Bonjour ça va ?
It’s been très longtemps between newsletters and I’m sorry for la pause. Truth be told, endometriosis made my life really, really small in the latter half of the year—it felt a bit fraudulent and off to be writing about all these sparkly and fun French things when all I could think about was what the hell was going on inside my pelvis.
After many a humiliating and disappointing doctor’s appointment in Paris where I was repeated the same boring clichés (“periods are painful, it’s all in your head, have you tried therapy?”), I threw in the towel and went back to Australia for help. And it was the best decision I ever made. I was treated with respect and dignity; I was listened to and my pain was heard. And low and behold, surgery revealed that I had stage 4 endometriosis. I do feel slightly vindicated and proud that I continued to advocate for myself… but I can’t help but think… what if someone had listened to me earlier?
With a renewed lease on life, I’m chomping at the bit to get back out in Paris and find my old joie de vivre. But I’ve decided to spice things up in 2023: twice a month, I’ll hand the reigns of this newsletter over to guest editors. I’m really not au courant with all the cool going-ons of this city anymore and there’s no better way to (re)discover a city than by tracing the footsteps of those you admire. Paris is such a perfectly pokey city and there are so many lives lived on top of each other within what is a very small geography. It’s these layers that I want to dig into!
But before I hand it over, I’ll leave you with my favourite things—the tiny, niche things that added spots of colour to my Parisian everyday at the end of last year. Endometriosis or not, I think that this simultaneous contracting and expanding is such a beautiful pattern of life. For in the smallness and the quiet, little joys like buying flowers, slipper shopping, morning walks along the Seine become so expansive. And, as I’ve discovered, the beauty of Paris really lies in the details—I hope I can awaken your eyes to it, whether you’re here for a lifetime or just a weekend.
As I start this new year, I would like to pass on a huge thank you to everyone for their readership. The connection that this newsletter brought me has been a continuous spark of joy through what was an otherwise tumultuous year. So merci, merci, merci!
1. Flowers from Castor Fleuriste and Marché Place Baudoyer
A friend of my mum told me that she always buys flowers or a little plant for wherever she stays—hotel rooms, Air Bnbs, home—and I haven’t stopped thinking about this sentiment since. In Paris, where the winter days are soul-crushingly grey (especially this year when outdoor heating is banned at restaurants and bars FYI!!!), I wholeheartedly recommend everyone, from tourist to resident, getting on board with this idea as a beaut bouquet can change your day.
Sometimes (once a year) I’ll splurge on a bouquet from Castor Fleuriste who is famed for his sculptural arrangements—during fashion week I think nearly every showroom has something from Castor. I once told them I was homesick for Australia and they crafted a bouquet from Australian natives! Which lasted a very long time as they were designed to dry out.
But most of the time, I’ll just head to the Marché Place Baudoyer, a tiny farmer’s market that’s very close to where I live in the 4th arrondissement. People come from all over Paris to buy flowers here as the flower stand sells hard-to-find varieties of exceptional quality at very reasonable prices—a bunch will set you back 15-20€ and will stay fresh and fragrant for weeks to come. By 10 am the queue can be some 30 people deep, so I recommend arriving bright and early for the pick of the crop.
Paris is known for its big, big museums which house its correspondingly colossal history. But oft overlooked are the smaller, and particularly contemporary, institutions that have popped up in recent years—my favourite of which is Lafayette Anticipations.
I’ve written a whole newsletter about how for a long time Paris dragged its heels far, far behind London, New York, and Hong Kong when it came to contemporary and emerging art. Nothing interesting ever happened. But then rumours, and the eventuality, of Brexit whipped gallerists into a fright and the top-tier galleries reimagined Paris as their European outpost.
Lafayette Anticipation, the private art foundation of Galeries Lafayette, just kind of appeared amidst this chaos. I’ve seen both wonderful and terrible things here—but entry is always free, so it’s a risk I’m ok taking. I’ve seen an exhibition of Martin Margiela’s art, attended a strange, strange music gig from Rick Owen’s wife Michèle Lamy, and watched a wonderful performance piece from Lina Lapelytè that had my heart in knots of laughter and sorrow all at the same time. There’s just something really expansive and healing about this space and its program. I’m not too sure why people don’t visit more—take cultural risks in 2023!
(On the ground floor, there’s a great café and natural wine bar. I’d recommend visiting the foundation in the late afternoon so that you can rest weary museum legs with aperitif after!)
As much I love a bistrot and steak-frites, it’s very easy to get sick of traditional French food and very hard to find lighter options in Paris. My favourite place to go when I’m craving this change is Yen, a Japanese soba restaurant located next to Café de Flore, where everyone and everything is so polite and paced and precise. The noodles are made inhouse and are 100% gluten-free. It’s also prime celeb spotting—I’ve seen Charlotte Gainsborough having lunch at Yen on several occasions and I know from Instagram that Patti Smith always makes a point of dining here when she’s in Paris. I guess it’s the French equivalent of Omen in Soho, NYC.
Eglise de la Madeleine
When I was studying history of architecture, my professor told us that the Eglise de la Madeleine was the ugliest church in Paris. As I share my name with this great Catholic monument, I took his remark quite personally—I wouldn’t call it ugly, just different. And it is: although it was originally a Catholic church, it was renovated by Napoleon I to resemble an Ancient Roman Temple in honour of his armies (he was famously obsessed with the Roman Empire as a model of conquest and even nicknamed himself the ‘Cesar of Paris’). Although it was eventually restored to its Catholic faith, the 52 Corinthian columns remain, and the church exists as this bizarre amalgamation of various time periods and powers.
I always feel humbled by its spectacular aspect and size with the greater version of myself looking down on me—and it’s for this reason that I’d highly recommend attending one of the classical musical recitals held here regularly throughout the year. It’s one of the most authentic Parisian experiences you can have. My mum also used to stock up on the tiny Madeleine prayer candles so that she could pray for my young and reckless soul from the other side of the world.
Charvet
Charvet, located in Place Vendôme, is purportedly the world’s first shirt shop. Founded in 1838, it was once upon a time the supplier of garments to royal families across Europe but now also serves plebs like me. They are known for their silk ties, nightshirts (which make a great summer cover-up), and velvet slippers (which are meant to be worn indoors but if you get them resoled, they make the perfect dress shoe that can weather even the cobblestones of Paris!!). Even if you don’t want to shop, the staff are incredibly friendly and will give you a tour of the house, its history, and their iconic fabrics.
I once dedicated an entire newsletter to Bar Hemingway that’s how much I love it. And while you’re at Place Vendome, you may as well round out the evening with another pocket of history and a very expensive (but very good cocktail) at the namesake literary giant’s favourite haunt. For dinner, pop around the corner to Le Petit Vendome, one of my new fav finds that’s strangely affordable given where its located. They are famous for their charcuterie—you could get away with having an entire saucisson and a glass of wine for under 10€ if you’re really into cured meats.
Laizé tea
If there’s anything I’ve learned from the last year, it’s that it’s incredibly important to have a list of small joys that you can whip out whenever you’re feeling a bit blue. If you haven’t already done it, open your phone notes right now and write down every little easy thing that brings you a spark of happiness. It can hard be to think of these when you’re in the throes of gloom, which is why it’s important to make these gentle reminders in advance! My list contains many absurdities and banalities like changing the sheets, sitting down solo at Berthillon to have a scoop of ice cream, putting a ribbon in my hair, dressing up my dog Disco—and taking myself out for tea at Laizé. I bet few of my readers knew I am a bubble tea addict <3
For some reason Le Marais is tea central, and the crème-de-la-crème is Laizé, a Tawainese tea house on Rue Montmercy. Forget Thè Mariage Frères, Laizé has far more interesting flavours of both hot and cold teas, and everything can be sweetened with some of the best honey I’ve ever tasted. The interiors are so soothingly minimalist that you can’t help but just feel better about life, the universe, and everything in it as you sip on your tea.
They also have a small outpost on rue du Temple which is more focussed on exceptional coffee. It may look tiny from the outside but there is a beautiful light-filled room outback that is perfect for writing and working. Good coffee and a laptop-friendly environment are hard to come by in Paris!
The French are absolutely obsessed with lymphatic drainage massages combined with a technique called ‘modelage’—bodywork where the masseuse literally attempts to rip and slap the fat off your body (and yes, it is as painful as it sounds). I once went to the queen of modelage Martine d’Hauteville and was so traumatised by the experience that I haven’t trusted my body fat in the hands of any French masseuse for years—until a friend from L.A. recommended Luca Bagnara.
Honestly, a massage with Luca is a great way to combine culture and self-care in Paris: his studio opens onto the iconic Place Dauphine from Midnight in Paris, it is hands-down the best massage I’ve ever had, and he is a very, very handsome French man. There is absolutely no pain involved in his massages but, somehow, through a combination of gentle but satisfying bodywork and reiki, he has been able to completely put to bed my problems with insomnia. He sadly couldn’t cure my endometriosis, but he very kindly took it upon himself to research teas and tinctures to help alleviate the symptoms.
Self-care is really hard to come by in Paris but Luca’s approach is pretty close to what you’ll find in crunchy granola health meccas like Byron and LA.
8. Rue Pont Louis Phillipe
Rue Pont Louis Phillipe is my favourite street in Paris (aside from avenue Montaigne) for a number of reasons. Firstly, Le Peleton, my favourite café—and the earliest to open in Paris—is located there (look out for the photo of Disco on the wall!). Secondly, Palace Callas, one of the best vintage shops is also located on this small, small rue. And finally, it’s the stationary mecca of Paris. I guess there’s probably some subconscious correlation between my love for handmade paper and being a writer, but once you buy a notepad or book from one of the many artisanal stationary shops along the street, you’ll never be able to write on that processed A4 stuff again. They also sell beautiful cards and if there’s anything I think you should do more of in 2023 it’s to send more cards—thank you cards, RSVP cards, postcards. Vive La Poste!
If you’re a Gossip Girl devotee then you’ll recognise at the end of the street Chez Julien, the restaurant where Serena and Blair lunch in the iconic Paris ep (which is so much better than the entire 3 seasons of Emily in Paris). I whole heartedly advise against ever eating there as it’s overpriced rubbish, but I’ll forgive you if you just stop for a cheeky champagne to soak up the ambiance. If you actually want good quality fare, then pop into L’Ebouillante, a cosy restaurant and natural wine bar located next door.
Oh, and just around the corner of Rue Pont Louis Phillipe at the Seine-end of the street, is a great natural wine shop called, quite simply, A Lot of Wine.
Velan <3
There are few things in life that bring me more comfort than a good curry! I always have one in my fridge, ready to be reheated, no matter what the weather holds. Which is why I find myself going every other week to Velan, the Indian épicerie tucked into the Passage Brady. This is where I come to stock up on spices, nuts, teas, netti pot solution, incense, paneer, you name it. It’s so cheap yet it’s the real deal. And I always buy one of their perfect little cloth totes that I take everywhere with me. They are only 0.50€ and small enough so that nothing ever gets lost inside (as happens all too often with tote bags) yet big enough to snugly fit a laptop. Oh, and don’t forget to get a rose lassi and samosa to-go for just 2€.
10. My second-ever newsletter
It’s probably not ok that I love the Monop’ (a small Monoprix) around the corner from me as much as I do but I am incredibly loyal to it. I love the fact that it is entirely automated so that I can literally waddle down there in my period pajamas and not have to speak to a single human. But it’s also where my second ever newsletter (!!!) comes in handy, as I rarely had energy last year to venture past my Monop’ and to a proper bottle shop.
Most of you have signed up later on in this Café SVP journey and probably missed this guide, but it remains to this day to be the most useful thing I’ve ever written: how to buy a decent bottle of wine from the supermarket. (It’s full of COVID mems!)
I’ll be back in 2 weeks, post the mayhem of fashion week, with our first guest editor. And I really cannot wait to start sharing with you the other people I have lined up and all of the tips and recommendations they have shared.
Until then, I’ll leave you with this photo of my impossibly small and cute dog Disco, dressed up, who was my real shining star of the past year <3
Writing this newsletter is a labour of pure love so if you enjoy my writing, please consider Buying Me a Coffee. It’s a wonderful initiative that allows people to support creatives, like myself, with a small donation at the price of a coffee!
A la prochaine!