Marche des Enfants Rouges

It's bracingly cold in Paris right now; what I call hot water bottle weather, but I'm not going to let that stop me getting out and about, and trying to see as much as possible in this beautiful city. It's safe to say I packed in a lot this weekend. I'm trying to make the most of my time here and do as much as I can on days off. Of course the casualty of this is that I wake on Monday morning feeling like I've been hit by a train. (But it was all worth it.) 

Friday I had dinner with Harry and her friends. Now getting invited for dinner is always nice, but it's even better when that friend is a food writer. She served up the most delicious carrot soup I think I've ever had and a warming chicken pie - the epitome of comfort food. (Thanks again Harry!)

Saturday I had a coffee with the lovely Lauren who blogs at Folies du Bonheur at another new cafe serving up great coffee (vivre le coffee revolution!). Fondation Cafe is cute, cosy, the coffee's great (so is the tea and the oatmeal & chocolate cookies) and Chris who owns the place is very friendly (he's Aussie after all). We chatted about the current topic du jour,  about how hipsters are ruining Paris, sparked by a recent New York Times article that is doing the rounds. Ridiculous right? Since when did the word 'hipster' become such a dirty word? Anyway you can read it here.

I then met the boy and we wandered into le Marche des Enfants Rouges, just off Rue de Bretagne (no 39) that dates back to the 1600s and is Paris' oldest covered market. By far one of the best markets in le Marais and Paris for that matter, it's undercover too, so perfect for when it rains or is bitingly cold out, which it was. You can find everything here - there's the obligatory veg, bread, fish and flower stalls, but also a few cafes, a wine bar and a restaurant. For a proper sit down meal head to L'Estaminet - we had the most delicious plate of melt in the mouth lamb here at the beginning of the year. There are also a few street food stalls offering various different world foods. We went for the Moroccan stall, which is on your second left as you walk in, and opted for a tagine, which at €10.50 for agneau (lamb) mixed with prunes, apricots, almonds, veg and cous cous served in a decent sized terracotta dish, is incredibly reasonable. Make sure you get a glass of mint tea too - that'll help with the cold. They do have undercover seating, but there's no heating so dress warm. 

What's your favourite market in Paris? 

(photography by Marissa Cox)