My home for two nights was the Hotel Plaza Athenée, and its location between the Champs Elysées and the Seine, make it a perfect base to explore this famous city.
I was in Paris to indulge in the “Delicious Paris" campaign being driven by the Mayor Ann Hidalgo and arrived in time for lunch heading straight for the restaurant Bistrotters in the 14th district. It is a classic 19th century French bistro with a great reputation which it certainly lived up to.
A big slab of foie gras washed down with a glass of Gewürztraminer was followed by melt-in-the-mouth belly pork and a dessert of classic “Pain Perdu”, a chunk of bread cooked in butter with chocolate and served with a delectable vanilla ice cream. I had only been in Paris for half a day and was already stuffed.
Paris is a great city to get lost in and explore on foot but next on my agenda was a tour around it’s streets in a vintage Citroen 2CV. Actually, it’s not the best of rides on a full tummy, go before lunch if you can, but with a knowledgeable Parisian driver and clear plastic roof I saw all the main sights, it was well worth seeking out.
80,000 rooms, 14,000 restaurants, 84 of them with Michelin Star status – Paris is a delicious place to take a gourmet break, a wine and dine wonderland…
Peter Jones investigates the foodie side of the city of light…