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When JL was still here, one of the dishes that he wanted was pho. I guess he was suffering from the rich French food overload. We complied as all that gorging was beginning to weigh down on our digestive systems as well. After the guys came back from playing golf one afternoon, we met up at Song Huang (which is coincidentally right next door to Pho 14.) Hubby and I had eaten here a few times when we first moved to Paris. We still think it’s the best place for pho in the 13e. The only catch is, the portions here are a little bit smaller than the other pho joints but the ingredients are always fresh.
JL and Hubby ordered the Beef Pho – Hubby claims the shop uses better beef than at Le Bambou. Iceman ordered a Beef Pho with Beef Meatballs. He raved about how there used to be a pho shop in which it served Beef Pho with premium entrecôte slices on the side for customers to add them into the piping hot noodle soup. Unfortunately, the owner closed down shop and opened a traiteur instead. Sigh! I hope that is not the sign of more things to come!
Unlike many pho places, Song Huang is very generous with the side dish of veggies.
I ordered Rice Noodle Stir-Fried with Chicken – the noodles were well done, slightly chewy and not soggy. My only complaint is that it was a tad greasy.
This is the second time I am posting about Lao Thai, and I just had to because I had another wonderful meal there. This time with the patron (Bald Shrimp calls him Le Prince du XIII) of the place. I guess he invited us and JL, because his arteries were also suffering from gorging on the rich French food for many days. Actually, it’s a little hard for me to write about the place as we know the owners, but that is not the reason why I sing praises of the place. I really find the food here better than most of what is found in Thailand. Even JL agrees with me on this.
We kicked off the meal with Som Tam Thai (Green Papaya Salad Thai Style) instead of Som Tam Lao which comes with small fermented black crabs, just so everyone can eat them. It was served with crispy pork rind cracklings.
One of my favorite dishes here – Larb Ped Yang (Spicy Grilled Duck Salad) – the duck is grilled crispy before being made into Larb.
Cailles Sautées aux Basilics – the quails were very tender and have no gamey smell. This is JL’s favorite dish of the night.
On the left side is the Sai Oua and on the right is the Oua Som or Isan Sausages. Again I have to say the Isan Sausages here is nothing like in Thailand. Lao Thai uses better quality pork and the sausages has none of that nasty offending innards smell.
Hubby’s favorite dish – Penang Moo. Again the pork used is very tender and succulent.
Crying Tiger – Hubby claims eating the beef without the dipping sauce makes the wine tastes even better. (??????????????????)
Garlic-fried frog legs. Yet another favorite for everyone except a certain someone who couldn’t get over the fact that he/she is chewing on Kermit’s legs. Plus it tasted like chicken, so he/she would rather eat chicken.
Pad Ped Pla Meuk – I love this dish. I have never had it before until now. The squid was very fresh, crunchy, and springy. 
Lao Thai is definitely one of the few places that can make good Pad Thai in the 13e!
Hubby’s special order for the night – Kai Jiao Moo Saab (Fried eggs with ground pork.) When he orders this in a restaurant, I know he is craving for homemade food.
And, who could forget this dish. 
Pla Som is my all-time favorite dish in Lao Thai. I have only tried Pla Som once in Thailand when I was a kid. I remember the smell and taste was so rotting and disgusting that I laid off eating the thing for decades until I moved to Paris. Funny that. I doubt if I will ever eat Pla Som when I moved back to Thailand……………….. Even JL and Hubby have never eaten the thing in Thailand. In fact, this was the first time they tried the dish. Both liked it, and Hubby doubts if he will eat the same dish in Thailand, too. I personally, think the dish is so much better because Lao Thai uses better fish and, of course, it owns a secret recipe that one day I will drug the chef and pry it out of her! Ha!
As for dessert, we had Kanom Mokaeng with Coconut Ice Cream. This is yet another of Hubby’s favorite. Unfortunately, the Mokaeng is made with green tea. I prefer the original version. Monsieur Le Prince du XIII, if you are reading this, hint! Hint! Hint!!!!!
Update (Nov. 9, 2008): This post has been edited. See my About page for more details.
We dined for the last time with JL at L’Ourcine yesterday before he leaves for Munich. I was a little apprehensive about eating here as it is often described as a value-for-money place. Of course, that is what many bistros are these days, but when that is the description I come across over and over, it made me think of fast food joints.
JL still dreams of his foie gras, and since we are out of ideas of where to bring him, we decided to try L’Ourcine. a friend ordered panfried fish that was too uncooked. It came raw like sashimi. The others enjoyed their dishes. The côte de porc was excellent. Unfortunately, this Paris. The service was lacking. Iceman suggested commenting in my blog that “come for the food but avoid the fish”. But I want to add, save for the young male waiter, the rest of the waiting staff needs improvement.
Hubby’s entrée of pétancles – extremely fresh and juicy. We liked it!
My entrée of Soupe de Poisson – I have heard much about this dish but I have to say I prefer the fish soup at Chez Michel.
M’s rabbit terrine – I think he liked it. Forgot to ask him……………… was too busy taking pictures. Ha!
Icewoman’s Ravioles de Poule Pochée, Champignon de Bois, Emulsion Crémeux – a mouthful and looks too pretty to eat.
My friend’s main dish of Dorade Grise ” de Petit Bateau”, Polenta Crémeux of Lait de Coco – she hated it. The whole center part was a large chunk of sashimi!
My entrée of Dos de Lieu Jaune de Ligne à la Plancha, Vinigrette tiède de Coco Paimpolais. This is the third time I ordered Lieu Jaune and I have always find the meat even more tasteless than white tofu. I ended up eating most of the beans and a few bites of the fish. Not the chef’s fault. I guess I just don’t like lieu.
Hubby’s Jambonette de Pintade Confit, Escalope de Foie Gras Pöelée, Blettes Cuisinées au Jus. JL also ordered this dish and got his craving for foie gras satisfied.
M’s Noix d’Entrecôte which he said was well done. Notice the theme for the garnish? Almost every dish is topped with a garlic/jambon/green onions.
My dessert of Crémeux aux Fruits de Passion, Tuile aux Graines de Pavot. The light cream matches with the crunchy tuile. Plus, I am a big fan of passion fruits.
The guys ordered digestifs of Armagnac and Cognac. Hubby wanted to try absinthe, so he illogically ordered one for JL. Luckily, JL likes it, but it makes me wonder if it’s the real absinthe since he wasn’t hallucinating after the drink.JL is in town for a few days, and since he loves French food, especially foie gras, we decided to bring him to Le Villaret regardless of whether there is duck liver on the menu or not. Ha! I wanted to try this place for a while now, but never got around to it due to the mixed reviews I read. Luckily, we made the right choice. The restaurant is hidden in a quiet small street in the Bastille area, far away from the bustling Oberkampf and République. I have to say the food was good, but alas, the service requires a lot of improvement.
My entrée of cèpes – beautifully done with shallots and cilantros and topped with slices of chorizo.
Me: Is that caviar?
Bald Shrimp: It looks like it is but it’s not.
Me: You mean it’s made from plastic.
BS: No, but it ain’t no caviar.
Me: You mean it’s not fish egg??????????
G ordered this Portuguese wine which the guys loved and ordered a second bottle of the same thing.
My main dish of La Côte de Cochon et Carrottes Confits – it was a little rare and I like my pork well done. Bald Shrimp offered to exchange his cochon (which came well done) with mine, and now I have to write something nice about him. So, while I am thinking of something nice about him, let’s continue talking about the food. Oh, by the way, I lost a couple of hours of my life eating that crust of succulent-ly unhealthy fat.
Icewoman’s Veau et Trompette de la Mort. The black mushrooms had an interesting taste but I think I prefer Girolles. Unfortunately, she didn’t like the veau (veal.)
The cheese platter came in a cute little cage. The Ice Couple hold their breath for a good 30 minutes, while I salivated through it.
My dessert of Clafourtis de Mirabelle. I am not a big fan of clafourtis but I was craving for mirabelles, and was I glad I ordered it. The mirabelles came unpitted which I had as much fun eating as spitting out the seeds. At the same time, Hubby must had been cursing about desserts having seeds. Hee! Hee! Funny, he didn’t make any comments about it.
PS. I still can’t come up with anything nice to write about Bald Shrimp, so I am going to end here. Maybe next time. :-p
For the second night, we dined at Le Gourmandin. I have to say I much prefer the food here over Les Fresques Royales. The ambiance here is very Swiss Chalet style and cosy. Icewoman likes this hotel better than Hotel Royal. Personally, I like both. Each is charming in its own way.
My entrée of Girolles et Haricots Verts – the beans were very crunchy but I would have liked more of the Balsamic Vinegar.
Hubby’s entrée of Langoustine – crunchy and fresh, unlike those at Les Fresques Royales.
Thinking the Sea Bass here would be equally as good as LFR, I ordered it again. Alas, the skin was not fired crispy, but the fish was fresh nonetheless.
Hubby’s main dish of beef, which he claimes is better than LFR……………….see the pattern here?
Iceman’s Crème Brulée.
Hubby’s Peach Financier – mediocre. I don’t think dessert is the group’s forte.
Hubby wasn’t impressed with the wine list here, but we drank plenty of you-guess-what.
Update (Nov. 8, 2008): This post has been edited. Refer to my About page for more details.
We are back from a much needed break from Paris, especially from the horrible weather. Hubby mentioned that summer is over, while I think we never had one this year. Luckily the weather at Evian was sunny. The town was lovely and I didn’t realize how big Lac Léman was (from far it looked more like an ocean.) Although, there is not much to do except for the golf and spa, I thoroughly enjoyed soaking in the fresh air and beautiful view.
Of course, no travel is complete without food. For the two nights there, we dined at Les Fresques Royales (Hotel Royal) and Le Gourmandin (Hotel Ermitage), both of the Evian Royal Resort group. The frescoes at Les Fresques Royales were magnificent. We were one of the only three tables there that night. Something I quite like. I get to take in the whole ambiance without the soft bustling of a filled room.
Since it is summer, the food is mousse-based. A lot of emphasis on pommes verts (green apples).
Les Fresques Royales
Mousse of Foie Gras, Black Olives, and marinated I-don’t-know-what-fish. I didn’t eat it the fish since I don’t like the taste of raw meat.
Mousse of Green Apples and Peas. An unlikely combo, but works well when fresh sweet peas are used.
Guesse who ate one-third of this?
The third amuse bouche – Marinated Salmon and Mint Sherbet.
The delectable entrée of Finger of Foie Gras – perfect without the green mousse.
The perfect crispy Pan-fried Sea Bass.
Hubby’s filet de boeuf, which the restaurant is known for.
Iceman’s Ravioli of Langoustine . Again, it came with green foam.
Dessert of Craquant de Frais de Bois.
Icewoman’s Chocolate Millesfeuilles.
Hubby really liked this wine.
To put it unromantically, that is what butter is to me. I never liked it when I was young. For the longest time in my life I avoided the unsightly yellow flab of fat until I moved to France. I first came across Jean-Yves Bordier’s butter when I was dining at one of the Michelin-starred restaurants. To be honest I was curious as to how the butter was “molded” to a small beehive gem of an art work. Nevertheless, I didn’t taste it as I was still in my I-don’t-like-the-greasy-taste-of-butter phase. That is, until a few years ago friends urged me to try Echiré. I was hooked by the creamy texture and, needless to say, I make sure I eat Bordier’s butter when it was put out at restaurants. So, here I am in this after-the-cheese phase, craving for butter every morning. So much so, that I trekked over to Au Bon Marché to get a fine block of Bordier.
I am a little disappointed with the Sel Fumé (smoked salt) butter I bought. The only other choice available that day was Seaweed Butter. Somehow the thought of eating seaweed and butter together is very unappealing for me. I would have preferred an unsalted ordinary one. Alas, there was none, so smoked salt it was. The butter has brown specks in it, maybe that’s what happens when you smoke salt, but like always, the texture was very soft and custardy-creamy. The only drawback was its saltiness. I like to spread my bread with a THICK (sometimes thicker than the bread itself) layer of butter and the saltiness prevents me from doing so…………………maybe I should make buttered croutons with it.
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