As you can probably tell from the title, this is not a usual recipe post but rather a travel blogpost. So my family and I have travelled to Europe for the holidays, and are currently in Paris leaving soon for Switzerland.
During our time here, we’ve gone up the Eiffel Tower, took a tour of the Louvre Museum, walked the Champs Elysees, went to the Palace of Versailles, did a macaron cooking class, saw the Notre Dame and Arc de Triomphe. Apart from these mandatory touristy things, we walked a lot, took a lot of trains, ate a tonne of food and got lost a time or two.
It has been an absolutely amazing experience, and I really hope you enjoy these photographs. Every street and alley way is so beautiful, featuring stunning and unique architecture, it was hard not to take a photo of everything. At the end of this blogpost, I have included a list of our favourite bakeries and restaurants.
There are so many bakeries in Paris, probably at least one on every street, it was impossible to try them all. However, below are some of my family and I’s favourites.
Bakeries/Restaurants:
- Chambelland – this bakery is 100% gluten-free, but everything is so delicious you won’t be able to tell the difference. It has sweet pastries such as lemon meringue tart and Paris brests, savoury focaccias and sandwiches and even soups. My personal favourites are the chouquettes (choux pastry coated in sugar), herb focaccia, cookie classique (a chocolate chip cookie with pecans) and pain de sucree (sugar bread).
- Angelina – this patisserie was established in 1903, and is well known for their hot chocolate and Mont Blanc. My brother really enjoyed their mille feuille (aka vanilla slice).
- Bistrot Richelieu – if you’re looking for a hearty meal, such as steak and fries, then this is the place to go. I really liked their escargot (snails) cooked with herb butter and duck confit. They have a wide variety of food and gluten-free options, and even delicious desserts including profiteroles and creme brulee.
- Bears and Racoons – this is another gluten-free bakery selling mostly sandwiches and other small pastries. It is good for a simple, light lunch, and I enjoyed their smoked salmon sandwich.
- Aux 2 Anges – this bakery has delicious chicken and salami baguettes, ham and cheese croissants, chouquettes and an amazing apple-caramel tarte tatin.
- Il Quadrifoglio – this is a beautiful Italian restaurant by the river, featuring both pizza and pasta. The gluten-free options include pizza, linguini pasta and even lasagne which is my personal favourite.
- Pierre Hemre – Pierre is the pastry king. He has numerous patisseries around Paris, all featuring a wide selection of intricate desserts and macarons of course (I like the vanilla macarons).
- Helmut Newcake – this is another 100% gluten-free bakery. Before going on a gluten-free diet, my favourite food was croissants and I haven’t had one in a very long time. However, this has now changed because Helmut Newcake has amazing croissants (you won’t even tell they’re gluten-free!). They also have delicious eclairs, and this absolutely divine pastry called boule de noel (a combination of vanilla cream, crunchy chocolate-praline base and mouse, and caramel).