You could tell the Missus needed a break from hotel breakfasts. Instead of partaking with the usual fairly good breakfast at the Hotel Monge, She just went with some coffee while I arranged our transfer to the airport. Our flight to Copenhagen wasn't leaving CDG until 730 pm, so we had some time to kill. So, we arranged our transfer, checked out, stowed our bags, and headed out. The Missus had decided that we should try a few more croissants, since She had not found one that truly appealed to Her yet.
So, we headed back to Rue Mouffetard.
And the very popular Le Fournil de Mouffetard.
A got a croissant au buerre.
Which we took to the side street and consumed. This was nice and flakey, but too dry and without enough butter. Pass…..
Le Fournil de Mouffetard
123 Rue Mouffetard, 75005 Paris, France
The Missus was a bit bummed; but I told Her I'd seen one other (last) place to try; right down the street. I knew it was a chain; so this was no Artisan Boulangerie, but I thought why not give it a try.
This places was also quite busy; though the folks here, and even the customers, a few of whom wanted to make sure we'd get our order right, were really nice, decent folks.
So, we got our croissant and walked on over to Square Saint-Medard where we took a seat on one of the benches.
And wouldn't you know; this was a pretty good croissant; flakey and light, just enough butter and salt….from a chain!
Oh well; I'm not to complain about the Missus finally finding a satisfying croissant.
Saines Saveurs Paris 5ème
2 Rue de Bazeilles, 75005 Paris, France
We then went about killing time around Saint Germain before heading back to the Hotel.
As we reached the hotel, the Missus told me She was getting hungry, but really didn't want French food. I told Her I had an idea and after a quick explanation She was all for it. Using Google Maps; we wove our way thru side streets and slowly up the hill, until we came to this restaurant.
**** Délices de Shandong has closed
A tiny shop; I told the Missus that it's now under different ownership and doesn't have much Shandong style dishes; but it had two items that She might enjoy.
And so it came to pass; for our last meal in Paris; we had jiazi and suan cai.
They were out of the pork and suan cai dumplings; so we just went with the standard pork and cabbage. You knew right away this wasn't a Qingdao style establishment since it was just black vinegar and chili oil; no pounded garlic. But these weren't bad at all; like decent home made jiaozi; the wrappers tender and pillowy, the filling a bit on the saltier side. These were still better than anything comparable in San Diego.
The Missus really enjoyed Her Suan Cai, ahem, "charcroute"…..
Man, that fermented cabbage did smell like…well, "Sammy's Feet", it really wasn't salty, with just a cheesy-fermented flavor, just like we make at home. The Missus asked the owner where she was from…..Shenyang….well that makes sense. The Missus enjoyed most of this; except for the pork which was dry and had a funky flavor. It was just simple comfort food. Just what we needed on a cold, damp day.
Délices de Shandong
88 Boulevard de l'Hôpital
75013 Paris, France
From here we took a leisurely stroll back to the hotel.
That's the Arts et Métiers ParisTech above.
And the Manufacture des Gobelins, the tapestry factory that has supplied the French Monarchy since the 18th century.
We got back to the Hotel Monge and waited for our shuttle in the reception area; the Missus watched Netflix, I did some reading. Soon enough we were at the airport, reading for the final leg of this three week trip. It was back to Copenhagen!