Saturday, August 18, 2012

Cafe de la Mairie - (Paris)

 This is a Blog entry that I have always wanted to type up for a special reason but it is not so much about the food.   In one of my lunch dishes here, yes I did upgraded my bread to the locally famous Poilane loaf to become part of my open faced Tartine sandwich,  perhaps an attraction in itself already,  but what is more attractive about this café is that they have a silent agreement with Pierre Herme’s rue Bonaparte shop!   Pastries and Macarons bought as take-away 1 street away at Pierre Herme (I)  can be eaten here without any extra charges.   It is actually a locals’ secret and I personally do want to eat my pastries ASAP from the shop especially knowing how quickly the PH Macarons can become all wet and deflated in no time.  This shop really comes in handy for fussy eaters like myself.   Customers on courtesy,  will need to order a drink or a beer to waive this fee.  I know businesses also need turnover to survive and I really appreciate this gesture,  so I do try to order food as well.  This is a culmination of 2 visits so don’t be surprised at how many drinks I did order below.  It spanned over 2 recent years.


 

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The Bar -
I thought it was more Italian than French in layout,
but that just means they are cool !!






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Café au Lait -
Made with local French roasted coffee.
I hardly order coffee in France by default,  I order tea only.  It is usually quite roasty and bitter.
The Café au Lait modern style version is made with espresso and milk directly.  This is more of a Caffe Latte than original Café au Lait version traditionally made with diluted black coffee base .  You could fault it on technicality too,  but taste matters more and this was more upfront bitter than average Italian cups.  If you like Starbucks style,  you will find your groove instantly here.  Not dissing it but they do have their own audience and if you add sugar. Personally this is not to my palate so it’s hard to explain.  But not bad from an objective level. ~  7/10





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Kronenbourg 1664 -
Draught French beer,  within France.  The HK version is pretty loyal to this actually.
It really depends on where they are made these days.   This was as expected!  Not bad.

 





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Night Time -
Came at night during 1 occasion too.







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White Sauvignon House White -
Just wanted something refreshing.  Served chilled and quite citrusy. 
Not a good wine but ok enough as a quaffer.   I can cope yawn.


 

 


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Out came a bottle of Salad Dressing -
More liquid than envisaged but quite cheesy.






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Poilane Loaf with Gruyere cheese and Jambon Ham -
I don’t normally waste my quota on these.  I can buy Poilane bread in Hong Kong albeit stale,  and I can find better cheeses and ham to fill in the gaps.  But eating this tartine in Paris is a bit more fresher.   I didn’t think this was awesome but it did hold it’s appeal due to freshness alone.  I have had better sandwiches or open toasts but comparatively this was ok.  ~  7.5/10


 




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Many people like to relax here, and it is Quite Crowded -
I have not seen another person to carry in their Pierre Herme desserts to dine here though.  But trust me the staff instantly knew on both of my visits and they remained really friendly and accommodative,  after all I was referred to here by the Pierre Herme staff to dine in.   I don’t normally think Paris service is that friendly unless you happen to be Japanese, or they assume you to be one.  During both occasions here however I can really feel they didn’t really care as long as you bring along some business to their cafe.    I do appreciate how friendly they treated me without forcing me to order expensive foods on both of my visits and when bringing in food from the nearby pastry shop. Real Thumbs up!  But as a courtesy do please order some wines, coffees or food to be fair  Smile






Price:   €3 to €15
Ease of Access:  3/5  (Hard to describe actually.  I always just find here with ease but it is not exactly near anything.  It is next to Saint Sulpice if you walk along St Germain somehow.  Somewhat Hidden.  But the nearby Pierre Herme shop is the one carrying the whole range of goodies.)
Food:  ♕♕♕♕

Opening Hours -
Mon - Sun:  11:30am - 14:30pm,   19:00pm - 23:00pm.

Address: 8 Place Saint-Sulpice, Paris, France

Ph: 01 43 26 67 82

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