The most creative museum or gallery
La Maison Rouge. I like this contemporary art space on a human scale, which has allowed me to discover beautiful private collections and take a look at unusual cities from another perspective, such as Buenos Aires. Sadly, though, this wonderful place will definitively close its doors at the end of October. In the meantime, its wonderful final exhibition is on the theme of flight, which is an apt metaphor for the end of the story.
The café where you go to read, write or be inspired
Comme Un Roman. Not a café, but an inspirational place where you can go on a creative and relaxing journey. It’s a local bookstore of the kind that almost no longer exists, with a genuinely rich and diverse offering that ranges from American literature to the reissue of a superb book on bullfighting by Picasso. I also found a great book of photographs and recipes from the traders at the Marché des Enfants Rouges next door. And then, of course, you can go to the market itself and drink a mint tea with a pastry at the Moroccan stall. I like the impression of being here but elsewhere, in a place that blends the tastes, cultures and flavours of the world.
A restaurant with a difference
Yaai Thaï. In the middle of Paris, take a detour to Shang Mai or Bangkok for lunch or dinner. I recently discovered this new Thai canteen concept: delicious traditional Thai recipes cooked by young chefs.
The most creative neighbourhood
The one I work in, between the Canal Saint Martin, the rue de Lancry and the place de la République. Art is everywhere: on every wall, in every street. You keep coming across new little restaurants offering the world’s cooking: from Martiniquais to Sicilian, from Korean to the Chinese of the Xi'an region. Not to mention the small boutiques like Macon & Lesquoy or Patricia Blanchet (see below), with their creative flair, and of course the art and design bookshop ARTAZART beside the canal. In short, a genuine Parisian neighbourhood perfect for exploring, sharing, eating – and spending!
The store you can’t walk past without going in
Patricia Blanchet. I’m a fan of this shoe designer with a touch that’s hers alone, a Parisian chic with just enough glitter. Her shop windows are superb: they tell wonderful stories about each of her designs, making them unique.
