Druckenbrodt

So, what did you cook in the end???

Fresh_a - thanks for the Pierre Herme article - interesting to also see he's opening a new store in October. Origamicrane - I loved your macaron boxing match. I was hoping for a second installment...

Since we're on a cycling theme... I'm taking part in l'Etape du Tour this year - where approx 8000 amateur cyclists get to do one of the toughest stages a few days before the tour passes through. This year it's the stage from Limoges to St Flour. I'm already getting panic palpitations just thinking about it. It's weird how epic cycling totally changes your relationship with food. It suddenly just becomes fuel, and you can never get enough of it. You lose all sense of decorum at the feeding stations, trying to stuff as much cheese, cake, bread, tomatoes, bananas - anything that comes to hand - as quickly into your mouth as possible. Preferably simultaneously!

To get back to your original question: Le Nouvel Observateur has a summer supplement which focusses on 'Les 400 lieux branches de Paris' - unfortunately 'branche' (sorry can't do accents on this machine) doesn't exist in my dictionary but I suspect it means 'trendy' or something along those lines? Also not sure whether Le Nouvel Observateur is really in a position to comment on what's trendy or not. But anyway it's probably quite interesting to have a look at if you're based in Paris. There's the new bar/restaurant in Le Bon Marche called Delicabar which seems to be getting a lot of attention.

How about taking a colour theme reflecting the different jerseys? Yellow, green and then something red and white for the king of the mountains. In honour of the cyclists who can't actually eat enough carbohydrates during the period, I think you should also be serving pasta...

My mum grew up in Marburg! I can also add that it's where Luther began the Reformation, and it was base camp for the Grimm Brothers when they were collecting their fairy tales. The church is also fantastic - I think one of the first Gothic churches in Germany. Wouldn't be able to tell you much about food though - apart from visiting my grandma and eating the cherries from the tree in her garden. I remember eating great Streuselkuchen but I don't think that's a specific Marburg thing at all. If you need to walk off all that Schnitzel and Bier there are great walks through the woods round that part of the world. Usually with a restaurant at the end to reward your efforts.

This is all very interesting and enlightening. It makes perfect sense when you think about it to warn the restaurant in advance. I suspect this probably only works in the smarter restaurants but it's a curteous thing to do and I can see how a French chef might respond more positively. It goes back to the classic French thing where the first answer is always 'non'. A native friend told me recently you always have to ask three times in three different ways and finally they'll relent. Especially if you throw in that there's a crucial factor 'romantique' at stake. I discovered Maceo is not far from where we live. I ran past there the other night and saw they have an asparagus menu at the moment. I definitely plan to give it a try and will report back when I do. Generally, I think restaurants which are specifically vegetarian don't really work. I'm not sure why that is but generally they're a bit disappointing. Just been in the Dolomites and I wonder whether with the Italians it's a confidence thing? I know this is a controversial thing to say in front of Francophiles. But my point is; if you're really confident that your ingredients are great, perhaps you don't feel quite the same need to always chuck in meat or fish to make the dish 'work'. For example before dating a vegetarian I was always using meat stocks in soups or using pork in some way to add flavour. A bit like going overboard on the salt, butter and olive oil. But p.v. (post vegetarian) I've experienced a series of culinary epiphanous moments when my boyfriend has cooked for me. I think one of the key things I've learnt is that if you are vegetarian, you really need to be a good cook and learn respect for your ingredients. Or rather, if you are an indifferent cook but eat meat, you can generally create food that is passable - but it will never be truly memorable.

I'm very grateful for all these responses which suggest perhaps a broader focus is required and more extensive research... Clearly it's not a straightforward Laduree vs Pierre Herme thing. Will have to visit Fauchon and Hevin... What about Le Notre? I've had macarons from the Le Notre outpost in Kuwait which were pretty fantastic. Not sure what the Parisian versions are like although I saw they run macaron classes for the general public which would be interesting to pursue. It seems like there's a mini macaron universe out there of potential contenders to the crown of the ultimate macaron. I wonder if there is such a thing as the perfect macaron? Or if part of the point of them is the sheer variety of interpretations and flavours. I wonder whether I ought to visit every patissier in Paris to make sure I have researched this thoroughly enough... Loved Pim's essay on the visit to Pierre Herme. I think I agree that the caramel au fleur de sel and the l'huile d'olive et vanille are among the best. Perhaps because they've both got something quite weird and slightly bitter going on that counterbalances the sweetness? I can't help suspecting that Laduree are in danger of resting on their laurels somewhat...

Thank you so much for your wonderfully informative email - I'm really looking forward to exploring some of these suggestions. I love Indian food but every Indian restaurant we have tried in Paris so far has been a disaster; Okra that taste like they came out of a tin, a slurried saag paneer, wimpy spices that taste old and dusty... one waiter told us that they alter their cooking for Parisian tastes... which makes you wonder a bit.

Does anyone have any recommendations on restaurants in Paris where I can feed my vegetarian boyfriend? Without being offered a special 'vegetarian dish' involving cabbages and bananas? At the moment he seems to be winning his argument that London restaurants are more open minded, creative and know when to avoid meddling to much with good fresh produce. Although I'm a happy carnivore, sometimes even I don't want to eat any more meat, and crave a bit of crunchy greenery that hasn't been boiled to death and then drowned in butter. I'm craving Beirut Express on Edgware Road at the moment or some real Keralan cooking. Or anything Indian which hasn't been pulverised and drowned in cream. Or some hearty Italian peasant food. Or an authentic Japanese restaurant (not a Vietnamese sushi bar). The french have such fantastic produce - why can't they chill out on the meat content occasionally?

I've just moved to Paris and am looking to do a spot of freelance writing on some of the weird and wonderful things I'm discovering here. I have an idea I want to pitch to one of the UK papers which I have gleaned from stray snippets I've read/heard, but I wonder if there is really any truth in it? What I want to know is, is there really a macaron war raging in Paris? Or is this wishful thinking because it would make such a great story? Or, horror of horrors, is this subject all a bit 2003? And who in your opinion are the big players? And what is their main plan of attack? Is it mainly Laduree vs Pierre Herme? Or are there some other mercenary troops out there seeking to confuse the issue? And is Catherine Deneuve the only French celebrity partial to macarons (and if so, why isn't she plus grande)? By the way, I noticed from a previous macaron posting a lot of rave reviews about Paul's macarons. Did you know that Paul is owned by the Holder group, the same family that owns Laduree? I believe that some of the Paul macaron recipes have been 'donated' by the pastry chefs at Laduree, which explains why they are so good. Personally, I think I prefer Pierre Herme's macarons. Surely the point of macarons is that they are also meant to tease you a bit? Like leaving a little question mark on your tongue? Anyway, the avocado, banana and chocolate macaron, released on the 16th of March as the publicity material informs me, is particularly good - for those of you who aren't in Paris and who like to be teased by macarons of the imagination.