Menu Palais La Vallée Village (Serris, FRANCE) ★★★☆☆

After spending four days in Paris, it was time for us to head south and get some sunshine. But there was still one more stopover to make before our drive down south, La Vallée Village in Serris.

While Jelloman immediately headed for her shopping spree, yours truly decided to bring little one out for a quick bite.

There wasn't a whole lot of choices around the designer outlet when it comes to food so instead of getting picky, we ended up settling down at Menu Palais, a casual diner in the heart of La Vallée Village serving a simple all-day menu. 

We got to chill out a bit while waiting for Jelloman to finish her shopping. 

Some cold drinks to start us off first during our wait.

Cod fish and chips with tartare sauce – Well, I ordered this for myself but my son swiftly scooped it up without my blessing! 😡😡

Baked rigatoni with Comté cheese – Now, I understood why he had to abandon his pasta. This was way too cheesy, even for daddy.

The plan was to spend about an hour and a half at the outlet but we wound up spending twice the time per our original plan. I guess I really need to step on the gas petal to cut down on our travel time now, or else it would be dark before we arrive in Dijon.

Food Rating: 4.7/10

Price: €€€

Address: 3 Cours de la Garonne, 77700 Serris, France

Tel: +33 (0)1 6043-2673

Website: www.lavalleevillage.com/fr/cafes-and-restaurants/menu-palais/

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 8:00pm daily

Hakata Choten Opera (Paris, FRANCE) ★★☆☆☆

Less than a week into our trip to France, little nugget has already voiced his displeasure on having French food everyday on a number of occasions. So, I decided to change things up tonight by treating him to a Japanese ramen dinner at Hakata Choten Opera.



When visiting a ramen shop named "Hakata" (based on the district of Fukuoka, Japan), you can expect a strong focus on tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen, a specialty that Hakata is renowned for.

Tonkotsu Special + Chasu (€20.5) – One of the signature tonkotsu ramen here, combining the secret ingredients from their Tonkotsu Red (broth infused with a secret spicy sauce) and Tonkotsu Black (broth infused with scorched black garlic sauce) recipe. This came with 3 slices of barbecued pork, a soft-boiled egg, fresh chives and bean sprouts (no bamboo shoots!). 

As usual, I sampled the tonkotsu broth with a quick sip but it fell way short of expectations. There was no depth of flavors coming from the broth and instead, just a lot of saltiness (kind of like the broth of instant noodles made with seasoning powder). The red sauce apparently  added some mild spicy kick to the broth but nothing too overpowering there.

The soft-boiled egg.......well, became a hard-boiled egg. 😔😔

Right after the meal, we took a relaxing walk around rue Sainte-Anne and Avenue de l’Opéra. This is where you find all these little Asian restaurants (mostly Japanese and Korean). We also stumbled upon Gyoza Hohei, a Japanese restaurant that used to be called "Izakaya Taisho Ken 3" in 2017. It was there that my little boy was having his breakdown screaming and yelling after our meal (Who could blame a 2 year old kid having a meltdown on his first trip in Europe). This brought back a lot of memories for us.

Once again, this ramen dinner highlighted how fortunate we are as Hongkongers. The diverse range of foods we have the privilege of savoring in Hong Kong, be it Japanese, French or Italian, comes with authentic flavors that transport us to the very essence of these same dishes as enjoyed in their respective native countries.

Food Rating: 3.8/10

Price: €€€

Address: 53 Rue des Petits Champs, 75001 Paris, France

Closest Metro Station: Opéra

Tel: +33 (0)1 4020-9888

Website: www.hakata-choten.com

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm (Mon - Fri), 12:00pm - 4:30pm (Sat - Sun), 6:00pm - 10:00pm (Mon - Sun)

Le Violon d'Ingres (Paris, FRANCE) ★★★★☆

Today’s main event for us is a visit to the Eiffel Tower. I don’t know about the others but personally, I am pumped every time I come across this symbolic landmark of Paris. For our own convenience, I thought it was important that we found a lunch venue near the tower so we could soak up the vibe in the 7th arrondissement neighborhood which is best known for its historical sites, charming neighborhoods, and vibrant cultural scene.

That brought us to Le Violon d'Ingres, an upscale neo-brasserie helmed by highly regarded chef Alain Solivérès, formerly of the prestigious fine-dining institution Le Taillevent, and Jimmy Tsaramanana.

I knew a big part of Le Violon d'Ingres' kitchen (including pastry chef Ryota Ozawa) is Asian but didn't realize that its client base is predominantly Asian as well.

Lunch got rolling in a hurry with some cheese gougères and seasoned almonds (I thought with matcha).

Heirloom tomatoes, pine nuts, burrata, olive oil – Some of us kicked off the meal with an assortment of heirloom tomatoes which have been seasoned with sherry vinegar. This came with very refreshing, clean flavors working well with the roasted pine nuts, pistou and burrata cheese.

Fine cream of green peas, sheep’s curd – I ordered this for little nugget simply for the fact that it's the perfect dish for the summer. The chilled green peas soup was nicely garnished with crispy croutons and a cloud of sheep's curd in the middle. Just couldn't ask for a more refreshing start to the meal (except for the heirloom tomatoes perhaps).

Escalope of duck foie gras, seasonal fruits – As much as I loved to start things off with a refreshing dish, I just couldn't pass on the chance of having a superbly seared duck foie gras. Look at the size of these two thick-cut foie gras and their caramelized crust. The execution was simply faultless and the collection of seasonal fruits including the roasted fig, peach, apricot and pear were the perfect match made in heaven. Yeah, my self-imposed ban on the consumption of duck foie gras was temporarily lifted for a few hours. 😆😆

Free range pigeon in a puff pastry Wellington style, salmis sauce – Our first main dish was pigeon breast from Landis stuffed inside a puff pastry Wellington style.

The pigeon breast cooked to amazingly rosé was elegantly enveloped inside the puff pastry and finished off with a creamy salmis sauce. For a brief moment or two, I did regret not ordering this myself.

Duck breast, polenta, olives, rosemary – I had the roasted duck breast from Chalosse. Duck from the Chalosse region is touted for its exceptional flavor and tenderness, and it was in full display this afternoon. The duck breast was nicely accompanied by a slice of polenta cake topped with olives and rosemary. Yet another plus dish from the talented kitchen.

Snow eggs, crème anglaise with Bourbon vanilla, pink pralines – This consisted of layers of fluffy and airy egg white which was beautifully crowned with pink pralines, nuts and edible flowers. A nice pour of custard cream made with Bourbon vanilla, eggs and milk put the finishing touch on the delicious dessert.

Traditional Mille Feuille, light vanilla whipped cream – One of the best millefeuille I have ever had in my life (I have a few of these on this trip). The pastry was so so light, almost feather-like but it's got enough butter for the nice, buttery texture to match up against the vanilla whipped cream and chocolate sauce (did I taste caramel there?). I love a simple dessert that was done right. 

We were so full but I won't miss the mignardises for the world, especially the mini lemon tarts which came with a sharp burst of acidity.

That was a really relaxing lunch without the pressure of a fine-dining setting. Service was certainly up to par for a Michelin starred restaurant and I liked the classy modern interior which wasn't meant to be flashy or pretentious. If I ever live in Paris, this is a place I would love to come back time and time again.

We didn't forget why we were here in the heart of the 7th arrondissement. Unfortunately, sections of the park were off-limits due to Summer Olympics construction, which meant we couldn't capture any picturesque shots of the iconic tower.

This photo taken in 2013 remains the best shot we have of the tower (with us). I doubt we'll ever surpass it.

Food Rating: 7.7/10

Price: €€€

Address: 135 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris, France

Closest Metro Station: École Militaire / Pont de l'Alma

Tel: +33 (0)1 4555-1505

Website: https://leviolondingres.paris/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:00pm, 6:30pm - 10:00pm daily

Pâtisserie Nina Métayer Printemps Haussmann (Paris, FRANCE) ★★★☆☆

Jelloman is off to see her buddy, Madame Taekwondo who's leaving for Amsterdam around noon hours. That leaves only me and little nugget without any plans this morning. Since Printemps Haussmann is just a comfortable 10-minute walk from our hotel, I decided to bring little one with me for a short exploration of the elegant department store.

Situated on the 8th floor of the iconic building is the gourmet food section featuring a number of restaurants and cafés. This floor is also known for hosting pop-up boutiques and collaborative dining experiences with the department store.
 


Last time we were in Paris, it was French master pâtissier Christophe Michalak who took over this space. This time around, it was Chef Nina Métayer, a two-time recipient of the "Best Pastry Chef of the year" award to showcase her talent. 

There was no dine-in area for the pastry shop but perhaps I could find myself a spot on the balcony? 

This has always been one of my favorite spots in Paris, with stunning views of the city's skyline.

Le cheesecake (€8.5) – A really soft and airy raw cream cheese mousse on a speculoos sablé base with almonds and hazelnuts. The centre of fresh cream cheese was supposed to give the pastry some contrasting texture on top of the crunchy sablé base and cream cheese mousse.

This was pretty decent but for someone who loves crunchiness and nutty flavors, the base seemed to be more appealing than the two layers of cream cheese combined. Something seemed to be missing here.

My Google Map app indicated that Jelloman and Madame Taekwondo were having breakfast right across the street from us at Galeries Lafayette Le Gourmet so we decided to surprise them by unexpectedly appearing in front of them. But instead of finding them, we stumbled upon a few of my favorite French pastry shops including Dalloyau, Pierre Hermé, and L'Eclair de Génie.

Philippe Conticini.

Yann Couvreur!

This was a delightful treat to my sweet tooth! Now, it's time to venture back to our hotel and get ready for lunch.

Food Rating: 6.4/10

Price: €€€

Address: 64 Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris, France

Closest Metro Station: Havre - Caumartin

Tel: +33 (0)1 4282-4002

Website: www.printemps.com

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 8:00pm (Mon - Sat), 11:00am - 8:00pm (Sun)

Le Train Bleu Gare de Lyon (Paris, FRANCE) ★★★☆☆

Our tour of some of the oldest restaurants in Paris continues tonight. Following a very busy day that saw us cover The Louvre, Île Saint-Louis, Île de la Cité and Le Marais (all on foot) all within a few hours, we are going to finish the night at Gare de Lyon.

The striking clock tower at the station quickly caught our eyes but after a few boring photos, it was time to check out tonight’s dinner venue, Le Train Bleu.

Le Train Bleu is a historic restaurant located within the Gare de Lyon in Paris, renowned for its opulent Belle Époque décor and exquisite French cuisine. Opened in 1901, the restaurant offers a unique dining experience that captures the essence of Parisian elegance, with ornate frescoes, gilded moldings and plush seating.  

The dining room features a series of connected dining rooms each with paintings on the walls and ceiling to represent various cities and regions in France.

In recent years, legendary chef Michel Rostang has taken over the menu at Le Train Bleu, with Samir Balia running the day-to-day operation of the kitchen. So, expectation was high.

Baby leaf salad (€13) – We all agreed to start things off with a salad dish first (yeah, we were sharing). The generous portion of garden green was topped with dried apricots, walnuts and hazelnuts, finished off nicely with olive oil from Baux de Provence and balsamic vinegar.

Lime marinated octopus (€34) – The second starter to arrive was octopus sliced into smaller pieces, and matched with chickpea and cumin cream, spice and coriander condiments. A bit of Moroccan twist there.

Sea bass carpaccio with herbs (€36) – By far the best dish of the evening by at least a mile. The freshness of sea bass was beautifully matched with avocado, samphire and pomegranate sauce verge so some lovely acidity to complement the sweetness of the fish. That was nicely done.

Lobster with verbena (€55) – The verbena flavored pasta was more tubular in shape than a typical ravioli. Just after a single bite, little one already decided it was time to move on from this "ravioli" thanks to its strong, earthy notes. (He did finish the lobster though 😆).

Yeah, he wasn't a happy camper. So, I ended up picking up where he left off and honestly, I couldn't really blame him. The ravioli stuffed with lobster mousse was really rubbery like eating plastic. Not great.

Tender roasted langoustines (€39) – This took a while to arrive; in fact it arrived long after most dishes were already done. During this prolonged wait, we had tried very hard to get in touch with our server but obviously, only his assistant was available to field our questions and he wasn't a very capable English speaker. It then became apparent to us that this was way over his pay grade. And finally, our server showed up (after at least 20 minutes) and informed us that the langoustines would finish their roasting in 10 minutes. Great news.

Anyways, this turned out to be a fairly nice dish. The tender roasted langoustines came with really nice brown crust, meshing well with the variations of zucchini and shellfish coulis. For me, probably the second best dish tonight (even better without the long wait).

I left my seat again for a couple more photos of the impressive dining room which looked even better following sunset. 

It was a mixed bag for me tonight. Some dishes were good (sea bass tartare and langoustines) and some weren't (ravioli) but the Belle Époque décor was half of the reason I came here for so I didn't leave here totally disappointed. My team however looked like they had the life sucked out of them after the meal. Madame Taekwondo even said for all the dinner venues I have chosen for us over the years, this was by far the worst dining experience. I am taking it as a compliment.

Food Rating: 6.2/10

Price: €€€€

Address: Gare de Lyon, Pl. Louis Armand hall 1, 75012 Paris, France

Closest Metro Station: Gare de Lyon

Tel: +33 (0)1 4343-0906

Website: www.le-train-bleu.com

Opening Hours: 11:15am - 2:15pm, 7:00pm - 10:15pm daily

Fu Castella Marais (Paris, FRANCE) ★★★☆☆

After spending more than an hour at the two islands in the heart of Paris, we continued our walking tour of the city by venturing over to the Marais next. This was when we stumbled upon Fu Castella, a boutique-tea salon which was recently opened to much fanfare.

Fu Castella serves up exotic sweets, ice creams, hot and cold drinks at their modernly designed tea salon but it was the patisserie section that really caught my eyes. 

Their bread and butter, these moist and airy Castella cakes. While I have seen them in different countries I visited in the past but have never bothered to check out its origin. As it turned out, the Castella cakes came to Korea by way of Japan, but they were originated from Portugal and best known for the deliciously light and fluffy texture.

Pandan coconut roll cake (€6) – The roll cake was made with coconut panda castella cake with delicate coconut cream sandwiched in between.

We could smell the pandan flavors from miles away. As expected, it was light, airy and full of flavors!

Well, I think I have just enough sweet treats this afternoon. No more sweet stuff for me in the next 24 hours (Easier said than done in a city like Paris!). 

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: €€€

Address: 28 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 75004 Paris, France

Closest Metro Station: Hôtel de Ville / Saint Paul

Tel: +33 (0)1 8381-9588

Website: www.fucastella.com

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 8:00pm daily

A. Lacroix Pâtissier (Paris, FRANCE) ★★★☆☆

While my teammates were enjoying their gelato at Amorino, I decided to spend my spare time wisely by exploring the Latin Quarter for more delicious pastries.

A. Lacroix Pâtissier is a cosy pastry shop and tea salon overlooking Notre Dame Paris.  A collaboration between Pastry Chef Arnaud Lacroix and his partner Jackie, it offers a nice cup of coffee on top of its classic French pastries and light snacks (Think homemade quiche and salads).

Some of the best sellers here include its collection of fruit-themed pastries, highlighted by

the “Notre Dame” apple pastry featuring a centre of creamy apple mousse infused with cold-pressed organic apple juice.

Crème Brûlée (€7.5) – After having the peach pastry at Pâtisserie Michalak yesterday, I'm more than happy to try something else this afternoon. This looks like a pastry with a pretty simple design, just a white vanilla ball topped with a caramel tuile (playing the role of a caramel glaze on top of a crème brûlée).

This particular dessert comprises of a silky smooth vanilla mousse, crème brûlée and almond crisp so on top of the rich vanilla flavors, there was a nice mix of textures harmonizing beautifully with each other .  

My Me Time is about to come to an end now. Time to re-join the gang for dinner tonight.

Food Rating: 6.9/10

Price: €€€

Address:11 Quai de Montebello, 75005 Paris, France

Closest Metro Station: Maubert - Mutualité

Tel: +33 (0)1 7464-1486

Website: www.alacroixparis.com

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 7:00pm daily