Les mondes Bohemes, 31 Rue des vignoles, 75020 Paris

From the sublime to the ... ridiculously cool ! Les mondes Bohemes, a small hidden away cafe in the 20th Arrondissement, wedged between Avron and Alexandre Dumas on the line 2, is a real gem of a place and somewhere I hope to return to soon.

View from outside

The last time we had brunch together we were disappointed with the service, the food, and the ambiance. Here the service was great (two French ladies who were very friendly), the food was better than the service, and the place has a really cool, bohemian feel to it, fitting to a relaxed sunday brunch/lunch.

We sat inside next to the bookshelves, where they have poker sets, dominos, as well as books/guides that you can just pick up and look through. There is a great terrace that I imagine is full in the summer, and has heating for the colder periods for those who like a cheeky tab.

The bar

The brunch menu was very good value for money, and very filling. We started with a Pain au chocolat or Croissant each, served with a glass of fruit juice (Grapefruit, Apple, Orange, Mango) as well as a tea or coffee. Moving on to the main course, we had scrambled egg that was perfectly fluffy, salad, as well as jambon du pays. This wasn't too filling but we of course had bread that complimented the meal, as in France : sans pain, rien ne va !

Part of the Brunch deal gives you a dessert as well, which isn't necessarily ideal for those of us training for marathons next year, but 5 of the 7 people at our table had the Creme Brulee which was tasty, and the other two of us had the 'Cremeux de chocolat' which had cream made in-house, and a thick chocolate mousse that went down a treat.


Overall this was a really nice experience, nice people, good food and a cool atmosphere. I would definitely return here. A strong 4 out of 5 !

Twinkie, 167 Rue Saint-Denis, 75002, Paris

Nestled deep amongst the sex-shops of Rue Saint-Denis sits Twinkie, an Anglo -style breakfast brunch cafe offering a generous handful of brunch formulas, perfect for us British and American Sunday brunch club-bers. 

The decor is done up in a canteen style with minimal formica tables, exposed walls and an open kitchen that looks out on to the restaurant floor. Kitch, Americana style toys and accessories dot the walls bringing a touch of quirkiness. 

On the menu we had a wide choice of dishes including a full English breakfast (beans, sausage, bacon and scones), the American breakfast (hash browns, bacon, pancakes) or the Frokost (eggs benedict with salmon and hollandaise sauce). Having left England's fair shores 3 months ago I was VERY excited to get my hands on some real HEINZ baked beans and though the interior was slicker than your usual high street 'greasy spoon' the menu looked promising. 

I really want to love this place especially as the restaurant itself is so cute and the menu so promising and I thought it a positive sign that the place was absolutely heaving with customers. Unfortunately, Twinkie seems to have become a victim of its own success and was a let-down (in my opinion) in both food and service. 

I opted for the English breakfast which though sufficient wasn't quite right. You just can't beat a Wall's cumberland and the bacon was too thin, too dry and too crispy. The scrambled egg was fine. Thank god for the beans. 

The scones that accompanied our breakfast were good but I was a little disappointed that they came with whipped cream, not the real stuff. Nevertheless, I was willing to overlook this as they were otherwise delicious. 

My fellow American brunch clubber opted for the Frokost which admittedly looked delicious: 

And our guest brunch clubber took the American breakfast which was apparently a bit of a disappointment too. 

Unfortunately, on top of this we experienced the WORST service which was a disappointment as last week we had been treated really well at The Yard. I know this is Paris and it's to be expected but there is a difference between 'bad' service and being served by someone who is just plain rude. 

Our waiter ignored us for 40 minutes between courses, having also forgotten to bring us the bread which was to accompany our main meal, then proceeded to snap at us when we asked for water/glasses/anything that required him to do his job. 

I hope this was a one-off experience. As I said the place was packed so they are doing something right, however, the disappointing food combined with the rubbish service just left me with a bad taste (har har) in my mouth. 

The Yard, 6 rue de Mont Louis, 75011 Paris

To start this blog, we have with an amazing little spot in the 11th, near the metro Philippe Auguste, on the line 2.

The restaurant has a nice exterior, white with wooden beams, a kind of classic English farmhouse look. The place is even nicer as it is on a road that isn't full of opposing restaurants or bars, and can probably accommodate a maximum of 50 people, maybe more.

First thing you need to know is that you can't eat their brunch on a Sunday without reserving. It's a really popular spot, serving brunch from 11 am to 4 pm, with a unique formula that is bound to guarantee that people want to come back time and time again !

Once you're sat down, the service was really good (a rarity in Paris!), with two quite young, dynamic waiters looking after us, whilst the kitchen is open so you can see the chefs whilst they are cooking and putting the finishing touches on the brunch.

The set menu (formule in French) costs 25 euro, and is more than value for money. We started with toast with jam and butter, followed by pear cake and cookies, as well as home made ice tea, all topped off with English breakfast tea or coffee.

The main course was a choice between Scrambled egg with salmon, burger with potatoes, or a quiche with spinach. Of the three I had the Salmon, although the burger was in a proper fresh bread bun (not like the sub-standard buns you get at some places in Paris).

To follow this up we had Fresh fruit salad, and then another coffee just to finish off.

Overall this was a great start, although I hope to be able to find some places to rival !


                                                             Brunch Club Rating : 3.5/5

Details : http://www.restoparis.com/restaurant-PARIS-YARD-26099.html