I do not (very politely) agree with anyone proclaming Laduree is the Parisian best chicest pastry. Upon my buds, the macaron bossman in Paris is Pierre Herme.

I heard that Herme worked for Ladurée when he started his career. I don’t know whether he introduced the macaron at Ladurée or just improved the existing one, but his macarons are by far yummier. The biscuit shell is delicately crunchy. It doesn’t get stick to your teeth. The heart is … creamier. The flavors are insane. Herme’s the yoda of salty raw material used to make sweet macarons. The olive oil-hazelnut, foie gras-chololate or white truffle flavors are just some example of how genius the guy is.

I have no photo of the macarons as I used to buy a couple of them and enjoy right away with my espresso leaned on the bar of a nearby bistro. I should be in Paris in 2 months. I’ll update the pics. I promise.

I booked a Sunday brunch at the London’s Blue Elephant the very day the 2012 Olympic cycle race was testing. Several roads closed to cars and pedestrians alike to free the pavement to the bikers. I stepped outside the tube station, and got stuck on the wrong side of the road by volunteers barring the streets with fences. I and my unfortunate new mates weren’t allowed to cross before 30 minutes. My reservation was in just 10 minutes. My brunch, which I starved myself for since the evening before, was the street-wide away from me. And no bikers approaching! sigh! my brunch! Suddenly (ta ta ta you hear the trumpets?) a hero (6 ft tall – 200 lbs – pink tee – very Le Stade Français the national French rugby team) pushed the fence at the other roadside and walked on through that damned street. See! See! Why he can? And I can’t? The volunteer gave me a desperate, depressed, disappointed look, pulled the fence off and left me leak out. I suppose that all patrons got stuck as I had the restaurant all for myself to take pictures. One of the waiters even asked me whether I was planning to eat ha ha ha. ‘Yes my dear! but let me enjoy it first with my eyes! ‘

The front door of the Blue Elephant of London is just as regular as any restaurant. But when you step inside, it’s a total shock. After the dark lobby, you get in a tropical garden of flowers, a built in fountain and fish ponds underneath wooden bridges. It’s awesome!

All ingredients are of the finest quality and the choice of meals and desserts is just huge. The waiters are the friendliest and most hospitable folks you can meet in London. I went once to the Parisian branch which is as yummy but a bit less spicy.

The sunday brunch is on special offer during summer: £30 only per person. You are informed from now!

Blue Elephant , 3-6 Fulham Broadway, London SW6 1AA

The Nowness Fantastic Food contest is opened to everyone who likes good food and taking good photos to share them thru. Pics submission is yet closed, but votes continue until Jan 6th, 2011.

The 10 favorites will be included in a nowness guide on foodspotiing.com and the winner picked up by a panel of venerable judges will a Nowness contributors … which I’d love to!

I had fun taking on the competition as I like good food, and I like photography. I shot this Pierre Hermé 2000 feuilles pastry on purpose for the contest. It’s one of my so guilty pleasures I avoid to indulge too often. It’s at least 10 000 kcal right in my buttock. Then, after having posted it, I noticed this link to post more… oh oh oh. My lightroom library is full of food pics. My friends don’t invite me anywhere anymore as I keep them from eating until I take a good pic of their plates (I’m kidding… I have no friends. ha ha ha). I browse it all to find the delicious things I wanted to share.

1000 feuilles is a common pate feuilletée based French pastry. Pierre Hermé made it its own stuffing it with grossly squashed almond butter in between brick leafs. The brick leafs tastes less butter-like than the pate feuilletée. That makes almonds taste stronger. It’s called 2000 feuilles.

Those giant pomegranates are from my November trip in Roma. It was the mushrooms I wanted to shoot at first. They were displayed in the streets of Roma at the front door of several restaurants. Eventually, after developing the pics on my monitor, it’s the red of the pomegranates that caught my eyes.

I had a slice of this delicious brioche at the 144 faubourg’s brunch, the restaurant of the Bristol resort, a few yards walking from Elysée Palace.

Yakisoba noddles from Happa Tei.

Croissants and pains au chocolat are guessed about in the foreground while focus is made on the jams behind at a Plaza Athénée breakfast. It looks even more desirable than having the pastry on focus.

A typical saturday lunch at home. I never have lunch home during the week. Then, when saturday comes, I like to keep it easy and have some meal that tastes healthy. No useless fat, no overcaloric carbohydrates, lean proteins and vegetables. This is pasta sprinkled with parmigiano, shrimps, steamed spinach and mashed carrots.

I like that the Internet gives chance to any Miss Do to enter a worldwide competition.
Come on! Vote. It’s fun!
My pics are page 11/22 of Fantastic Food.

Happa Teï has became the last canteen I subscribed to in Paris. It’s a Japanese restaurant (one of the only with what sounds true Japanese people in the kitchen rather than Chineses) of Rue Sainte Anne (one of both Japanese streets of Paris, the other being Rue Monsieur le Prince). The reason why I like it is I never ate that before. Simple yep. I really need to go to Japan one day.

Basically, the menu is made of takoyakis, a kind of crepe’s dough stuffed with octopus from Osaka. You get different menus more or less big between €10 to €15 ($15 to 20). The takoyaki’s texture is surprising when it’s swallowed. The very hot ball explodes in the mouth when you swallow it, freeing a softer and liquid inner side (hmmm. It sounds like a sex stuff, but I don’t know how to explain it otherwise)

L’Avant Comptoir at Carrefour de l’Odéon in Paris is the new food to go corner Yves Camdeborde opened up beside his restaurant Le Relais Comptoir. Le Relais Comptoir food style is Southern West of France’s : duck magret, foie gras, typical pork and wild boar hams, gratins, lentils, sautéed vegetables. It’s so famed in Paris that you need to start to queue from 15 min before noon to get your seat at lunch. No way to book in advance. Just take the line. Count on €40 ($50) the lunch (starter + main dish and dessert). Unlike lots of trendy restaurant in Paris, it’s damned worth it. Dinner is a bit more expensive.

A couple of weeks ago, I promised to get back with more pics of Francois Mitterrand library neighborhood on the right bank of the Seine river.

is a once-the-sun-is-shinning sport. A sunny weekend get lots of Parisian outside glazing their leather at the café terraces. The truth is you can understand that behavior only when you live in Paris and you crave for some sun all year long.

Most cafés have not got the place to set up a terrace. They feel free to use the sidewalk (yes) to do so, 2′ away from traffic and amid strollers.

In that mood, I found out at Montparnasse what looked the most amazing place to sit down and enjoy.