After lunch at Maison de Chengdu, we walked the short block back to the apartment and relaxed. After a short nap, we cleaned up the apartment a bit, we'd be leaving for CDG early the next morning. We then did what had become a tradition over this trip "Le Goûter", tea time and we chatted about what it was like spending 4 weeks in France and the last 2 in Paris.
From our arrival in Paris…..
And finally getting a chance to visit the Cluny.
Then heading off to Montpellier a city of contrasts, with tons of history, yet young and vibrant. I was told that one-fourth of the population are University Students.
Then it was off to the medieval city of Carcassonne.
The massive La Cité looming on top of the hill. Of course, when spending such a long period of time in a country you'll bound to have some hiccups and on the day we were supposed to leave Carcassonne by train there was a rail strike, but having been thru similar events before we looked for and found transport to our next destination by bus.
That destination was Toulouse, the fourth most populous city in France. Much more laid back than Paris, but still with great history and architecture, we really enjoyed the city.
We actually had the main Christmas Market right out our hotel door! This is one city I'm sure we'll return to.
And then of course it was back to Paris. Staying for two weeks straight meant we could take time to visit places a bit further afield, like the Cimetière des Chiens, the oldest pet cemetery in Europe.
And venture to other places that perhaps weren't so high on our "list" like Jardin des Plantes.
Our location in the Marais allowed us time to visit the National Archives Museum and take advantage of the "free first Sunday" at the Musée National Picasso.
And staying in an apartment near to the metro made it easy to take a day trip to Chantilly.
Or even spending two nights in Strasbourg to enjoy the Christmas Markets.
It was indeed an amazing month!
And here it was; our last meal in Paris. We wanted to keep it simple. During the first leg of the trip in Paris, the Missus really enjoyed the simple, yet tasty food at Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond. So, I went looking for a Boullion and found that Boullion Republique was jusy a 10 minute stroll form the apartment. So, we decided to head on over a bit before the usual Parisian dinner time, getting there at 530. Even at this ungodly early dinner hour in Paris there was a short wait, but soon enough we got a table
The Missus had a glass of the Brut, I had a Kir and in keeping with how we enjoy dining, we went with 3 entres (starters) and some oysters.
The Missus really enjoyed the Ouefs Mayonnaise, basically devilled eggs.
Of course the Missus loved this; wonderfully creamy, the yolk-mayonnaise mixture was so smooth and rich. Of course, the addition of block truffle did not hurt things one bit. There was a touch of acidity to balance out the flavors.
The Terrine de Campagne, country style pate was nicely made.
Porky, with a touch of offaly tones; there's a nice hint of wine-anise tones as well. And the cornichons to refresh ones palate.
The Missus has become a big fan of Escargot, so we made sure to order some.
These were decently plump, with a good amount of olive oil to saturate your baguette. Could have used more garlic in my opinion, but not bad.
The oysters were excellent.
Not overly briney, quite refreshing, no off flavors. All I needed was a small squeeze of lemon.
Now, for the interesting part, you can actually pay via QR by table. Would you like to see our bill?
Now, translated to dollars that around $37/US! Two drinks, 3 appetizers, 6 Oysters…….what the heck would that cost here in San Diego? Yes, Boullions are kind of considered to be an affordable and straight forward eating establishment serving traditional dishes. And this place sure delivered.
As you can tell by the line waiting for a table when we left. All were speaking French as far as we could tell. At this price, you could eat at an Boullion a couple of times a week.
It was a fitting last meal in Paris.
Bouillon République
39 Bd du Temple
75003 Paris, France
That would keep us….until the next time the "City of Lights" beckons.
Thanks for stopping by!
Man, I forgot how much mul kimchi is provided. These weren't as sweet as I recalled and provided and was a good foil for the sweetness in the wings.
As for the wings; well it's a personal preference; I prefer crisp over highly battered and too crunchy. I enjoy smaller wings with a good skin to meat ratio, rather than jumbo, meaty, and often dry wings. This is why I had enjoyed getting the wings from Bonchon. So, how did these fare? Well, it seemed to be more "sauced" than I recall, though it was evenly coated. The sauce seemed a bit sweeter as well, I would have enjoyed a bit more pungency. The coating was crisp, but I'm glad I had this onsite since I don't think it would have stood up as takeout. The wings were moist, the meat tender, though I did see some black spotting, which can lead to off flavors, but this was fine. And for some reason, it brought back memories of our "KFC" visits to places like 
The interior is bright, rather spartan, and almost "fast-foodish". And to keep up with the times, you can order via menu or order and pay via QR code. The young lady, who was quite friendly also told me that there were special promotions for "online ordering" which was also reflected on the bottom of the menu.
The shrimp was served with a "Thousand Isle-ish" dressing. The shrimp was overcooked and dry; the potato strings while mildly crisp lacked seasoning. A fairly bland dish overall.
Well, let's just say, this reminded me 
The chashu had been marinated and charred. The flavor was not bad, but it was on the tough side.
This was an interesting dish. The tonkatsu was nicely breaded, quite crisp, the pork itself was moist, but mushy, and lacking in flavor. The texture was kind of strange and the taste was definitely in the "other white meat" category.
Well, this is about the same as Phuong Nga. The bread is very crusty which I like, though a bit more chewy than I prefer. These days, many banh mi shops don't even include cucumber in their sandwiches; but it's present here. The jalapeno was pretty mellow on this sandwich. Of course, one of my pet peeves; the cilantro was mostly stems….I already floss daily; I don't need to have my sandwich doing it as well. The proteins are sliced on the thicker side and there are less pickled veggies than before. What I really liked about this sandwich was the amount of pate. Upon biting, the pate basically oozed out…a funky, earthy, creamy, savory "puss" of the most delicious sort.
