Category Archives: Canal Saint Martin

Mediterranean Lunch Spot: Maison Castro

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Castro Sandwich Shop image via paris.10.evous.fr

For all of the students and professionals in the 10th arrondissement with a limited lunch time (read: take out options only) or to pick up sandwiches for a picnic, there is one Mediterranean sandwich shop that’s definitely worth the wait.

Located in the 10th arrondissement on rue Alexandre-Parodi across the street from Franprix, this little diamond in the rough épicerie offers jars of fine Greek olives and canned Spanish sardines next to their lovingly hand-made sandwiches. And if you’re looking for a special olive oil or a nice Italian wine, this is the place to find it.

On the sandwich side, customers can select their own mix from the fresh Mediterranean ingredients available: stuffed tomatoes, olive tapenade, aged Serrano ham, Italian prosciutto, manchego and goat cheeses, arugula (roquette), lamb’s lettuce (mâche) and honey. No matter what you pick, the sandwich is served on a tasty baguette worthy of its contents.

Sandwiches usually cost between 5 and 6 euros, plus you can throw in a bag of natural chips or a drink for a couple euros more. With delicious Mediterranean ingredients, friendly staff and a location right next to Canal Saint Martin (picnic, anyone?), Maison Castro is hard to beat for a weekday lunch spot.

Note: Closed Sunday (bien sûr) and some Saturdays (You know the French)

Maison Castro

15 bis rue Alexandre Parodi
75010 Paris

Metro: Louis Blanc, Château Landon

 

Mentioned on Le Fooding:

http://www.lefooding.com/restaurant/restaurant-maison-castro-paris.html

 

© 2012 Pasa’s Paris

 

L’Atmosphère: Best Café for Sunbathing by Canal Saint Martin

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I first noticed this place while taking a casual walk south along Canal Saint Martin. Right next to Jardin Villeman public park, L’Atmosphère is graced with a significant slab of sidewalk. On a sunny day, the lucky ones are basking in their chairs outside this charming café.

 

L’Atmosphère façade

 

Featured in the film Les Poupées Russes, where Xavier and his English friend William enjoy dinner while catching up on each other’s lives, L’Atmosphère is the perfect place for dinner with friends, followed by a stroll along the canal among the throngs of Parisian picnickers.

 

With Havana rum: best mojitos ever!

 

If you’re in the mood for apéro, order a mojito. It’s made with Havana rum and sure to have you feeling like you’re on a tropical vacation in no time. They also have a great selection of wine, and if it’s actually hot outside I suggest a carafe of the Chateau pas du Cerf rosé. As for the food, I’ve never had something here I didn’t like. The seasonal lobster is delicious, and the duck always a promising choice. In the summer, their fish such as the lemon sole (limande-sole) is served pan-fried and very fresh.

 

Fresh fish, duck and rosé dinner overlooking the canal

 

On the occasion when the weather is actually pleasant in Paris, there’s nothing more satisfying than sipping a drink next to the canal and watching the people stroll by, n’est-ce pas? The best part is that when you’re finished at L’Atmosphère but not yet ready to go home, you can order a beer à emporter and find a spot among the crowd along the canal.

 

Evening picnickers along the canal

 

L’Atmosphère

49 Rue Lucien Sampaix

75010 Paris

Metro: Jacques Bonsergent, République

http://www.latmosphere.fr

 

© 2012 Pasa’s Paris

Kheak & Vero: A Friendly Vietnamese-Thai Restaurant in Paris

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Kheak & Vero Thai-Vietnamese cuisine

In the 10th arrondissement on rue Alexandre Parodi, just around the corner from the canal, a new restaurant façade appeared several months ago. While passing by one day on my way to the market, its menu board made me stop in my tracks: pho was their specialty. I made a plan to go to this restaurant, Kheak & Vero, very soon.

My husband is a big fan of pho. We don’t really know how to pronounce it: in California and New York we heard people say “fuh,” but the waitress at Kheak & Vero says “feu,” like the French word for fire, most likely from pot-au-feu, French beef stew.

For people who don’t know, pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup made with rice noodles, thinly sliced beef, basil, coriander, cilantro and mint. Bean sprouts and lime may be served on the side.

When we arrived for dinner one evening, we knew exactly what we would be ordering. The host, probably the owner, smiled warmly and seated us. The décor was simple and modern, the chairs comfortable.

Delicious, authentic pho

We ordered a shrimp spring roll and a beef spring roll to start, recommended by the waitress, both of which tasted very fresh. We also shared a carafe of organic Bordeaux which was inexpensive yet high quality. Next, the pho was served in giant bowls. I saw all of the ingredients I expected, plus a couple of meat balls. There was also a dish of fish sauce on the side, but no bean sprouts or lime. The soup had a delicious rich flavor. The delicate herbs balanced out the savory broth nicely, and we ate as much as we could from the seemingly bottomless bowls.

For dessert, the coconut sticky rice with fresh mango (riz gluant à la mangue fraiche) is a party for your taste buds. For traditionalists like my husband, the tiramisu hits the spot. Both are under 6 euros.

In addition to presenting a wide variety of Thai and Vietnamese cuisine on the menu, the staff is friendly, the food is authentic and tasty, and the prices are extremely reasonable. Next time a pho craving hits, we are heading to Kheak and Vero. I’d like to try their bo bun as well…

 

Kheak & Vero

Thai and Vietnamese Restaurant

1 rue Alexandre Parodi 75010

Metro: Louis Blanc

http://www.yelp.com/biz/kheak-et-vero-paris

 

 

© 2012 Pasa’s Paris

Gandhizi Indian Restaurant

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Gandhizi restaurant. Pay no attention to the misspelled name

Whenever we are in the mood for a feast, my husband and I head to our neighborhood Indian restaurant, Ganghizi. Situated on the quai de Valmy facing Canal Saint Martin, the restaurant is oddly equipped with a sliding glass door for its main entrance.

The interior is simple: about 6 tables, some traditional Indian woodwork hung on the walls, and a framed image of Gandhi. The sole greeter and waiter, a kind Indian man, takes his station behind the counter to oversee the room whenever he is not serving customers.

We always, always order the menu at only 14 euros and 50 centimes for dinner. This includes three courses and a bottle of water or fruit juice. We also order a carafe of the house wine which is a steal at 5 euros and 50 centimes for 50 cl.

Weekday lunch menu: a real deal

For the entrée (appetizer) I recommend the pakora aubergine which is fried eggplant, or the samoussa viande, a savory puff pastry filled with beef. All appetizers come with your choice of plain or cheese naan fresh from the oven. For the main dish, the selection includes a curry, kourma or vindaloo sauce with beef, shrimp, fish or chicken and basmati rice. The shrimp curry is my favorite, while my husband prefers the chicken vindaloo.

Finally, for dessert, the mango sorbet or chocolate ice cream are both delicious. You can also try gulab jamun, a traditional Indian sweet made of fried dough soaked in sweet syrup and flavored with rose water. It closely resembles an American donut hole.

After this three course Indian feast with wine costing under 35 euros for 2 people, your stomach and your wallet are sure to be equally content.

 

Gandhizi

159 quai de Valmy

75010 Paris

Metro: Chateau Landon or Louis Blanc

© 2012 Pasa’s Paris

 

Pink Flamingo Pizza à Paris: Pas comme les Autres

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Pink Flamingo Pizza, credit to hotel Jules

My husband and I often walk south along Canal Saint Martin when we are searching for a restaurant. Sick of the same old pizza, I remembered that a friend had recommended a place to me with a quirky name: Pink Flamingo Pizza.

We headed down to the footbridge and crossed over the water to rue Bichat, where a tiny pizzeria peaked out from the sidewalk. The menu made it clear that this place was indeed not like the rest: La Bjork, a pizza with smoked salmon, crème fraîche and lumpfish roe, L’Obama, a cheeky way of naming their Hawaiian pizza with grilled bacon and pineapple chutney, or La Basquait, with gorgonzola, figs and prosciutto. Check the menu for more choices. The toppings are all fresh and the thin crust is made with organic flour and sel de Guérande, an organic French salt. If you like, you can make your experience more traditional by pairing your pie with a frosty Peroni.

There is a small room with seating next door to the order counter and a couple tables outside. If it’s warm enough, you can order your pizza and then go sit by the canal. They will give you a pink balloon so that the delivery guy on the pink bike can pick you out along the quai. How’s that for a pizza picnic?

Pizzeria Pink Flamingo

67 rue Bichat

75010 Paris

Check website for additional locations:

http://www.pinkflamingopizza.com/

© 2012 Pasa’s Paris