Paris to London

I've been in London, so it's been a little quiet on the Paris front. Whenever I go to London, Parisian life has to be put on hold as I'm usually running around London like a little headless chicken trying to see as many people as possible. Last Wednesday (fittingly) I attended Art Wednesday's Nice To Meet You, which consisted of two brilliant, but very emotional talks - one by music artist and composer, Robin Rimbaud, aka Scanner who talked about how sound and music have the ability to conjure up memories, and the other by the ever-inspiring, Professor John M Hull, all about his experience of going blind. I was also incredibly pleased to be invited to the launch of volume two (above) of my magazine du jour, Cereal at Albam in Spitelfields Market, by its editor Rosa. There I munched on tasty bread from Daylesford Organic and chatted all things food. Over the weekend I trained it down to Canterbury and Deal to see my family and on Tuesday I popped into Fashion East's Mens Collections space to see Meadham Kirchhoff's presentation. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to a weekend in Paris!

June Wish List

I am totally confused with what's going on with the weather this year, as I'm sure everyone is who lives in Europe. Last week I really thought that summer was finally here, after the worst winter that I can remember. We spent a lovely evening having drinks outside Grazie, a great Italian pizzaria established by the son of Merci (see what he did there?) The evening was warm and balmy - the perfect summer night. But we then went to the south of France and what was predicted to be a hot sunny day on Saturday, turned cold and rainy all day. And this week it's been cloudy and chilly again, so when picking my wish list for June, I didn't really know where to start, so I kind of sat on the fence with this one.

First up, a versatile summery top by one of my favourite brands for chic basics, KAIN that can be worn in on warm or chilly days, closed toe shoes - I do love these Sandro ones, which again will work in the summer and when it's colder, and then I went for this cosy blanket by Toast. As I type this I am wrapped in a blanket on the couch - you can never have too many blankets to snuggle up in, whatever the weather. I also love these simple, but stylish hanging pendant lights from Merci, which would make either good reading lights or lights to hang over a dining/kitchen table - a twist on the exposed bulbs which are really popular right now. Noemi Klein's gold ring is a really individual piece - I like quirky rings with texture and Martyn Thompson's Interiors (chosen partly for matching the top) features gorgeous inspiring photos of interiors he's photographed such as the home of Anna Sui and Calvin Klein's Creative Director.

1. Lula silk-chiffon top, Kain
2. Anaconda baskets, Sandro
3. Glass Lamps, Merci
4. Mouse Spine ring, Noemi Klein
5. Interiors by Martyn Thompson, Amazon
6. Macausland's blanket, Toast

Weekend in pictures #1: Espeluche

I've just come back from a brilliant weekend spent at a friend's parents' place in Espeluche, Drome a region in the south east of France, so thought I'd share a few photos with you. It was the perfect weekend getaway - the house was a beautiful old villa, big enough to sleep all ten of us comfortably,  surrounded by lush, green land, just at the foot of a hill. Oh and did I mention there was also a pool? The weekend consisted of eating and cooking - we BBQ'ed, baked, boiled, roasted, fried and toasted - played Petanque (boules in English), a game I'll very happily take up in Paris (I got quite good towards the end), spots of sunbathing, laughing and of course a lot of drinking. I can't wait to go back!

Petit Paris: Fish

Image credit: Fishing in a fish print, available [here]

There is a current culinary craze hitting Paris, and it's not meat, or burgers for that matter. No, it's all about fish. So I thought I'd give you a little run down of the most recent fish restaurants to open, where you can taste the delights of the sea and have a change from those meat-heavy dishes that the city is so famous for.

Fish Club

I'm going to talk about the most recent first, as this place literally popped open two weeks ago to quite a fanfare, which is no surprise considering it was launched by the team behind the Experimental Cocktail Club, Curio Parlor and Beef Club. Fish Club is a Peruvian-style fish tapas bar, so expect oysters, crab and lots of raw fish (ceviche). It also serves lovely cocktails, is decorated like a chic beach hut and has a terrace - perfect for warm sunny days.

58 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Le Mary Celeste

Owned by the founders of Candelaria and Le Glass, this place has a simple, but sweet concept. Cocktails and oysters, easy. Of course if you don't like oysters, this won't be the place for you, but if you do, and you like nothing better than slurping down oysters while sipping on a tasty cocktail or glass of cold white wine (my mouth is watering, just writing this) then I suggest you book a table there now.

1 rue Commines

Lobster Bar

Inspired by the humble hot dog, chef Mathieu Mercier decided have a little fun with what he could put in a bun. So he opened Paris' first lobster bar, serving up lobsters in hot dogs. It's a tad strange I know, but somehow it seems to work. Each lobster dog is dished up with tarragon and mayo sauce with a side helping of fries and a salad. It is a little steep at €26 a serving, but you're paying for the experience - the place also looks like an old ship, with wooden benches and white wood panelling, which will make you feel like you've embarked on a voyage out to sea.

41, rue Coquilliere

And a few of my other favourite fish and seafood restaurants are Japanese Rice & Fish, Huitrerie Regis, a teeny tiny place with only four or five tables and Fish La Boissonerie, which although I haven't been, is meant to be very good.

Dace Spring '13

Spring hasn't exactly sprung in Paris yet, and we're nearly in June. As I write I'm looking out as a very threatening grey sky. So I thought I'd post something to cheer me up a little and Dace's Spring 2013 collection does just that. When I spotted Canadian brand Dace, I instantly felt at home, like every look had been designed just for me. I love the laid back, nonchalant ease with which these clothes are worn, yet each still very figure-flattering. They are beautifully-crafted basics, but with an edge that can be dressed up with accessories or worn everyday. I also love the simplicity of the styling - each look set against a white walk, upon concrete floor. Parfait. Favourite looks are the mustard, striped mint green and white dresses, as well as the mustard skirt. And I've got to get me a pair of those colourful socks too. 

Rifle Paper Co

Image credit: Rifle Paper Co

I have a thing about cards. I love to send and receive birthday cards, postcards and just regular cheer-me-up cards. I've been known to tell my friends off when they don't get me birthday cards (I spend ages choosing what I think is the right card to suit their personality) and I've even scolded my boyfriend not once, but twice when he first didn't get me a Christmas card for our first Christmas together and then for the first birthday I spent with him last year. So this birthday, which was at the beginning of May (my 30th), he got his own back and sneakily messaged a load of my friends and asked them (I'm sure bullied in some cases) to send birthday cards for me to his office so he could surprise me with a whole stack when I got home. He even strung them up over the windows. It was very sweet and totally made my day.

Anyway, what I really wanted to talk about is the beautiful Florida based hand made card boutique, Rifle Paper Co. After reading owner and founder, Anna Bond's interview on EveryGirl (I know, I'm a little late to the party), I happily spent a bit too much time scrolling through the shop and then her blog. Here are a few of my favourite designs:

Petit Paris: Brocantes

It's been a little while since I've written a Petit Paris, which are basically little Paris tips I think might be useful, or just places I've discovered since living here. I've been meaning to write about the brocantes for a little while, as I've haven't been to nearly enough since I moved here and finally went to one on Saturday.

Brocantes (flea markets in English) spring up all over Paris, they are so frequent that there are various websites dedicated to them that give dates of where and when one will pop up next. Over the weekend there was one in the 20th just next to the Pere Lachaise, Paris' largest and most famous cemetery, where Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Proust and Modigliani among others are buried. The brocante stretched all the way down Boulevard de Menilmontant, where stalls upon stalls of furniture, lights, ceramics, kitchenware and jewellery were bursting at the seams with hidden treasures. I bought two glass jars, costing €4 each, which I cleaned up and have used to store tea in one and used corks in the other. I also found some lovely brown glass bottles, complete with stoppers, but they were a bit pricey. I could have haggled, but I felt content with the jars, for now...

There are a couple of good sites, first the Paris Mairie (Paris' City Hall) and Brocabrac, where you type in the city you're in and it gives you all the times, locations and what's for sale.

Happy hunting.

[photography by Marissa Cox]