Paris is never short of ideas – you just need to know where to look. Every week, we scour the capital to bring you 5 must-try experiences, ranging from restaurants and exhibitions to cultural outings and activities that make the city’s heart beat.
Australian chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly have created a rustic farm-inn in Saint-Vrain, in the Essonne department, an hour’s drive from the capital. Housed in the château’s former stables and barns – which served as studios for artists Nikki de Saint-Phalle and Jean Tinguely in the 1970s – the property features 11 guest rooms with a rustic décor and a restaurant specialising in produce from its own vegetable garden, cultivated using regenerative farming methods. New for the summer, on Saturday and Sunday mornings, Le Doyenné showcases its fresh produce of the day and takeaway dishes. On the stalls of this micro-market, you’ll find fruit and vegetables from the vegetable garden, sold by the piece or in mixed baskets, as well as homemade treats: sourdough breads made from local flour and baked in the estate’s bakery, cakes and pastries, sweet or savoury Viennese pastries, coffees and drinks (Kombucha, €8, Chinotto, an Italian sparkling citrus-flavoured drink, €10), to take away or enjoy on the spot, on the terrace overlooking the garden. On the menu: roast chicken sandwich (€12), ham and cheese puff pastry (€5), quiche with green vegetables from the garden (€8.50), rhubarb and green tea crumble, coffee éclair with blackcurrant purée (€3.50)…
The Doyenné Market
Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 2pm, until mid-October
5, rue Saint-Antoine 91770 Saint-Vrain
The chef at the Café de La Paix has created a menu enriched with marine collagen in collaboration with the French dietary supplement brand Combeau: On the menu: breakfast, lunch or dinner on the terrace with a view of the Opéra Garnier or amidst the gilded splendour of the Napoleon III-style brasserie, dating from 1862. Each dish, enriched with collagen, delivers just the right balance of indulgence and wellbeing, with benefits for the skin, bones, digestive system and joints.
At breakfast, we can’t resist the creamy collagen yoghurt, crunchy granola and red berries served with vanilla chia pudding. At lunch, we opt for refreshing dishes such as the chilled fresh tomato velouté with tomato and basil sorbet (€20), sea bass carpaccio with citrus fruits, fennel and crunchy cucumber, served with a lemon and collagen vinaigrette (€30), and for dessert, vanilla panna cotta with fresh watermelon and watermelon coulis (€18), accompanied by ‘Elixir’, a revitalising juice (apple, carrot, beetroot, lemon, ginger and collagen, €12) or an iced collagen matcha latte (€14).
The Collagen x Combeau menu is available à la carte until the end of September at Café de la Paix
Breakfast served daily from 7.00 am to 10.30 am and until 11.00 am at weekends
Lunch and dinner served daily from 11.30 am to 11.30 pm without a break; no booking required
5, place de l’Opéra, Paris 9th arrondissement
From 3 to 5 September, Les Invalides fait son cinéma transforms the majestic Cour du Dôme into an open-air cinema. Over three evenings, filmgoers are invited to take their seats in one of the capital’s most impressive settings to enjoy an eclectic programme. This year, Le Chant du Loup kicks off the festivities on Thursday 3 September, followed by WALL-E on Friday 4 September for a family screening, before a final screening on Saturday 5 September featuring The Ides of March, directed by George Clooney. More than just a cinema event, it’s also a charitable initiative: proceeds will be donated to the Comité de l’Entraide Défense, which supports, amongst others, wounded servicemen and bereaved families. An experience as original as it is spectacular, extending the summer evenings in the heart of one of Paris’s most iconic monuments.
Les Invalides gets cinematic
129 rue de Grenelle 75007 Paris
“In Paris, food is never just about food. It’s culture, romance, a ritual,” explains the introduction to this beautiful book aimed at lovers of the City of Light and fine dining. “Paris Paris Paris” is a glossy food tour from the Citix60 collection, published by an independent Hong Kong-based publishing house. The concept? To explore capital cities through the eyes of the creative minds who live there. We are immersed in the cuisine, culture and favourite spots of these culinary influencers: we discover recipes ranging from street food to Michelin-starred chefs, whilst exploring markets, top spots, local produce and the customs of each destination. You can recreate at home the 60 recipes shared by these leading figures from the Parisian culinary scene, such as Ayumi Sugiyama’s orange chiffon cake, recipes by Bertrand Chauveau (Le Cornichon), Gregory Marchand (Frenchie), pastry chef Nina Métayer, Omar Dhiab (Elbi), Pierre-Antoine Darsy (the excellent Bistrot Darsy) and Taku Mikuruya (Ojji), all accompanied by lovely illustrations.
“Paris Paris Paris”, in English, published by Viction Workshop Ltd, €22.95,
Available in bookshops (Artazart, OFR, Galignani, Shakespeare & Co, Fondation Cartier, Smith & Son, etc.)
To combat the extreme summer heat on the Parisian tarmac and stroll through the city with a lighter step, treat yourself to a refreshing boost: the Glacé Verveine body gel from L’Occitane en Provence… Its melt-in texture is ultra-light and provides an icy sensation upon application, enhanced by the action of menthol. Formulated to moisturise the skin, this summer treat leaves a delicate scent of verbena on the skin. L’Occitane sources its raw materials directly from numerous French producers, notably for the organic verbena from Provence. For an even more intense effect, the gel can be placed in the fridge before application: a real pick-me-up before setting off again to explore Paris!
L’Occitane Limited edition, 150ml, €27
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