Monthly Archives: February 2014

Parisian stairway from 1870’s (before the renovation)

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Going through a major renovation is fascinating: words “before” and “after” suddenly get a very deep meaning!

Today our stairway is receiving its first varnish and I thought it would be interesting to show a photo of what it looked like before. I do have many before and after photos from inside the apartment, but unfortunately only one showing the stairway. Better than nothing, I hope! Parisian stairway

I am not quite sure when the stairway was last renovated, but the cork-type of wallpaper hints to the 60’s or 70’s… any architects out there who can help me out?

The carpet, on the other hand, is quite a typical carpet one finds in Parisian building,s but again, I have no idea which decade it comes from.

Ps In case you missed my last post, check it out here: Parisian stairway from 1870′s (a photo I took on Monday this week, showing the new painting). Quite a transformation!!

 

 

 

 

 

Parisian stairway from 1870’s

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The 1870’s building where we live in in the heart of Paris has gone through a lot of renovations since last year. At the moment, we are in the middle of a stairway renovation, which has required a lot of meetings between the owners about choosing the right paint, the most suitable company, etc. It has gotten very technical and my detailed knowledge of French renovation vocabulary has impressed and made laugh many. It is indeed funny to know words in a foreign language that you don’t even know in your native tongue!

Today the steps were sanded, and wow, how beautiful raw wood can be!!!! I wanted to touch the wood everywhere and it felt so soft. French stairways, ParisThe carpet that runs from the top floor all the way to the ground floor can now be fetched from the dry cleaners, and as soon as the steps receive their varnish, it will be installed. We all hope the color coordination stays successful…Parisian stairwaysSome more weeks, some more paint, and a bottle of champagne will be corked to inaugurate the life of this alluring stairway!

PS Have you already checked Pearlspotting on Facebook?

Shan Goût: not your usual Chinese restaurant

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To celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Horse, we ate at Shan Goût yesterday. This small restaurant near the Marché d’Aligre is recommended by Le Fooding and since our criterion was to find something a bit upscale, the choice seemed perfect. We reserved one week in advance.Shan GoûtUpon arrival, we were given a table sort of in the middle of everyone: there was a group of guys a few centimeters to our left and a bigger group to our right. It felt like sitting in the middle of a corridor. And it surely did not seem fair that reserving one week ahead does not guarantee a nice table. 

Second negative-ish point. No champagne by glass. Ok, call me a snob but we are in Paris. And champagne belongs to the new year…

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One has to order a fix menu, and we opted for two starters and two main courses (22€ per person plus 3€ extra per person because of the dishes we chose).

We begun with steamed cabbage with crab meat and a taro soup. Cabbage had a refined taste but did not compare to the taro soup, which was divine and velvety. taro soupeShan Goût

For the main course we opted for a duck leg served with lentils and greens. It did not taste particularly Asian, and came in a gelatin-like sauce. It was not bad, not at all, but it was not at all what we expected either. Very fusion, to say the least.Shan GoûtThe second main course we shared was sea bass. It reminded us of tastes of Laos, Malaysia…. and it was fantastic!!! Shan Goût

 

We had a carafe of red wine from the Avignon region but my husband liked less than I did. Otherwise, the wine list seemed interesting: for example, Maison Casez from Languedoc-Roussillon makes excellent natural and even biodynamic wine, and would be our next choice should we return to Shan Goût.

This said, yes, I am still puzzled as to what to think. 50% of what we ate was delicious, but the other half left us a bit empty. There was the issue with our table. The service was not particularly friendly. Not rude, but nothing too smiley either. Hmmm. The restaurant aims high: Shan Goût is considered high-end and the price proves it (almost 100€ for two), but I would suggest they work a bit more on the presentation and the service.

Will I return –probably yes because I don’t like having puzzled feelings about something!

Le Fooding review: http://lefooding.com/fr/restaurants/restaurant-shan-gout-paris

Wine: http://www.cazes-rivesaltes.com/vente-vins-de-rivesaltes-muscat-rivesaltes-rivesaltes/?page=shop_home