A bite of french culture

Paris is like a Bordeaux vintage from the Left Bank; it gets better with time. The old sights and sounds are still there, and it is perhaps these timeless elements that continue to enchant visitors. On my recent trip to meet food suppliers in the city, I realise that nothing has changed from my previous visits. While modern cities like Singapore constantly boast of new architectural developments—which alter their physical landscapes—Paris, like much of Europe, exudes a quiet confidence through the grandeur and splendour of her past.

HAVEN FOR PRODUCE
I visit bakeries whenever I am in Paris. An interesting trivia: many past winners of prestigious baking tournaments in France have shops in Montmartre district. For example, Pascal Barillon, who was the 2011 winner of the Le Meilleur Prix de Baguette de Paris (Best Baguette in Paris), has a shop called Au Levain d’Antan at 6 rue des Abbesses, while Sébastien Mauvieux, the 2012 winner, also runs Boulangerie Mauvieux at 159 rue Ordener. Apart from the prestige that comes with the title, the winner also gets the honour of supplying baguettes to the Elysées Palace for a year. Having visited both bakeries, I am slightly partial to the breads at Au Levain d’Antan, as they have a distinctive, piquant crust that is crisp yet moist.
Another hotspot for artisanal produce, such as cheeses and yogurts, is Marche Saxe-Breteuil, which is quite simply one of the city’s most beautiful markets.

It opens every Thursday and Saturday morning, from 7am to 3pm, and, unlike the markets in Southeast Asia, it is clean and well organised. Its location in front of the Eiffel Tower also lends it a lovely backdrop for photos. The vendors are very passionate about their produce, and you can sense their enthusiasm in sharing their amazing selections with you. On my recent trip, a staff at an oyster stall let me try more than a dozen types of oysters from Brittany: each mollusc’s plump flesh was nestling in pristine salt water within its shell; a sign of its freshness.

One of the city’s many chefs who turn local produce into French dishes with a modern touch is Julien Montbabut of the one Michelin-starred Le Restaurant in L’Hotel, located in the chic neighbourhood of St-Germain-des-Pres. The hotel used to be frequented by celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Salvador Dalí. Montbabut makes the most of quality ingredients from farms, and some of his dishes which I consider perfect are the calf sweetbreads with herb jus, morel mushrooms and Comté, the langoustines marinated with lemon, pink ginger and crispy vegetables, and the pan-fried frog legs in pink garlic bouillon with green risotto of fregola sarda (a Sicilian pasta).