A little bit of Paris in Singapore

Asians, in general, aren't that much into desserts, especially those cloyingly sweet ones.  Much to my surprise, I found lots and lots of bakeries and pastry shops springing up like mushrooms after rain this last trip to Asia. I suppose the local bakeries and cake shops have always been around but I don't ever recall seeing that many French-style pâtisseries (and they even carry the French term "pâtisserie on their signboards) during my last trip home.

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A Sunday in Paris

Nestled in a quiet, cobbled-stone alley off of busy Boulevard St. Germain des Pres, Un Dimanche à Paris is my latest discovery of yet another fine salon de thé in Paris. Barely a month old, this ultra chic chocolate boutique not only offers specialty chocolates but it's also a pâtisserie cum salon de thé cum restaurant cum lounge cum culinary venue for private events all at the same time.

I stumbled upon this latest concept store by Pierre Cluizel, son of the famous chocolatier Michel Cluizel  while taking a late afternoon stroll in my favorite Parisian neighborhood just last week. The modern store façade really stood out against its old, medieval-like surroundings, with its sleek interiors and brightly-lit display cases of gourmet chocolates and exquisite pastries beckoning passer-bys to enter, take a peek

 or linger on to sample their delectable offerings at their salon de thé, which was what I ended up doing.

A glimpse of the pastry kitchen located along the hallway prior to entering the salon de thé

I love their attention to details.....steep for 5 minutes, watch as the yellow sand trickles down the hourglass and DO NOT POUR until the top bulb empties.....

The chocolate orange eclair was one of the best eclairs I've had in a while, the delicious puffy choux filled with lusciously smooth chocolate créme pâtissiere infused with orange flavor and a thin layer of orange confiture.

Un dimanche à Paris. I can't think of a better way and place to spend a quiet afternoon in Paris. 

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Thé à la mode

I went back to Le Bristol again for tea over the weekend, this time, for their thé à la mode -  fashion high tea. I have not heard of the designer - Avtandil Tskvitinidze and I have a hard time pronouncing or even spelling his name - but I've been intrigued by the whole concept of showcasing latest designer collections and pairing them with delectable pastries. Nevermind that it wasn't  Lagerfeld, McQueen or Mizrahi; I had to go for the experience.

Avtandil's Spring-Summer collection for 2011 was inspired by 

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A Thanksgiving Meal in Paris

Day 13 in Paris.

13th day of a strange nomadic life in Paris, waiting, waiting, and still waiting to move into the apartment. It's really quite a challenge to settle in when you continue to live out of suitcases, having to pack up your things every morning before heading to school since you're never certain when you have to check out of the hotel and move into another place. The program is very intensive, I'm only here for a short time but the situation with my accommodation makes it seem that it's been forever. I missed the great view from the apartment I had rented in summer

But getting to witness the hustle and bustle of the city and waking up to the delicious aroma of freshly baked French breads every morning is not a bad thing either. I'm thankful.

I don't get to prepare my

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An Opulent Afternoon in Paris and an announcement

We're only about a month or so away from the start of the holiday season so folks, let me ask you this: have you started getting ready yet?
Glorious Fall, with its warm, golden tones and a bounty of seasonal fruit, foliage and nature's gifts, offers an abundance of inspirational decorations for the holidays. Almost a standing tradition at our home, we would kick-start mini projects for the holidays as soon as October arrives and get a head-start on the holiday shopping to avoid those last-minute stresses not to mention, getting the best deal for our money. I'm on a mission to find the perfect end-tables for our sectional in the living room, toys for all the little munchkins - this has always been the biggest headache factor for us, gifts for the in-laws (an even bigger headache) and select cookware for our holiday feasts. As an avid online shopper, imagine the thrill
when

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Christmas Eve dinner at L'Arpége

It's hard to believe that our Paris trip is over. It was far, far too short and my mind keeps going back - recapping, repeating, reminiscing all the fabulous time we had last week in Paris, every single minute of it (well, almost). Perhaps it's because we were away on vacation. Or perhaps it's because it was Christmas, the most magical time of the year. But then again, perhaps it was simply because we were in Paris, the most remarkably romantic city in the world! All my senses and emotions were just heightened, as though they were on overdrive-

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