Paris - Day 4 - Part 3 - Dinner at Bouillon Chartier

After a few hours of walking at shopping mall Le Printemps, it is time for dinner. It is almost dark when walking out of the department store

Around Le Printemps, Boulevard Haussmann, Paris.

Searching through the guides, a famous and traditional restaurant, Bouillon Chartier is just nearby, well actually it isn't but the GPS is not helping either. My Garmin is suggesting a complicated route to reach the restaurant which is only 1.7km away.

Point A (Les Printemps) to Point B(Bouillon Chartier), roughly 1.7kms in distance.

And so, we decided to walk, almost 2km walk is quite daunting after a long walk for the day.

Getting dark and still searching, the GPS in this situation is really helpful as it is impossible to read some of the street names being this dark.

After a long walk, we finally reach the restaurant.

We didn't need to wait long, the restaurant is big and can sit a lot of people.

Nice deco, quite warm, actually a bit too warm inside.

Menu en français, it is definitely hard to order.

Bouillon Chartier is like a hawker center, french style. Lots of table and people, noisy, warm but the wines are pretty cheap, a half bottle of wine, which is quite a good wine only costs €7.50. We needed help from the waiter which is very experienced and finally ordered food with wine.

The order is written at the table top.

And we ordered:

1. Filet de hareng pommes a thuile

2. Bloc de foie gras de canard

3. Confit de canard pommes grenailles

4. Pave de rumsteack grille frites 

5. Bordeaux wine

The waiter showing tremendous skill in opening up a wine in less than 20 seconds.

That's super fast.

Quite a good wine for €7.50, Chateau Clairac 2009

After the wine is served, we then have to wait.

Big and nice place with overhead rack for your stuffs, our bags were on to the racks.

  The restaurant is pretty full soon afterwards.

Herring fish fillet with potatoes and carrot(€3.70).

   Another challenge, block of duck foie gras(€6.80).

Duck confit with potatoes(€9.70).

Rump steak with grilled fries(€11.0).

Overall the food is cheap for Parisian standards. The rump steak wasn't that great but the duck confit is pretty good. The herring fillet is special, the foie gras is not bad either, but foie gras is an acquired taste food. Wine was good too and cheap.

If you happen to drop by, probably should give this restaurant a try.

But don't say I didn't warn you, don't go there after 8pm, it will be a long queue.

Paris - Day 4 - Part 2 - Galerie Vero Dodat & Printemps

After the lourve, opted to skip the long queue to watch the art pieces, we ventured around the nearby buildings.

 Tourists walking around the Passage Richelieu conneting to the Lourve

Islamic arts at the Lourve ?

The route we shall visit is :

Passage Richelieu(blue), Cafe Palais Royale(green), Passage Vero Dodat (light blue), Bistro Richelieu(Purple), Shopping at Rue Cambon(yellow), Les Printemps(Euro)

Cafe Palais Royal situated at the corner. Nice.

19 Century famous shopping place, Galerie Vero Dodat.

Inside of Galerie Vero Dodat.

Nice fresco

Specialty shops at the galerie.

Like the floor tiles, very rustic feel.

Very balanced symmetrical design.

Galerie Vivienne next to Bistro Vivienne.

Inside Galerie Vivienne

These galeries offer covered shopping areas from rain and also provides a nice cosy place with lighting for the 19 century shoppers, these places are frequented by the upper middle class.

Very nice ambiance.

Must be a very high class place during the 19 century, even for now, it looks amazing.

The mosiac is marvelous.

Special mosaic.

Ample of sunlight to lighten the whole place.

Dome lighting.

We then went to a nearby park for a relaxing walk ...

Very serene park.

After a brief walk at the park, it is time for lunch. Surprisingly, we didn't have any plans for lunch, we just walked around and found this place.

Bistrot Richelieu serves nice lunch

Hmm, a guess, an appetizer with main course and dessert costs €19.50, you could choose a different pair, an appetizer with main course or main course with dessert at a lesser price.

Inside Bistrot Richelieu, small bar.

Simple but nice deco.

Probably a bit early, no customer inside.

Ordered a course with appetizer. Foie Gras, a challenge.

Beef steak with potatoes.

Cream spaghetti with potatoes.

Served with very nice apple pie and peanut butter ice cream.

Not forgetting the bagguettes

After the nice lunch, we visited another passage, Passage des Panoramas.

Very old feel, Passage des Panoramas.

Nice place to eat too.

Overall, a very rustic feel and nice visit to 19 century high end shopping place. And finally more shopping at Les Printemps