A kitsch karaoke

This one will be a very short post, but I couldn't miss the chance of telling about such a place. It's the third time the people I work with go to this restaurant, and I just can't understand why (well, maybe yes...). Last friday was my first time, and... It is certainly a kind of shameful scene watching how 10 lawyers (none of us under 25) get merry (when not drunk) among several teens celebrating their 18th birthday. However, it was really funny.

If you're young and live in Barcelona, sure you know the restaurant. It's called "La Orquidea" (Calvet 14, very close to Francesc Macià), and it's not easy to find, so small the entry is. The stairs will lead you to a Chinese Restaurant, really tacky decorated, where you can sing, as a karaoke is in the middle of the hall. We sang Pimpinela. No comments, please. Avoid any dish, but over all, the salads (tones of "who knows what-oil") and the chicken (it's pink). I can't tell anything about the desserts, because one of us changed them for sangria jugs.

Confucio says: The wise man can sit over an anthill, but only the fool remains sat on it.

Guys, I had a great time, but next time Lady Buchannan will choose the restaurant.

Paris III: les Cafés

One of the most typical activity people usually do one they get to Paris is going to a cafe, and if we're talking about a pavement cafe, it's just a kind of dream.
There's a wide range of choices in Lutetia, from the most français-chic, to the worst seedy place you could ever imagine, although usually tourists try to avoid these last ones (I'm afraid sometimes unsuccessfully).

Our favourite (I mean, my partner and I) is Le Fumoir, a good friend's discovery. This cafe belongs to the chic's group and, I won't lie, it's not cheap (about 4€ a soft drink). But it's such a pleasant place... and once you've paid 100€ for a tiny hotel room where you have to share the toilet and the shower room with the whole floor, don't miss the pleasure of drinking a coffee in front of the Louvre and the Sena. You'll find this cafe at 6th rue de l'Amiral Coligny, just in front of the backside of the Louvre. Jazz and electro-lounge is played and there's a small library inside, where you can relax reading an old book. There's a small terrace, with 6 or 8 little tables and electric radiators (otherwise, these tables would be used 2 months p/year).

There are also many cafes in Saint Germain with the typical

terraces, with their typical Parisian couple, looking to the street, with a kir or a coffee. The best (or the worst) thing of these cafes is that there's another couple sit 2 cm from your table. And you, or they, can listen to your conversation and know your, or their, deepest secrets.

Of course, for those who love Starbucks and can't live without that substance they sell (they say it's coffee, but I'm not sure), there's a nicer version of it. Magnus and Magna took us to a small cafe called Columbus, at the beginning or St André des Arts, very close to Saint Michel Blv. You can take away your coffee or drink it sit at a table. You'll even find something called "Mockaccino décaféiné", that I would never dare to taste, but my friend liked. I prefered the chocolate muffins and cookies. There's a wi-fi area which is free for the customers (and very used). The music is lovely and you can enjoy a weird painting exhibition.

Paris II: Rue de Mouffetard

A great street to have a quick (and not so quick...) lunch. First of all we have to remind all of you it's not just another traditional-sightseeing street, but a remnant of an old Roman road, where old buildings, some even dated by the 12th Century, can be found. You'll find this little treasure at the 5ème arrondissement, very close to the Panthèon. The picture from Maximilien Luce probably is not going to help you a lot, but I'm sure you'll like it and if a XIXth Century painter thought the street was worth enough to be painted,... you won't dare to miss it.

Right in 60, rue de Mouffetard you'll find the best fast-made crepes in Paris (except for, of course, any crepe done by a true Britanny native). Au p'tit grec is a really small bar where you can buy and eat cheap crepes. We paid 16 € for three crepes and three cokes. There's not the huge range of choices you might find in Britanny, but it's pretty assorted. My friend took tuna and cheese and my other friend and I took egg, ham and cheese (une complète, on dit chez-moi). You can have tomato, lettuce and onion on it; in fact, the guy seems bothered if you don't want it in your crepe, he didn't understood it, as it was free. I've been told the best sweet crepe is the one made of Nutella and banana. Omelettes (2 or 3 eggs) with differents ingredients can also be taken.

If you feel like a fondue, this is also a good street to find a nice and cheap one; there are a couple of good restaurants where you might fondue and raclette (3 for 5 people, for example), paying around 16€ each one.

Paris I: Spécialités Libanaises

From my last trip to Paris the best tip I can give is Noura, recommended by my dearest Magna and Magnvs . Magna and Magnus work for a Telecom Company located in Paris downtown, at the Opéra District. They have few time to have lunch and can't afford the "Café de la Paix" everyday, so they investigated and discovered... a libanaise fast-food. Weird? Wonderful.

At 29, bd des Italiens, really close to the Opéra, there's a shelter for those stressed out workers who are fed up with hamburgers and traditional chicken sandwiches. You can choose between the more expensive brasserie (for Japaneese travellers and other wealthy people) or the cheap fast-food, which was our choice.

There are different choices and menus to take. Mine was the "Menu fraicheur" at 10'75 €, and among the different choices I ate a Chawarma viande (libanaise sandwich, with veal and vegetables), a Tabboulé (a salad with persil, wheat, tomatoes, mint, onions, lemon and olive oil; one of the best tabboulé I've ever had) and a Diet Coke. Not huge, but enough (I couldn't imagine myself going up to Notre Dame's Tower after a big meal). Pay attention to the desserts, real sweet libanaise pastry, as the Baklawa, with almonds, pistachio or pine nuts.

Other specialities from Libanon can be taken, such as Falafel, Moussakaa or Hommos.

You'll also find Noura at 121 bd de Montparnasse and 27 avenue Marceau.

GOOD RICE and nastiness

Tapelia is a franchise from Alicante which is now expanding all over Spain. Its speciality is making traditional Mediterranean rices as the world famous Paella. A few months ago Tapelia opened a restaurant in Zaragoza (General Sueiro 11) and the success of the food made us go. We wanted to go there for Sunday midday lunch, so we phoned on Saturday afternoon in order to book the table. So crowded was the place we could only eat at the smokers area. Fine, we'll make an effort, if there's no other choice. 14'45 was the time we agreed with the person in charge of the restaurant.

We arrived on time, but didn't reach the table after half an hour later. I hope the rice will be worth it... It was time to make our choice. The first surprise was that the minimum was 2 people for each kind of rice, but the maximum was 2 types of rice for the whole table... and we were 6... Four of us agreed to eat the traditional Black Rice (Arroz Negro), and the other two, rice with chicken and vegetables. We had to wait another half an hour to meet our friendly waiter, the one who would take note about we were going to eat; for those who don't know, cooking rice is already long, so we started eating at about 16'00.

But the worst was still to come, when we found out the size of our "paellera", that tiny little thing. And we were starving! A lovely waitress served the rice as a bulldozer. Yes, the rice was tasty, but it was small and awfully expensive. The restaurant is pretentious, trying so hard to be jazzy, and so far to it. I hope the Tapelia from Paseo de Gracia en Barcelona would be better. Next time in Zaragoza I'll come back to the Paella of the Mesón Tomás, in Camino de las Torres 92, close to my mother's place: much better and more affordable.

Mrs de Winter, don't worry: I have many tips about Paris ready to be published.