Paris in December is slowly becoming an annual tradition for our little family. Definitely not the best time of year to visit but the city of light is especially sparkly around Christmas, despite the cold and rain.

Any trip we take revolves entirely around food and we certainly couldn’t go wrong in Paris. It was little A’s first trip to Paris and macarons and crepes featured high on his list (and ours too!)

Here’s a quick snapshot of the beautiful things we saw and the delicious food we ate! 

We stayed at the beautiful Intercontinental Le Grand near Palais Garnier. This huge Eiffel Tower made entirely of Laduree macarons greeted us in the lobby upon our arrival…

I’ve struggled to find time for myself these past few weeks. With increased work hours, a driving theory test (I passed, hooray!), half-term and a preschooler who’s brought home all kinds of nasty bugs, the blog has sadly taken a bit of a backseat.

I did manage to sneak out for a ‘me’ day a few weekends ago and spent it with some friends shopping, eating and strolling through Chelsea.

Poilane Cuisine de Bar, just off the Kings Road was chosen as our carb-fix for the day.

Any global foodie will tell you how exciting it is when popular restaurants from around the world cross over to your city.  Balthazar was an old favourite during my NYC days. The French brasserie opened in London almost a year ago and has been on my list of ‘restaurants to visit’ ever since. Finally made it to Balthazar for dinner last Friday with some friends visiting from Hong Kong.

Located in Covent Garden, Balthazar London is an exact replica of the restaurant in New York City. The famous owner, Keith McNally, spent a reported £14 million on recreating the original space – from the huge pillars and mirrors to the sepia lighting that warms the entire dining room making everything (and, everyone!) look beautiful.

I read a book by Mireille Guiliano some years ago, annoyingly titled ‘French Women Don’t Get Fat’. The book focused entirely on how French women manage to look good and stay healthy whilst enjoying a diet rich in bread, cheese, wine, steak, chocolate and other good things.

I couldn’t help but think about this book throughout my recent Parisian food adventure. Yes, I savoured every bit of the deliciousness on offer but indulging in Paris for more than 5 days is a dangerous thought.

I had my food blogger lens on throughout the Paris trip and what really caught my hungry eyes was the stunning food displays at marches, patisseries and shops around town.

The beautiful presentation made the simplest of foods seem even more enticing. Have a look at these drool-worthy shots and you will see what I mean.

Mont Blancs at Angelina Paris

Macarons at Angelina Paris

Normandy Oysters at a Marche in Marais

Colourful seafood at a marche in Marais

Lovely looking greens in Marais

Berries, anyone?

Flavoured butter at Breizh Cafe shop in Marais

Happy New Year, everyone!! Hope you all had a great end to 2013 and a beautiful start to the year that lies ahead. I have a good feeling about 2014 – it just has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

My 2013 ended with a fabulous trip to Paris with Mr. A to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Having been to Paris a few times before, there was no sightseeing at all on the agenda besides the obligatory view(s) of the sparkling Eiffel from various parts of the city. I was excited to simply wander the streets of Paris and take in the beauty around me – and, of course, to eat amazing food and drink good wine. 🙂