag flies high. Trendy boutiques, restau-
rants and salons de thé make this one of
the liveliest, most international parts of
Paris. After browsing through a variety
of gorgeous shoe shops and one gay
book store, we find Mariages Frères.
This stunning tea room and shop found-
ed in 1854 takes tea very seriously, with
over 500 varieties on offer. For those
tea fanatics, a special tea museum is
located upstairs.
On the way back from the Marais we
pass through our old home ground, the
Quartier Montergeuil, and I have a look
at two of my favourite clothes shops on
the rue Étienne-Marcel. Designers Paul
& Joe do a funky blend of ’50s’ retro
vibe with modern shapes, and at
Barbara Bui, her high-tech clothes shop
now also features a designer restaurant.
NIGHT LIFE
On our second night in Paris we do a
retake on the Buddha Bar. We get in, as
the photographer wears neither shorts
nor moustache. One of the city’s first
designer restaurants, the venue has
retained its trendy status. The interior is
impressive, an exquisite two-storey
Asian haven, with low lighting, incense,
and a giant Buddha statue in the
middle of the floor. Ethnic dance music
completes the atmosphere, and a steady
stream of models and poseurs flow by.
We decide that we’ve had enough of
high-fashion dining and take off instead
for the Beaubourg area. Situated in the
old Les Halles market district, Chez
Denise (or La Tour de Monthléry) is a
cult classic. The rather shabby but cosy
setting of red-checked tablecloths,
sausages suspended from the ceiling
and incredibly rude waiters with long
twirly moustaches draws an unbeliev-
ably varied clientele, from young
revellers to Mafia-like types surrounded
by women of dubious career. The rude
waiters slam a couple of unlabelled
house Brouilly bottles on the table, and
point to the blackboard listing the
specials. Chez Denise is definitely not
the best restaurant for a vegetarian. My
husband proceeds to order the house
speciality – lamb brains. Richard, our
Parisian dinner companion, orders a
steak and is presented with a huge, raw
slice of livestock the size of a plate. I
gingerly poke at the lamb’s brains, but
remain more than happy with my choice
of salmon ceviche. The crowd is getting
rowdy, which is not surprising seeing as
the waiters place a new bottle of chilled
Brouilly on each table every half an
hour. Things take a turn for the worse
when Louis-Gabriel orders dessert, a
round of apple sorbet with Calvados, or
rather, a bowl of Calvados with a touch
COOL CHIC
Hédiard offers “an extraordinary visual and olfactory experience”. Inside the gothic St Chapelle.
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