Monthly Archives: February 2014

Paris prepares for the sunset

Some of you know that one of my favorite pastime activities is looking out the window and admiring the view we have. Especially in the morning or toward the evening.

Today, the sky changed its color beautifully and I quickly picked up my camera. There were barely ten minutes between these two photos, and it is quite impressive how colors changed from pink and grey to blue.The beauty of life, the beauty of Paris.

PS Happy Valentine’s day everyone! And if you are not in a relationship, then no worries. It is Friendship Day in Finland, my country of origin. We are so democratic in Finland that we never want to exclude anyone…

Lao Lane Xang 2: simply the best

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I have been a loyal customer of Lao Lane Xang 2 ever since it was created. It is my number one choice in the Southeast Asian food category in Paris, and in fact, I could not imagine my life without this divine restaurant, owned by half Laotian, half Vietnamese brothers.

The restaurant is always full and reservations are recommended. However, if you are just two and willing to wait for 15-30 minutes, you usually get a table. But try to call at least one day in advance.

The menu consists of dishes from Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. Even if the prices were increased a little bit in early January, they remain very reasonable. For example, we usually order more than enough food, champagne & beer for aperitif and wine with food, and the bill has never exceeded 75€ (for two).

Some of my favorite dishes are the following:

1. Ped Lad Prik (tamarind duck 13€). This is the house special and the most popular dish. It is simply from heaven. Number L43 in the menu (I know the numbers by heart!).

2. Lap Neua (minced beef meat 9€50). This is the famous Laotian raw or semi-raw dish, which exists also in duck at Lao Lane Xang 2. It is one of my favorite dishes in the world (One more time, one more laap) and nothing beats a well-made lap, I reckon. I even learned how to make it in Laos (Cooking class in Luang Prabang).I believe that the version made by Lao Lane Xang 2 is as close as it gets to any lap made in Laos and if you like raw or semi-raw meat, go for it! (Tip: I order lap even during summer months and I have never been sick at Lao Lane Xang 2. But if you hesitate, ask them to cook it more for you)

3. Yam Lao Lane Xang (prawn and cuttlefish salad 10€40). This vinegar-based salad is another favorite of mine. It is refreshing and contains raw red onions, cashew nuts, salad, fried prawns and dried cuttlefish slices. Delicious!!

4. Khung (fried prawns in red coconut curry 12€40). My husband loves this dish but since I usually don’t eat fried food, I find it slightly less appealing. Do not get me wrong; it IS very tasty, but one has to like fried food to like it (well, stating the obvious now…). I usually have a little bit, but I could not eat the entire dish alone.

The menu is long and I have tasted at least one third of the dishes. They are all very good, but these four have become my favorite ones over the years. If you are a group of people, then order many dishes and share: the best way to explore Asian cuisine!

As to the wine, we usually have wine by carafe (50cl 10€) and find it of rather high quality. A glass of champagne (Philipponnat) costs 8€50 and it is a wonderful choice of champagne.

I love going to Lao Lane Xang 2 and find the service excellent and fast. Highly recommended!!

Lao Lane Xang 2:

102 avenue d’Ivry, 75013

Paris

Telephone. +33 (0)1 58 89 00 00

Metro: Tolbiac, Place d’Italie

Closed on Wednesdays!

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Waking up to a beautiful day

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Such a sunny morning. The Magritte-blue sky. Freshly squeezed lemon juice with hot water, Greek yogurt with dried figs. Coffee with rice milk. Feels like spring. I need to wipe the dust off my Thierry Lasry sunglasses. Today I am seeing a friend and we will play chic: La Grande Épicerie, Le Bon Marché, Saint-Germain-des-Prés and a lunch somewhere. Maybe at La Palette?

Bonne journée everyone!

PS For those who don’t know yet, Pearlspotting can be found on Facebook too.

Slow-roasted cherry tomatoes

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The great thing about food markets is that you never know what you end up buying! Yesterday the Bastille market seemed full of cherry tomatoes, and we purchased one big box of them. The question what to do with them was answered when I stumbled upon a Low and Slow Semi Dried Tomatoes recipe, and thanks to Sip Chomp Chew blog, I now have hundreds of delicious cherry tomatoes in the fridge!

So, here you go, my recipe (with some modifications compared to the Sip Chomp Chew’s recipe):

1. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and place them onto baking sheet.

2. Sprinkle with olive oil (I used olive oil from Crete: the best olive oil in the world!)

3. Sprinkle with Herbes de Provence. If the mix does not include oregano, add. Add also black pepper. I did not use salt.

4. Roast in oven for a loooong time. My first set of cherry tomatoes stayed 4 hours in oven (130C), but I did increase the temperature to 150C for my second set. This made the cooking time considerably shorter (3 hours) and the cherry tomatoes did not burn. Try and see!

5. We ate the cherry tomatoes like that, and added some to a salad. The more obvious ways to use them are in pizza, ratatouille, salad, pasta, etc., but I would like to experiment using them in amuse-bouche, moussaka, Mediterranean fish dishes, chicken….

Whatever you do, but be careful. These little creatures are so yummy that you may just want to eat them directly from the baking sheet!

Playing with still life in Paris

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Mirror: Antique, French. Not quite sure, 18th or 19th century?

Green vase: Designed by Helena Tynell in the 1960’s. Produced by Riihimäen Lasi, Finland (http://www.laatutavara.com/index.php?hakuteksti=aurinkopullo&page=haku)

Candle holder: Designed by Heikki Orvola in 1988. Produced by Iittala, Finland (https://www.iittala.com/Series/Iittala/Kivi/c/Kivi).

Pendant lamp seen in the mirror: Alvar Aalto bell lamps from 1937 find a new home in Paris and Alvar Aalto bell lamp

Easy oven-roasted cauliflower

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A friend recently sent me a recipe, which included broccoli, but since I had cauliflower at home, I used that. Since that day I have made the recipe several times and cannot seem to get enough. Some people eat chocolate for a snack, I opt for cauliflower!

So, how to begin? Buy a large cauliflower. Cut it into florets. Place them in a large oven-safe bowl. Sprinkle olive oil, black pepper and salt. Add crushed garlic. Roast in the oven (225C) for 30 minutes (cooking time depends on your taste and on the size of florets, so taste to see how you prefer your cauliflower). Once the florets have obtained nice color, remove the bowl from the oven. Immediately after, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (again, add according to your taste). And voila, the dish is ready to be served!! See, super easy and fast to make! FYI: the original recipe said squeeze a lemon at the same time when adding Parmesan cheese, but I have not yet done that. Maybe one day.

PS In case you are wondering, the tiles (carreaux ciment) are from a shop called Mosaic del Sur. Their production takes place in Andalusia, Spain and Morocco. If you are looking for original and beautiful tiles, this is The Place! They have a showroom in Paris, and even if you are not renovating at the moment, stop by to admire these elegant pieces of art! (http://www.carreauxmosaic.com)

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If you are on Facebook, why not to check Pearlspotting’s Facebook page?

What to drink with foie gras?

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To pair food and wine is not always straightforward. Even if my principle is “pair it as you like, what you personally prefer”, there are some foods that are trickier than others and deserve more thinking. Foie gras is one of them.

We served foie gras yesterday with toasted pain d’épices (sweet, spicy bread) and coarse salt (sea salt). I had prepared a tomato-onion salad to go with.

We enjoyed the foie gras with Loupiac (AOC), Château Martillac 2012, and considered it was a successful match (7.80€ the bottle).

However, one does have many choices apart from Loupiac, and below you have a list of my favorite foie gras & wine pairing options. I have tried to mention wines that are fairly easily available, too.

1. Champagne: the emperor of the drinks, goes with everything, anytime! If you don’t like sweet wines (the rest are sweet and white), then opt for champagne.

2. Sweet Jurançon: Located in the southwestern part of France, near the Pyrenees, this AOC is probably my favorite among sweet wines. In addition, it has an interesting history: “Jurançon wine occupies an auspicious place in French history. As the story goes, when the future King Henry IV was christened in 1553, his infant lips were touched with a drop of Jurançon wine, which was said to give him lifelong vigor. This practice is repeated to this day at many local christenings.” (http://www.winesofsouthwestfrance.com)

3. Sweet Côtes de Gascogne (IGP): Located in the same region as Jurançon, but a little bit more north, this is another excellent, slightly less-known wine-producing zone.

4. Sweet Monbazillac (AOC): 100 km east from Bordeaux, this is another excellent sweet wine.

5. Sweet Sauternes (AOC): very near Bordeaux, this is probably the most common sweet wine to go with foie gras.

The list is obviously not exhaustive and of course there are many other great wines like for example Le Rêve de Pennautier, “Vendanges d’Après” Vin de France by Maison Lorgeril from Languedoc-Roussillon that I enjoyed over Christmas. This said, what you serve with your foie gras?

PS A tip for the non-French: if you want sweet wine, look for the word vin moelleux in the bottle.

Catching the winter sunlight

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Beautiful February sunlight in Paris!

Jewellery: Chaumet and Edouard Nahum, Paris

Wooden box: Traditional lacquer miniature painting, handpicked in Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Silver box: Lancel, Paris

Where to dine in Venice?

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Being in a foreign city trying to find a good, honest restaurant can be tough. Of course there are some countries where it feels like anything you eat will be delicious, but still, I do argue that finding a cosy, fine restaurant with a decent price-quality ratio is not an easy task! Or is it just me and the years of living in Paris that have turned me obsessed about food…

Anyway, I am hereby going to list typical, bistrot-type Venetians restaurants that we came across during our visits in late 2011 and early 2014. This is by no means a comprehensive list (and in no particular order either!), but hopefully gives some idea to other travelers searching beyond the usual and the most touristic recommendations. Some restaurants we obviously liked more than others, so follow your feeling (or ask me for more details)!

1. Osteria da Alberto (http://www.osteriadaalberto.it/) near the hospital. Address: Calle Giacinto Gallina, Cannaregio. We visited this restaurant for lunch in 2011 and again in 2014. The prices have gone up a bit (normal), but it is still very reasonable and in our top three. + Honest and delicious home-cooking with fresh ingredients (including octopus!) in a lovely setting
+ Friendly, professional service
+ Perfect for watching locals (English and French spoken)
+ Excellent and very affordable house wine by carafe
+ Heavenly house dessert

2. Osteria Ai 40 Ladroni (http://www.ristorantivenezia.net/osteriai40ladroni.htm) in the north-western part of Canareggio. Address: Fondamenta della Sensa 3253, Cannareggio. + Delicious cuttlefish in ink served with polenta
+ Many seafood options
+ Tables in the lovely garden/courtyard
– Service was not the friendliest and in fact a bit odd…

3. Osteria alla Bifora. Address: Campo Santa Margherita, Dorsoduro. + Very romantic, candles on the table
+ Open late
– Grilled vegetables very bland. Food in general not the tastiest I have had in Venice…
– Wine only by bottle and fairly expensive

4. Osteria Ai 4 Feri. Address: Calle Lunga, Dorsoduro.
+ Lovely atmosphere
+ Full of locals
+ The best cuttlefish spaghetti I have had in Venice
+ Excellent house wine by carafe
+ Heavenly house dessert

5. Pizzeria Ai Sportivi. Address: Campo Santa Margherita, Dorsoduro. + Good enough pizza
– Seems a bit too touristic…

6. Trattoria Ca D’Oro (also known as Alla Vedova). Address: Calle del Pistor 3912, Cannareggio.+ Sarde in Saor (sweet and sour sardines) very good
– Extremely long wait
– Unfriendly service
– Disappointing dishes
– Atmosphere looks warm but does not feel like cosy

Should you try any of these restaurants, please let me know what you think. Furthermore, do not forget to reveal your hidden and favorite pearl in Venice so that I can try it during my next visit….

Easy breakfast and lunch snacks in Venice

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This is the first post about what and where to eat in Venice. I thought that for the simplicity, it would make sense to separate the quick snack options from dinner options, so here you go. Your guide to filling the stomach from the early morning to late afternoon!

WHERE TO EAT BREAKFAST? If your hotel does not offer breakfast, head to a bakery. Or if you prefer savory breakfast, why not to start the morning with tramezzini, also called Venetian tea sandwich. These triangular sandwiches (starting 1.50€ per piece) come with many different fillings, making it fun to learn Italian. Tonno pomodori anyone?

TRAMEZZINI AND DEEP-FRIED SNACKS AT ROSTICCERIA SAN BARTOLOMEO. If you are busy visiting museums and sites, grabbing a few more tramezzini for lunch can be an easy and cheap option. If you have a bit more time, but still not enough for a proper sit-down meal where you are served, try Rosticceria San Bartolomeo at Calle della Bissa (500 meters north from Piazza San Marco). This smallish cafe/restaurant seems popular among the locals and we saw one gondolier eat here every day. With a glass of wine, of course. Must be a good sign! TIP: two people can eat for less than 10€ if ordering only tramezzini and deep-fried snacks. Simply go to the counter and explain what you would like to have, and bring the food yourself to the table. This is what we did the first day.

However, the second day we went to the other counter (located still on the ground floor), where fried fish, grilled vegetables, etc. are being displayed, and ordered two plates at the counter. For some reason our bill jumped to 40€, which we felt was no longer a decent price for a quick lunch. The food was tasty, but not worth that much.

Lastly, there is also an upstairs restaurant, but it did not look particular attractive (this is also where the restrooms are). You may as well save money and sit on the ground floor by the windows I suggest.

THE MOST OBVIOUS LUNCH CHOICE: PIZZA! During our previous visit to Venice we had pizza on the terrace every other day. It was autumn and pizza with some local wine was the perfect way to warm us up and boost the energy level. But, as soon as you sit down, the bill goes up, so it is not very economical! This time it was too cold to eat outside and we did not devote as much time for eating our lunch, but should you still fancy pizza, get a slice! LIke tramezzi, they are everywhere and come in many toppings.Who can resist these delicious slices -I cannot! So, pick your choice and say buon appetito!

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PS For dinner options, click here: Where to dine in Venice?

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