Tag: Paris

Red-chili hummus + Bastille Day
You guys…this is the first time in ten years that I’ll actually have to work on the 14th of July (without earning holiday pay, at least…!). This is also my first Bastille Day that I’ll be celebrating since actually being French! Much like the last time I had the 4th of July off work was ten years ago, I now have two countries whose independance day festivities must be celebrated from my office. I survived though, and have a nice little spicy hummus recipe to share with you today! Also, keep reading for a little bonus all the way at the bottom of this post 😉

July 14th is Bastille Day or La Fete Nationale in France, which commemorates the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789. I’m feeling particularly nostalgic for my adoptive country today, and am a bit disappointed to be missing out on the parade, the picnics, BBQs and all-around good cheer. If you’re wondering what French people actually do on the 14th of July, then check out this video from Comme un Francaise: http://www.commeunefrancaise.com/bastille-day/.

I’ve got my adorable French husband by my side here in London, though, so I suppose I have all the French-ness that I need at all times anyway 🙂

So while Jonathan and I would prefer to be picnicing out on the Champs de Mars in Paris, instead we are at home in our lovely little London apartment, enjoying a nice bottle of Médoc that his parents kindly brought us when they were in town last week, waiting for our chicken to roast 🍷🍗

On the menu for tonight is a Harissa-rubbed roast chicken (yum! lol) with potatoes cooked in the drippings, with homemade red-chili hummus and pitta chips as an appetizer. A nice multicultural meal for our multicultural home ❤️🇺🇸🇫🇷

This hummus was so on-point, you guys — I even surprised myself with the stuff! The best part of hummus is the garlic (yummmmm) but since I can’t really eat it in mass quantities like I would do if I could, I was worried that it’d come out bland. Oh, and I didn’t use tahini. It all worked out, though, and this recipe got the Jonathan stamp of approval, too. This one’s a winner you guys — try it for yourself!

Ingredients:
- 1 400g can of chickpeas (drained, save the liquid)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil (plus extra to drizzle on top)
- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
- Sesame seeds & red chili flakes for garnish
Instructions:
1. Place the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, sesame oil and salt in a food processor and pulse for about 60 seconds to break down the chickpeas and combine the ingredients. Scrape down the sides a bit, if needed.
2. Turn the food processor back on, and slowly add in the olive oil (through the little spout thingy). If yours doesn’t have a spout that you can pour into while running, just add all the oil in and continue processing.
3. Serve garnished with some red chili flakes, sesame seeds and extra olive oil. Then go crazy with pitta chips, carrot sticks, or whatever else you want! This stuff goes with everything. Enjoy!
Note: I had to let my food processor go for a good 2 minutes before I got a nice and smooth consistency. If yours is too thick, then slowly add in the liquid that you saved when you drained the chickpeas.

As a bonus, maybe because our wedding anniversary is coming up and maybe because I’m missing Paris just a little bit more than usual, here are two of my favorite moments from our engagement photo shoot 💕

Xx
July 14, 2015

10 Awesome Paris Restaurants

I know it’s sooo cliché but I remember like it was yesterday the day I decided to go on my first trip to Europe. I was sitting in French class at the end of Senior Year of High School, and my best friend said “We should go to Paris after we graduate!” I more or less went along with it, thinking it would be one of those things we talked about but never actually ended up doing. I totally under-estimated her, though, because she went off and found us plane tickets a few weeks later! I had, after all, said I would go. I couldn’t back out at this point, and I was glad I couldn’t because this trip clearly changed the course of my life.

After a few months of working a summer job to pay for the trip and learning a few more extra phrases in French, we stuffed our backpacks to capacity and set off on our Big European Adventure. It was amazing (of course – it’s Paris!) and this trip ultimately planted the seed which would later become a full-blown desire to move to the City of Lights. So now, almost 15 years later… I’d like to share some of my favorite restaurants that I’ve come to love over the 10 years I lived there. Besides, it’s only fitting that my first travel post be about Paris!

One of the most challenging things when planning a trip to Paris is deciding where to eat! There are so many choices in so many different neighborhoods that it can be quite overwhelming. Jonathan and I both agree, though, that you can’t really just pop into random restaurants hoping for an amazing meal. There are sooo many restaurants in Paris, but not all of them are amazing.

My #1 tip is definitely to check Tripadvisor. Of course you can’t plan your meals 100% around “Top 10 Restaurants in Paris” lists because you miss out on some really great ones, off the beaten path or just not very well known. Though, you do want to try to make your restaurant experiences as memorable as possible, so here are a few that I recommend to friends visiting Paris, to the guests staying in my Airbnb Rental, and now to you! I always get great feedback, so these should be solid choices. Have you ever been to Paris and had an amazing restaurant experience? If so, then I’d love to hear about it in the comments section!

In no particular order, here we go for a few of my favorite places to eat in Paris:

Camelia (inside Mandarin Oriental)

This restaurant is very, very nice! It’s not cheap, but if you have a special occasion to celebrate or just want to have a fancy dinner, then this place is a great option. Even better in the summer as you can dine in their lush private garden! I ate here one day totally unplanned and was so impressed that this has become one of my favorite spots.

Les Ombres

For an amazing (maybe one of the best?) views from a restaurant in Paris — definitely come here. The food is pricey as you’d expect, but I really enjoy this place. Check out lafourchette.com for discounts as there are often specials. I’ve had many things on the menu and have not once been disappointed. This place isn’t amazingly charming (it’s not awful, just not ohmygoodnessthisisthecutestplaceever) and the staff are not particularly friendly… but the view is crazy!

La Cave Gourmande

I send all of my out-of-town guests here. The food is classic French, right in the heart of Montmartre, the food is delicious, the service perfect, and the prices are very reasonable. Local perfection if you’ll be in the 18^th arrondissement & Montmartre area! This place has a definite local feel to it, and would be the perfect place for lunch if you’re exploring the area. They’re also open somewhat late, which is rare in Paris.

Kong

This place is pretty chic and fashionable, and great for drinks, dinner, dancing…or all three! Not cheap, but a good all-in-one place if you want to go for dinner & dancing. It’s located on the top floor of a historic Parisian building, try for a table with a view! Reservations highly recommended for dinner. Don’t be put off by the hostess that may or may not be very friendly…

Mama Shelter

This is both a restaurant and a pizza place. It’s a very cool hotel with a big bar, and the bar serves food too. I love everything about this place (except for the sometimes snarky service…)! Excellent for drinks or dinner. Very chic/urban atmosphere. Valet parking available. This place is awesome! Their food is delish, and it’s worth going off the typical tourist path to get there (they’re not far from Pere Lachaise Cemetery).

Pub Saint Germain

This is one of my go-to spots for both food & drinks. They’re open all night long, and serve food until the wee hours of the night. Their burgers are fantastic, as is their Asian platter. Drinks are half-price during happy hour, and this is a great spot for people watching. It’s in the trendy Saint Germain neighborhood, and I highly recommend it if you’re out and about in that area.

Le Christine

Cute & cosy little restaurant in the center of Paris; not the cheapest, but they offer a pretty good tasting menu! This place is actually great for tourists because you get a pretty amazing culinary experience in a charming little restaurant, in a lovely neighborhood. There are often deals online, so definitely check that out.

La Bouteille d’Or

Good French food at reasonable prices, and a view of Notre Dame. There will be other tourists, but don’t let that scare you; the food is good, and won’t break the bank. The one thing that stood out when I went was the service: they treated us like royalty! It’s a bit too brightly-lit to really be considered cozy or romantic, but for a lunch spot this place is perfect.

Chez Robert et Louise

This place is a cute little “typical” French restaurant that specializes in different cuts of beef. I found that for this neighborhood, the price was pretty decent. Their food is delicious and the place is very charming but the best part: the food is cooked over an open fire! I discovered this place one day when I was wandering around the Marais with Hubby, and I’m glad I did.

Grazie

For a great pizza experience, fresh ingredients and a lengthy wine menu, this place is one of your best bets in Paris. Good for a couple’s night out, or for a group of friends! Delicious pizzas in a young/hip/urban atmosphere. Reservations are best, to avoid disappointment.

Do you have any other awesome places that we should know about? If so, then please post them in the comments section!

May 8, 2015

Blog launch!

Hello and welcome to my little corner of the web, seeFoodplay.com!

Thanks for stopping by – keep reading to find out why I started this blog, what I plan to publish in terms of content and a few details about me.

So the first thing that people tend to ask me about is the name of the blog, where it comes from and what it means. A few months into working on the blog, I was brainstorming names but couldn’t find anything that matched what I was going for. I got chatting with my colleague Paddy, and halfway jokingly asked him to come up with a name for my blog that would be the perfect mix of what I wanted it all to be about: food (lots of food!), travel, DIY & crafts, all while incorporating my French influence from having lived in Paris for the past 10 years. A few days later, he came up with “seefoodplay” and I loved it pretty much right away! It might not make much sense at first sight, but it combines everything I was looking for, in a cute little French wordplay. When said aloud, “SeeFoodPlay” sounds like “s’il vous plait” which means “please” in French. But it can also mean “Listen up – your attention please!” and it’s even sometimes used in a restaurant when the waiter arrives at your table with your meal. As in, s’il vous plait… if it pleases you to enjoy this amazing French meal that I’ve just served you. The more I thought about the name, the more I realized that it was perfect: this blog is my platform, albeit a small one, to get your attention and to share some of my favorite recipes… if it pleases you 🙂

The see is mostly related to my travels as I go out and see the world with my loving sidekick and devoted husband, Jonathan. The food is dedicated to my (growing) recipe collection, and the play is a reference to my DIY & crafting projects.

As for me, I’m a 30-something originally from Michigan, USA, living and working in London as of February 2015! I spent the previous 10 years in Paris, though, and the city of light definitely still holds a big piece of my heart. But I left with something of hers, too: my adorable Parisian husband, Jonathan. I’m thankful that he continues to put up with the messy kitchens I’ve generated over the years, and supports me in all of my sometimes-crazy always-messy project & recipe ideas.

I fell in love with Europe after my post-High School graduation trip to London and Paris in 2002, and it was pretty clear that my place was on this side of the Atlantic. A study abroad in 2004 in Paris was followed by a permanent move in 2006. After almost ten years in the city of lights (and love), it was time to experience something else: London! After lots of thinking, planning (and more over-thinking), I decided to take advantage of a work opportunity to see what life is like on the other side of The Channel. So, a new adventure begins in London but my heart and home will always be in Paris! These past ten years have allowed me to see and do more than I could have ever hoped for, and I’m really looking forward to this new chapter in my life. From starting my career, to buying an apartment, and most-recently to finding (and marrying!) my one true love (J), I can only say that my 20’s are going to be hard to beat!

So thanks for stopping by to read what I’ve got to say! I’ll be posting about the things I love: food, wine, traveling, cooking, a little bit of fashion, entertaining, home decorating and DIY projects. My “blog research” suggests that this falls into the category of the “Lifestyle blog” but it seems a bit pretentious to suggest that anyone should take lifestyle advice from me…. So, let’s just say this blog is about a bunch of stuff that I like (Food, Travels, DIY…) that hopefully you’ll like, too!

I am committed to updating this blog regularly, and will also answer all questions and emails sent my way! I try to make my posts as clear and typo-free as possible, so if you notice any mistakes, please let me know, but you can also drop me a line just to say “hello!” 🙂

Xxo

Veronica

March 31, 2015

Tag: Paris

Red-chili hummus + Bastille Day

10 Awesome Paris Restaurants

Blog launch!