Cheap Eats in Paris: The Art of Finding a Proper Boui-Boui

Messy Paris restaurant table illustrating a chef’s guide to cheap eats and boui-bouis in Paris

My Parisian wife taught me many things about eating in France, but the most dangerous lesson was this: never trust a restaurant just because it looks beautiful. The best meals rarely happen where the tables are perfect and the waiters are young. They happen in places with fogged-up windows, laminated menus, handwritten specials, tired regulars, … Read more

Authentic Paris Food Tour Guide: How to Choose the Right One (Without Getting Ripped Off)

Chef-led authentic Paris food tour at a market counter with wine, cheese and bread.

Looking for an authentic food tour in Paris? Let’s start with something slightly uncomfortable. The French don’t really go on food tours. Not like tourists do. They don’t usually spend €90 to shuffle around Paris eating polite triangles of cheese while someone explains that baguettes are, in fact, bread. They don’t need a stranger with … Read more

48 Hours in Le Perche: The Perfect Slow Food Weekend from Paris

If you’re looking for the perfect weekend away from Paris, here’s how we spend 48 slow, disconnected and delicious hours in this underrated corner of Normandy. For our little family, an escape from Paris has to include a few essential ingredients: market discoveries, belly‑busting meals, activities to wear out our small human, and quiet afternoons … Read more

Perfect Paris Picnic Guide: What to Buy & Where to Eat Like a Local

Perfect Paris picnic with baguette, cheese, wine and fruit by the Seine in summer

A friend recently asked me: what’s the perfect Parisian picnic? This is the answer—what to buy, where to shop, and how to eat like a local without looking like a tourist. 🥖 What Is a French Picnic in Paris? (And Why It’s So Special) There’s nothing more honest in this city than a Paris picnic. … Read more

Is a Paris Food Tour Worth It? A Chef’s Honest Take

Is a Paris food tour worth it – chef-led food experience with wine and local dishes in Paris

Let’s get one thing out of the way. Paris doesn’t need a food tour. In fact – most of them will waste one of your meals. You can land here, wander into a boulangerie, order a croissant, and technically—you’ve “experienced French food.” But that’s like saying you understand wine because you drank something red on … Read more

Best Places to Eat in Boulogne-Billancourt – A Foodie’s Guide

Boulogne-Billancourt sign in a local park representing the best places to eat in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris

Looking for the best places to eat in Boulogne-Billancourt? This guide written by a local chef who has lived here for more than 8 years, covers the top local restaurants, bakeries, cafés, markets and hidden foodie spots where locals actually eat, drink and shop. A Food Lover’s Guide to Boulogne-Billancourt More than eight years ago, … Read more

Where to Stay in Paris for Food: A Chef’s Take on Boulogne-Billancourt

Minimalist illustration of eating in Boulogne-Billancourt Paris with wine, bread and local market scene

Looking for where to stay in Paris that actually tastes like Paris? As a chef living and working in this part of west Paris, I can tell you this—Boulogne-Billancourt is where Paris actually eats. This guide shows why Boulogne-Billancourt is the smartest base for an authentic, family-friendly trip—just 20 to 40 minutes from the centre … Read more

Paris Bread Festival 2025 — The Review

Crowds at the Paris Bread Festival 2025 on the Parvis de Notre-Dame, with bakers on stage beneath the Fête du Pain tent and the cathedral in the background

Written on 6 May 2025, after a morning immersed in flour, butter, and pure Parisian bread bliss. It seems an improbable place to hold a food festival—the Parvis of Notre-Dame, surrounded by selfie sticks and blaring sirens, the endless churn of traffic and the thunder of bells rolling across the square. But maybe that’s the … Read more

Bistro des Chefs Review: Where Top Chef Hype Meets Instagram Reality in Suresnes

Interior of Bistro des Chefs in Suresnes with eclectic decor, hanging lamps, leafy ceiling, and diners enjoying lunch in a colourful, family-friendly setting

It’s Top Chef season in France, and my daughter—tiny Parisian royalty that she is—requested a pilgrimage to the temple of televised gastronomy: Bistro des Chefs. Tucked into a hulking roadside structure in Pantin and co-owned (at least in name) by Stéphane Rotenberg, the show’s silver-tongued presenter, this place isn’t just a bistro—it’s a brand. Backed … Read more

Steak, Locals & 300kg of Beef: A Night at Les Foudres in Paris 20e

Interior of Les Foudres bistro in Paris 20e, featuring classic zinc bar, vintage clock, and wall of French wines in a warm, old-school setting.

It started with crates of Bordeaux in the boot and a Friday night drive across Paris. I was the passenger. My best friend was behind the wheel. The wine was fresh from one of our favourite vignerons, and we were on a mission that ended, as all good missions do, with a surprise dinner and … Read more