I Will Convince You, Paris Is Better Unplanned

This article was originally published on plannedvsrogue.com.

I love Paris. Out of all the cities on Earth, Paris has to be the one with the most opinions hung on it. Tourists really seem to either love it or hate it and I fall firmly into the category of loving it, primary because there are so many things to love about it.

At the beginning of my rogue day (which you can watch below) I start with an Anthony Bourdain quote about he recommends you enjoy Paris. That’s exactly what I tried to do. Literally no plan and in the end, it was a marginal winner!

La Fontaine de Belleville

Went to this place so many times as it was right around the corner from us and was a great place for me to go to write in the mornings. They do a great soft boiled egg with fresh baguette and some lovely sweets which seemed to rotate daily. The staff are a little cocky, they know they work at a great cafe so don’t expect to make friends, even if they were happy to tolerate my shitty French.

31-33 Rue Juliette Dodu, 75010 Paris

La Parisienne

Out of our season one episodes, Paris was one of three cities we’d visited before (one of four if you include the controversial Lost Episode). I knew before we got to Paris that I wanted to get a croque monsieur from this amazing boulangerie again and on my day I decided to do it. Since my last visit, this place has really become a bit of a hot spot. It’s in a lovely area so that makes sense, waited in line for a bit while a beggar asked if I could give him money so he could buy a kebab from down the street, possibly because he’s had the La Parisienne menu back to front.

Regardless, their croque monsieur is legendary, big enough to share as a snack or a nap inducing lunch.

85 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris

Jardin de la Tour Eiffel

Apart from maybe The Louvre, going to the Eiffel Tower is about the least rogue thing you can do when in Paris. We just sort of walked to it after buying the sandwiches and then I wondered wtf I was doing. Then I thought perhaps doing something really predictable was kind of rogue in a way? It was the closest park to where we were after all. Isn’t what I did more genuine in a way?

I don’t know. But it’s nice, go see it, go check it out.

You don’t need the address, it’s the Eiffel Tower.

Café La Belle Ferronnière

So I thought I’d lost the day by this point. In the episode you can kind of hear the defeat in my voice as I go ‘Let’s just get a drink at this place.’ A little sitting, sipping and black olive tapenade was all I needed to get my day going again. This was in a very posh part of town where an old guy with a motorbike with a tram sounding horn kept beeping at Katie with this weird smile so we didn’t stay long.

53 Rue Pierre Charron, 75008 Paris

Cafe Du Centre

Sitting at an outside facing table, drinking wine, eating the free snacks and just taking it slowly was what I had in mind back when Planned vs Rogue was just an idea. I imagined Katie manically navigating a sea of crowds in The Louvre while I sat smug at a cafe like a ‘real Parisienne’. I underestimated my opponent but I didn’t underestimate the standard of Paris cafes. No, I don’t think you need to try the snails but the cocktails here were really nice, especially the passionfruit porn star with a shot of champagne on the side. Service was great here too.

57 Rue Montorgueil, 75002 Paris

Stohrer

This bakery is famous for the Rum Baba, a cake soaked in rum that tastes like a cake soaked in rum. With glace celery. What else do I need to tell you?

51 Rue Montorgueil, 75002 Paris

Le Zimmer

I had no reference for this restaurant. It was dinner time and we were walking past it. Steak, chips and salad is a very appealing dish in Paris as it’s less tourist gimmicky than onion soups and bourguignons. It’s simple cooking done to a high standard and at le Zimmer it was pretty good. If I’m knit picking, the steak was a little small and I’d have preferred a round plate to a weird rectangle one with a chip basket but whatever. Katie’s chicken was great, we’d go back just for that. Nice place, you could certainly do a lot worse while playing restaurant roulette.

1 Pl. du Châtelet, 75001 Paris

La Fontaine (Again)

So this was the sight of my biggest failure. That horrible poem. What a God awful mess that was.

Moving on, La Fontaine is also a great spot for a late night drink to the point where their wonderful morning service could be considered an afterthought. Great place to meet up with friends, but not a good place to make new ones if your poetry sucks.

Same address as before, 31-33 Rue Juliette Dodu, 75010 Paris