Paris and London shops

[lowrey]

Re: Paris and London shops

couple ofrestaurants:

404 - this is apretty cool place, moroccan I think. small, great atmosphere. its jointed witha bar called Andy Wahloo which to my understanding is a pretty popular spot.they have a courtyard with seating as well, not sure if thats for the restaurant or bar. they take reservations for 8PM and 10PM, spoke good english when I called. http://www.lefooding.com/restaurant-378-le_404.htm

Kong - this is on the top 2 floors of the Kenzo building on pont neuf. some have said that the place is already a bit old and service is not too good, but we had no issues with thatand liked the atmosphere. the lower of the 2 floors turns into anight club at around 11-12,had agood vibe. food was goodand the view on the upper floor is excellent, I'd definately book a table there. they speak good english as well.

couple places I've been meaningto go to:

Atelier Maitre Albert - http://www.ateliermaitrealbert.com

Apicius - http://www.guides-restaurants.fr/gui...ius-vigato.php

as for other stuff, I've wanted to go see Arche de la Defense but havent gotter around to doing it. I go to Palais De Tokyo everytime I'm in Paris, the bookstore there is pretty good and the exhibitions are usually odd and fun and the good thing is its open untillmidnight.the restaurant, Tokyo Eats,is actually allright, good for late night eating. skip Louvre, unless you really reallyenjoy art and have a day to spare. in all honesty I got nothing out of it, what was most interesting to me is how insanely big it is.

cant think of anything else right now because I'm hungover [:$]

[Johnny]

Re: Paris and London shops



Palais de Tokyo is a good call actually. Also the Pompidou has a great permanent collection and is near where you will be staying.

I should disclaim that the restaurants I mentioned are really not cool or fashiony (apart from Castiglione a little, but perhpas again only during fashion week).......

[droogist]

Re: Paris and London shops



A few restaurants I can recommend:

Le Hangar - 12, impasse Berthaud (3ième, around the corner from the Pompidou)
Perfect for simple, no-nonsense French cuisine

Liza - 14, rue de la Banque (2ième)
Excellent Lebanese - a bit chichi, but in a nice way.

Koba - 7, rue de la Michodière (2ième)
The only good sushi I've had in Paris. The owner is a hoot.

Sapporo - 37, Rue Sainte-Anne (1er)
Good cheap ramen

And be sure to give the new public bike-rental service a try...

[laika]

Re: Paris and London shops



Everyone, thanks so much for the amazing suggestions and advice! I know it's a pain to type it all out and compile addresses, etc., so I really appreciate it--those are exactly the kinds of tips I was hoping for. [64][64]

I will most definitely report back when we return. [75]

[Faust]

Re: Paris and London shops



I also think one should go to Colette at least once - just to get the vibe.

Here is a little video from WSJ.

[Fuuma]

Re: Paris and London shops



I recently had this discussionwith a french friend and we agreedabout two things that may seem cliche/cheesy that you'd be crazy to miss:

-Take abateau-mouche (boat)rideon the seine and watch the antique bridges and nice scenery

-Go on top of l'Arc de triomphe.

[laika]

Re: Paris and London shops



Thanks Fuuma and wire.artist....and wire.artist, thanks for the pm. I'm still trying to put all this together. [75]

We leave Thursday night--very busy until then![:^)]

[osn19]

Re: Paris and London shops



Hello Laika,

I can recommand you

Some restaurants :

- Thai : Thiou, best thai in Paris but kind of expensive, Le Livingstone : Very nice looking and much cheaper that Thiou. Very nice people.

- FocLy, declicious chinese.

- You have to try Marianne in Le Marais : jewish food at its best. Nice wine selection and cheap.

- Le Père Claude (french food near where I live, very good)

Clubs :

Le Baron, Le Paris Paris, Nouveau Casino. Trendy clubs.

Bars :

Hotel Costes (well all the models, movie stars etc go there so be prepared for a snobby experience :-), Truskel (indie kids)

Stores :

You can check Shine in Le Marais. And Ann Dem at Le Bon Marché.

And I can confirm you that the Rick Owens statue is back in the store (with all the pubes hair and stuff ;-)

That's the first places that come to mind. Don't hesitate to PM if you need more info, I should be in Paris during that period.
And You HAVE to go to L'Eclaireur rue Hérold !

[Avantster]

Re: Paris and London shops



Wow - this thread is such a wealth of information!

I'm planning a trip to London/Paris/Antwerp next May, and this has been unbelievably helpful as I'm sure I can trust the impeccable taste of our fellow SZers.

Have a good trip Laika, and would love to hear about your experiences when you get back.

[osn19]

Re: Paris and London shops



It's kind of funny to see some places which are not so famous ("le bouche à oreille" works !) pop up here : I totally second wire.artist with his choices : La Régalade is one of the best french cuisine you will find in Paris, especially in this season, and also Koba as a psycho and cheap sushi experience ! Great selection :)

You can check Colette, but it's usualy disapointing, and so expensive !

Better than the bateau Mouche : a wild ride along La Seine in a fast car...

[laika]

Re: Paris and London shops



This thread is amazing--thank you so much to everyone who contributed. [64]

A shopping question--can someone tell me which department stores are best? Galleries Lafayette, Le Bon Marche, Printemps? Are any of these preferable to the others? I am most concerned with finding good selections of Y's and CDG, as well as some of the mid-priced labels--Isabel Marant, Vanessa Bruno, etc. Actually, I would love to hear ANY any recommended sources for Y's and Yohji...[:$] are they separate stores?

thanks again guys...wish I could buy you all some CCP as a present for being so helpful. (and some Yohji for wire.artist, and CDG for nqth, of course. [73])

[droogist]

Re: Paris and London shops



Laika, the selection at the CDG shop should be more than sufficient, plus it's a nice-looking space: 54, rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré (8ème, same street as Hermès, Lanvin, etc. You have to cross through a courtyard to reach the entrance.). They also opened a perfume boutique in the neighbourhood - can't recall off the top of my head exactly where, though.

Yohji & Y's are the same shop - 25, rue du Louvre (1er). I think there's also one on the left bank somewhere, but I've never been.

Vanessa Bruno shops - 100, rue Vieille du Temple (3ème) & 25, rue Saint Sulpice (6ème)

Isabel Marant shops - 16, rue de Charonne (11ème) & 1, rue Jacob (6ème)

It's been a long time since I've been to any of the department stores, but I think the conventional wisdom is that Galeries Lafayette is the best...(?)

[laika]

Re: Paris and London shops



Oh, thanks droogist! I hadn't planned to go to any department stores, but someone mentioned that they can have unexpectedly good selections....I just want to make sure that i can shop efficiently, as neither I nor my boyfriend have endless patience or interest...and there is just so much else to do and see. [73]

[Johnny]

Re: Paris and London shops

Laika there is indeed a Y's shop on the left bank (although its sells a lot of Y-3 guff), off the rue de grenelle I think. There's a smallish Margiela shop around there too, where Martine Sitbon used to be, which I really like. There's also a Y's selection in Bon Marche, again close by. CDG shop is definately the best place for CDG and Junya although there are also selections in both Printemps, Lafayette and Bon Marche. LEclaireur Rue De Rosiers too.

[ardeetee]

Re: Paris and London shops

As far as the department stores go, I would say Le Bon Marche, Printemps, then Gallerie Lafayette in that order. Keep in mind I usually only look at mens stuff though :) All three have small boutiques within them and all have very nice food markets inside as well (and wine!). As someone else mentioned earlier, Lafayette and Printemps are literally right next to each other so you can do both very easily, but LBM is a bit more posh.