Thursday 5 June 2008

Back to the Beginning of Cafe Culture in Paris


Ok - the Coffee Concierge goes international! Or rather, goes to France.

This cuppa was taken at one of the celebrated cafes of Paris - Les Deux Magots . Les Deux Magots, together with Café De Flores, Brasserie Lipp and Le Procope, - are where the intellectuals of Paris used to come and have a little café whilst saving the world. And so the French cafe culture was born. Today, they are still supposed to be a good place to spot a celebrity or two but frankly they are filled more with tourists (like the Coffee Concierge) trying to get a feel of the authentic Paris café experience. Deux Magots derives its name from the statues of two Chinese traders which are within the café. But we were too busy watching the world go by and forgot to go in and take a peek.
Being a swanky cafe in a swanky part of town means that the food doesn't come cheap. Lunch for two people was 32Euros! A cup of café crema cost over 5Euros, sans tip. Cafe crema here, means a pot of coffee with a jug of warm milk on the side.
The aroma was heavenly. And the coffee tasted simply wonderful to me (in my off-the-plane, need-caffeine-fix-to-make-it-through-the-day state of mind).
The service? Well, this is France. But the waiters spoke English and were generally helpful and efficient if somewhat impersonal.
Price: 5 Euro
Service: 3.5 beans
Flavour: 4 beans

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How interesting. Crema used in English usually refers to the top layer of golden brown foam in an expresso.

Love the picture and it sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon.

Happy jaunting around France!