Here and there but mainly there.

[turtlemichael]

The second restaurant was Le Grand Mericourt in Rue de Folie-Mericourt in the 11[SUP]th[/SUP]. It’s a very unprepossessing area but we had stumbled on this small restaurant last year and had lunch there. We didn’t have time to fit in a dinner so decided to make amends this time. We were not disappointed. Small this time means 24 seats if I counted correctly. I can’t see how they can make an income with those numbers at the prices.

We again had the degustation menu (50 euro) which consisted of 6 small courses. I’d recommend the place wholeheartedly. The cooking style was a bit more classical than say Septime or Café Noir but superbly cooked and presented. The small course size was okay in view of the richness of a couple of the courses. Service was friendly and professional and all up it was a great night. Some photos follow. The five courses I’ve recorded are a pumpkin soup with Armagnac, scallops, a fish called lieu which translates to pollack in English (never heard of it), a chicken in pastry and another incredible chocolate thingy. The course I’ve missed was a brie.

The restaurant was dimly lit and I did not use a flash so the pics don't look as exciting as in real life.

 

[turtlemichael]

Rouen

Yesterday, on a cool and cloudy day, we took ourselves off to Rouen. The train from St Lazare to Rouen took an hour and a half. The idea was that we wandered around had a nice lunch and came to Paris in the evening.

I had in my mind that I had been to Rouen on a previous visit, When we got there I could remember anything so I now think that this confusion is a product of many trips to France over many years blending together and advancing senility! In fact I am now pretty sure now that this was the first time. What we found was an amazing place. The medieval buildings and streetscapes were the best and most interesting we had seem anywhere. The cathedral is just breathtaking if you are into Gothic buildings. We had a pleasant lunch at a place called L’Enfant Terrible in the shadows of the Cathedral with a jolly rotund Frenchman in charge.

The conclusion is we will go back again next year in the summer for a longer stay. Pictures include Richard the Lionheart’s tomb in the cathedral.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Thanks for the update,

The food in the previous post looks good, now I am hungry and its only 8:48am.

 

[turtlemichael]

The Shoah Memorial Paris Friday Nov 2, 2012

The memorial and museum is on the edge of the Marais near metro St Paul and Hotel de Ville and is a very moving remembrance of the Holocaust and its effect on France. We went on a grey drizzly and cold day which seemed appropriate.

To quote one of the blurbs:

[FONT=&amp]The Mémorial de la Shoah based in Rue Geoffroy Asni in Paris opened its doors in January 2005. [/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]The institution wants to be a bridge between contemporaries of the Holocaust and those who have not experienced it. The biggest archive of the Shoah in Europe is also a resource center and a "museum of vigilance" designed to learn, understand and feel: “because it is necessary to work against a return of hatred and contempt of man “in the words of Eric de Rothschild, chairman of the Memorial.

[/FONT]Architectually it is not a patch on others we have seen including the one in Washington DC and particularly the one in Berlin. But it is very well done and contains an incredible number of photos and descriptions etc. It is well worth a visit and serves as a remembrance of the 80,00 Jews who were deported from France during WWII of whom only 3000 returned.

 

[turtlemichael]

Au Passage Restaurant Friday Nov 2 2012

Someone above asked for some recommendations for cheaper Paris restaurants. Here is the ultimate in price being exceeded by quality. KitKat put me on to it.

Au Passage is in a laneway called Passage San Sebastian near Republic. The area is particularly seedy, to put it politely. Grotty also comes to mind. The restaurant itself is totally ordinary. It has the look of a cheap café inside and out. It's the menu that sets it apart.

They do two styles of meals. Lunch is a very limited set menu and dinner is tapas style apparently with a much wider choice. We went for lunch. A few days ahead was enough for a reservation but even that tells you that it is popular. The restaurant has had some very good reviews in the US and Paris and that accounts for some of its popularity. It has risen on the back of an Australian chef. He was apparently thought to be leaving in the middle of this year but, if he did, he has been replaced by another very good Aussie chef. In fact, I do not know if he is the original or a replacement but he knows what he is doing.

The lunch menu has no choices except for the main course. On the day we went the first was a cauliflower soup so simple but superb. The mains were a choice of duck magret or lieu noir fish. There was a goats cheese course and an incredible chocolate ganache. Everything was simple, with some amazing flavours in the soup and the ganache and excellently cooked with really good quality ingredients. You could choose one, two, three or four courses, none of which were huge. We chose four! The price for 2 was 17 euros, 3 was 18.50 euros and 4 courses was 19.50 euros. The extensive wine list prices were very reasonable too. Amazing value all up.

We were so impressed we decided to go back for dinner late this week and got the last table for next Thursday night. I rate this place very highly. It shows that cooking doesn’t need to be complex to be good. It is not Septime but it is very satisfying if you like food.












We have less than a week left in Paris. Too sad. But we did book today to come back to the same apartment for 6 weeks next year so that makes me brighter. Our last week will be doing a lot of things quickly and eating out at some of the places we have enjoyed the most first time around.

 

[ellen10]

Your 6 weeks in Paris has gone quick.
Enjoying your report. Paris is always unfolding new and different places to see, visit and eat at.
Adding your recommendations to our list.

 

[KitKat]

Glad you enjoyed Au Passage, hope it stays as a little gem..... enjoy dinner there
Enjoying your TR, reminding me that I need to return..

 

[lmere12]

Glad to read about Au Passage as I'm on a bit of a budget.. Will try out in June , thanks.

 

[turtlemichael]

Glad to read about Au Passage as I'm on a bit of a budget.. Will try out in June , thanks.

Be sure to book I'd suggest at least a week in advance. You can try pot luck and be lucky but you may miss out too. We are going back for dinner tomorrow night and that was the last table available when we booked 7 days ago.

If some of the restaurants I've mentioned are outside your budget there are many very good places everywhere that will provide an excellent 3 course meal for as little as 15 euros at lunch and a few more in the evenings. The only tricks are to pick somewhere that looks reasonably busy, welcoming and which is not in sight of a tourst attraction. I also avoid ones with menus on display in English or which tout "tourist menu"

Another tip is to use the www.lafourchette.com website. They do online bookings across a wide price range. Apart from allowing me to avoid having to torture someone's ear in my fractured French on the phone when making a reservation, they often have some very decent discounts when booked through them. A number of the places I've mentioned here are listed and often have very decent discounts for booking here. I have regularly got 30% or 40% off on food and sometimes alcohol too. Some times there are restrictions like you need to chose from the a la carte list, not a set price menu. Discounts seem to be more prevalent, not surprisingly, early in the week. This is a great tool.

 

[lmere12]

Thanks for the tips... Will definitely book Au Passage and have joined the website. Thanks again

 

[turtlemichael]

On to London

Paris is over until next year. But all is not lost as we have booked to be here for 6 weeks in August/September 2013 in the middle of another marathon trip which starts late July and ends in early November. We got Eurostar from Gare du Nord to St Pancras last Saturday morning and it was a smooth trip Being an early planner getting a one way fare for 48 euros means there really is no other way to travel.

Our three nights in London are now over too and we are sitting in the VS Clubhouse at Heathrow waiting for our flight to MIA. In London we saw Les Miserables, for the second time, and Twelfth Night. Les Miserables was good and uplifting but maybe a little mechanical. Twelfth Night was wonderful. It starred Stephen Fry as a jolly and gently malevolent Malvolio and Mark Rylance as Olivia. Mark Rylance is one of the soon to be, if not already, great English actors and his performance, following Jerusalem, which we saw here last year, was breathtaking. Anyone here in London should see this. If it tours as I suspect it might it is worth going a long way to see.

Other than that we caught up with a few old friends. We stayed at Hilton Paddington. It was the first time here for me. I cancelled a points stay at the Indigo around the corner (a very decent small hotel) to help me maintain HH Diamond status. After 3 nights I am not sure it was worth it.

The hotel is done out in English Railway style and has elements on the 20’s and 30’s and maybe even earlier. It was sort of spooky to me. We were upgraded, as HH Diamond, from the base room to a Deluxe king and the room was very comfortable. Good bed, shower and plenty of room. The disappointments were the Executive lounge, in part, and the staff and food, in general. Being late one night and too tired to go out we had a meal in the Restaurant. I would say it was one of the worst meals I have had (I am given to exaggeration). Tasteless meat, glutinous sauces, and overcooked vegetables. In Comparison with an excellent meal we had a Café Anglais in Notting Hill at the same price, the Hilton cook should be shot.

The Lounge nicely overlooks Paddington station forecourt so is good for people watching. B ut it is austere and unfriendly. The food in the lounge was decent in the evenings but the breakfasts were tired and uninviting. There is a reasonable selection of self-serve wine and spirits in the coughtail hour which goes from 6.00pm to 8.30pm.

In general the staff was uninterested and unfriendly. The concierge desk was occupied by 2 or 3 men who were intently looking at computer screens but totally unhelpful. Is this an English service thing?

So we would only go back if we were catching a flight from LHR as it is incredibly convenient to get the Heathrow Express which is exactly what we did this morning. Less than 15 pounds and 15 minutes so about 30 minutes in total from hotel to Virgin Clubhouse. The Clubhouse is very good. It's about the third time we have used it. Have had an excellent breakfast (as good as QF First Class Lounge in Sydney)and are waiting to board. The internet works well. All up a good start to a long day.(for us. For serfty this would be a mere commute ).

 

[jetlagger]

Thanks for the update turtlemicheal!
I would of expected better from Hilton, both food & service wise. On the flip side, Paddington is a great location, with access to the best of London in short distances.
Look forward to your next instalments

 

[turtlemichael]

Some pics from Paddington Hilton.

 

[turtlemichael]

VS005 LHR-MIA Upper Class Seats 5A and 6A. 13 November 2012

We were called to board 40 minutes prior to the 12:45 ETD. As I mentioned earlier the lounge stay had been very good. A decent breakfast and friendly staff. We were offered a pre-flight drink and I had a buck’s fizz. I was also offered a second one. We left the gate about 8 minutes early and took off within another 10 minutes. Light time was said to be 9 hours 17 minutes and in fact we at the gate in MIA a good 40 minutes ahead of schedule.

All up this was a very good flight. Lunch was served, after a drink, 45 minutes after take off. I had a Somerset cider and onion soup, grilled breast of chicken, Bramley apple and granola crumble slice and a cheese selection of red Leicester and Shropshire blue. I also managed some very good St Supery Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2010 and a decent Stone The Crows Shiraz/Viognier 2010.
It was served with efficiency and friendly courtesy. Later in the flight we were offered high tea of scones, sandwiches and cakes. Tasted fresh and tasty. During the flight we were asked several times if we needed anything. Most of the crew appeared to be “on duty” for the whole 9 hours.

The seat is comfortable and the flat bed was good for a post-prandial snooze. The only aspect I do not like though is the coffin type seats in herringbone as when you look up you always seem to catch someone’s eye. Upper Class was full.

However, the soft product on this VS flight was excellent and 2 steps above the usual Qantas service.

 

[turtlemichael]

First stop in the US is Miami for two nights before we join our cruise on Thursday. Based on recommendations here and on FT we decided to stay at Z Ocean Hotel in South Beach. It is a Crowne Plaza, though they keep that quiet, and it is a 30 minute run from the airport in an area that reminds me of San Diego and Palm Springs though with many more people on the streets. The hotel itself is comfortable and very friendly. Nothing seems too much trouble. Maybe we are influenced by the indifference of the London hotel. But I’d certainly stay here again. We used PC points for the stay and did not get an upgrade. No worries at that in that the room is comfortable and more than adequate for two nights. We also ate a late meal at the café and it was fine though there are many other choices within walking distance. Pix of the room follow.








Now, we have 10 nights, starting tomorrow, on our cruise Miami to Miami on Regent Navigator. We have sailed on her once before so we know her well. One of the challenges is to keep the weight under control and be a little abstemious as the food and booze are all included. It’s too easy to say “I’ll have another Grey Goose (or whatever) please”!

[FONT=&amp]Posting from the ship, with its poor internet and too many other distractions, may be spasmodic[/FONT]

 

[amaroo]

That VS plating looks fabulous!

 

[turtlemichael]

Posting from the ship was less than spasmodic, it was non-existent. Internet speeds are neanderthal. One pic I uploaded on to facebook took 30 minutes. But we are back on dry land now, safely in Key West, which I'll come to in a few posts. First back to the cruise.

Miami to Nassau

On our last night at South Beach we ate at Amami, an Italian place almost opposite the front door of Z Ocean Hotel in Espanola Way. The food was good interesting standard Italian with excellent pasta and some nice sauces. Service was a touch pushy (trying to get us to upgrade the wine we had selected) but we’d go back.
Next morning (Nov 15) it was a really long walk along the beachfront boardwalk which goes to around 45[SUP]th[/SUP] Street together with many joggers Eand other walkers. I felt like I was back on the Cairns esplanade without the mudflats! We had a good breakfast at Aroma coffee shop again just up the street from Z Ocean.


It was then a $20.00 taxi ride to Terminal J at the Port of Miami where Regent Navigator awaited us. Seven Seas Navigator is a small to medium size ship (28,000 tonnes) which takes 490 passengers with a crew of 340. This is a slightly better crew to passenger relationship than on an A380. J Most of the officers are Italian (we are on the lookout for CaptainSchettino from Costa who may be looking for a job) and crew are mainly Asian and Eastern European ie cheaper to employee than Australians, Americans etc. Suites aka cabins are spacious and well laid out. Most are 301 sq. ft plus balcony. It is one of the “luxury” lines (probably Seabourn, Regent, Silversea and, Sea Dream) which is all inclusive. In these terms on Regent all inclusive means tips, food, alcohol and tours. It is a good experience to not have to sign for things and to able to say “yes, another Glenfiddich please”).


Check in was quick and we were quickly on board. Because of the turnover of suites they are usually not available to around 2.30pm which was the case today. So for the 2 hours prior we had a nice lunch and then parked ourselves in a corner. Because this is a Caribbean cruise the age profile is well into “mature” and most are Americans.


We set sail on time with a full ship. In fact, it was overbooked as in the few days before they were offering incentives to passengers to cancel. Incentives include another cruise at a future date with a discount. They offered us 10% which we were not biting at but someone must have. If we lived in Miami it might have suited. Overbooking is not uncommon and a friend sailing on Silversea was recently offered a double length cruise in a substantially better suite at half price, which he did bite. This is the equivalent of an upgrade to F and they give you back your money!


First stop the next day (Nov 16) was Nassau in the Bahamas. We decided to just go for a wander and look round the port. The numbers of touts made Bangkok look peaceful. We could have had anything from a massage to a hair braiding session. Not a place we are likely to come back to but fun to walk around. We did do the hike in the heat to Fort Fincastle, a British lookout which never fired a shot in anger. The walk was via steps carved by slaves through the solid rock now known as the Queen’s Steps.

 

[turtlemichael]

Navigator is noted for its food. Our last cruise on Regent was on another ship, Seven Seas Mariner and we were last on Navigator 4 years ago. Our sad conclusion is that standards have declined in the main restaurant but are still good in the other options. There are immense logistical problems on feeding 800 people 3 meals a day for a couple of weeks without access to new supplies. The problems when there are 7000 to feed must be proportionately greater. However, there is evidence of cheaper ingredients and less individual preparation. Most evident is a cut back in the numbers of servers who, when one of the restaurants gets busy, seem under real pressure.

Navigator, because of its small size, has less dining options. There is the main restaurant, Compass Rose, which is a come any time sit anywhere restaurant. It is rare to have to wait for a table. There is also a breakfast and lunch buffet restaurant which becomes a very smart Italian restaurant in the evening – Sette Mari. This was very much our preferred option serving some very good food. Another option is a small steakhouse called Prime 7. This is a reservation only restaurant and, as they try give everyone an opportunity to go, you usually cannot get more than one reservation a short cruise like this. Steaks are excellent usually and they do delectable Alaskan crab claws. Other options are room service, 24 hours a day, free of charge, and a poolside grill.

By any criteria, even if some standards have declined, the food is still streets in front of any meal I’ve had in any class on a plane.

 

[turtlemichael]

San Juan
Nov 17 was a sea day which was used mainly to sleep, read and eat. Oh, okay and drink too. On Sunday Nov 18[SUP]th[/SUP] we were due to dock at San Juan, Puerto Rico in the early afternoon for a 10 hour stay. About three hours out we got an announcement from the captain that we had been directed to divert to assist a yacht in distress. This is as about exciting as it gets on a cruise unless you are attacked by pirates or have a certain Italian captain! So we did a 90 degree turn and headed south for about an hour to somewhere very close to the Puerto Rican coast to find a small yacht with about 3 people on board. They appeared to be okay and it turned out the emergency was that they were low in water. The tender was despatched and delivered about 6 litre bottles of water.


As this totally disrupted our day the yachties were not overly popular on board. As the captain pointed out, there is no option to do what the US Coast Guard directed and it was compulsory to answer a distress call. But hey boys, planning! It isn’t that hard!

That made us 3 hours late into San Juan so the tour we had planned to the Bacardi factory got canned. We did have time to wander around SJ , the Old Town of which has been restored. We didn’t feel too bad about the miss though as we are back here for 5 nights in mid-December in this marathon trip.

 

[turtlemichael]

St Thomas
Monday Nov 19[SUP]th[/SUP] saw us at Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas. The best thing about the town was its name. It suggests to me a laidback nothing ever happens Caribbean town with picturesque beach and houses. In fact it is a shopping hell or, as someone put it, a shopping dump of duty free shop after duty free shop.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to spend much time there before we went off on our planned kayak, hike and snorkel tour. It was described as strenuous in the guide book but, given the average age of this cruise and that most accidents on board are caused by people being hit by electric wheelchairs and Zimmer frames, we assumed that “strenuous” was an overstatement. In fact we were wrong.

The kayak ride was across a beautiful mangroved lagoon in still water but probably about 4 kilometres. The hike was gentle but the snorkel was in fast running water where we saw many fish but sparse and largely dead coral. By the time we came back the tide had turned and the kayak ride became a feat of endurance. Our performance wasn’t helped by the fact that we seemed unable to tell our left from our right and thus keep the thing going straight ahead. If it was 4 kilometres back we paddled 6! We were overtaken by a speeding elderly blind man kayaking with his wife and largely left bringing up the rear of the 20 kayaks. It was a bit of a relief to learn that the blind man, now in his late 70’s, had kayaked for 40 years before he lost his sight. All up a great day.