Two years had gone by since my first and last visit to Early June, a friendly buvette – the French name for a little restaurant – a few steps away from the Canal Saint-Martin, in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. 

I walked through the door, a bit out of breath. The small, paired-down space was heaving with music, chatter, good vibes. “You’re back!” exclaimed Camille Machet, hostesse par excellence, once of Chanel and more recently co-founder of Early June, together with her partner-in-life Victor Vautier.

For Canal Saint-Martin is more than a stretch of mirky water: it’s a neighbourhood. Jane Jacobs, activist and author of The Death & Life of Great American Cities (1961), would have called it a ’street’ neighbourhood: one that overlaps and interweaves with adjoining neighbourhoods, and which will save us from the “great blight of dullness”.   

That November evening I’d legged it across town, driven by the fear that Early June’s no-booking policy would mean there’d be no room at the buvette.  

I was in luck.  There was a free stool at the bar.  For this is my favourite place as a solo diner, especially when it offers a prime view of an open kitchen and the chance to catch a few words with the chef. 

Saving us from the “great blight of dullness”

The food at Early June is about small plates to share (or not, in my case), prepared by an ever-changing carousel of chefs from around the world.  The wine is natural – or, in other words, minimum intervention. 

On my first visit, in 2021, the pop-up chef had been Angelo Koyfalas of Brosetti Trattoria in Bergamo, in the Italian region of Lombardy.  

This time round, in November 2023,  Adam Purcell, an Irish chef with a Mexican influence, was the man in front of the stove. 

His menu did not disappoint. As recommended (personally) by the chef – the advantage of a bar seat, and of being Irish myself – I chose:

• Baked St Jacques in their shells & yuzu butter ‘maître d’hotel’
• Banka (from the Basque country) trout tartare, kaffir lime & pickled blue meat radish
• Irish ‘boxty’ pancake, wild mushrooms & melted mimolette (a red cheese from the northern Lille region of France)

The local ‘street’ neighbourhood

The Canal Saint-Martin was built by Napoleon I (as depicted in the 2023 Ridley Scott film) and opened in 1822. It connects the Canal de l’Ourcq with the river Seine.   Much of the canal is underground, but in the 10th and 11th arrondissement it opens to the Parisian sky. 

My neighbourhood of Canal Sant-Martin roughly stretches east from the Place de la République, the meeting point for Parisian demonstrators, up the left bank of the canal to Villemin–Mahsa Jina Amini Gardens. Then, crossing the canal, down and along the right bank, and east to reach half way up the hill to the neighbourhood of Belleville.  

Early June is only open in the evenings, but there are plenty of other places to eat, drink, and other things to do during the day. Not least to let yourself be free, and climb up one of the arched iron bridges that cross the canal, and pause at the top to look out across the water. 

Here are some of my other favourite places, and my experiences in the neighbourhood of Canal Saint-Martin – as travel is about taking the ups with the downs, the moments of awe with the moments of ‘we need to do a check in as to what we don’t like here’:

For pastries & coffee 

Du Pain et Des Idées in the rue Yves Toudic makes the best croissant and pastries in the world. 

I have been known to walk from the 2nd arrondissement to the 10th and then go to work in the 8th, all for the sake of a Du Pain et Des Idées croissant. 

Their bread is also excellent.  The secret, says founder Christophe Vasseur, is a two-day fermentation (to reduce sugar levels), a dark crust and a dense consistency (less yeast). 

For coffee, I go a few doors down the rue Yves Toudic to Bonjour Jacob. Here the vibe is chilled, with people hanging out, chatting or on their laptops. It’s a concept store, with coffee, books, magazines, and vinyls. They’ve also opened in the 6th, but the vibe is always better in the 10th. 

Tawlet for takeaway lunch

Tawlet means ‘table’ in Arabic.  Kamal Mouzawak is the person behind Souk el-Tayeb, a social enterprise in Lebanon, of which Tawlet is a part, set up to preserve the food culture of Lebanon and to advocate for a sustainable agricultural system. 

“In a country as divided as Lebanon, nothing can bring people together as much as the land and food,” he said at the Monocle Quality of Life Conference in Paris, which I attended in 2022. 

For each day of the week, the cuisine comes from a different region in Lebanon. The first time I was there, it was the day of the Bekaa Valley, home to Lebanon’s vineyards, and of fattet batenjan, a traditional aubergine dish accompanied with a salad.  The atmosphere was fun, buzzing and colourful. 

Returning in March 2024, on a Friday lunchtime, the restaurant was near empty – the buzz had popped, but the food was still good… hence why I would suggest a takeaway, and to then sit by the canal.

TIP: Seek out the Lebanese 7 spice mix in the restaurant store, created by Kamal together with Olivier Roellinger of Epices Roellinger.  The seven spices are: Jamaican pepper, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, cardamon, cinnamon & ginger. 

Tasting menu at Géosmine

I splashed out with lunch at Géosmine when I was in Paris in December 2023. I’d been tipped off that it was heading for a Michelin star, and I wanted to catch it before the crowds arrived and the prices went up.

What I ate for the five-course tasting menu:

• Pumpkin gnocci with mussels & cedron
• Leek & watercress coulis
• Coquille Saint-Jacques
• Sorrel ice cream & tarragon crumble, topped with grilled oakleaf salad leaves
• Pure chocolate fondant delight 

The atmosphere was a far cry from the buzz of Early June. It was one of hushed reverence, apart from the two tables of Americans talking across the room about their travels.  

Once the experience was over, I was slightly taken back when the bill was plonked in front of me almost as fast as a click of the fingers.  That’s a no-no in French restaurant culture – you ask for the bill when the time is right, for you, as the diner, once you’ve had time to digest a little and to finish your conversation.  

Will I go back? I don’t think so, and not just because of the price. And, yes, it did get a Michelin star one year later.  And I don’t regret going, as life is about embracing the downs as well as ups. 

And there were ups, too, at Géosmine, apart from the food; not least the setting in a converted textile factory, and the ‘geosmin’ theme that threads together the experience, named after the compound in the soil that gives that earthy smell, especially after the rain.  

Vantre for dinner 

Round the corner, down the rue de la Pierre Levée (raised stone) and in the rue de la Fontaine au Roi (the king’s fountain) – oh, how I love the street names in Paris – is a favourite place of mine for dinner.

 Vantre is renowned first and foremost for its wines, but the food is also sublime. The atmosphere is détendu and jovial, with an older crowd than at Early June, and no music. These kinds of places don’t do music. They believe in creating atmosphere from good food, good wine and, above all, good company. 

Canadian-born co-founder Marco Pelletier has a star track record in the French wine industry, having been head sommelier at the 2-Michelin starred Taillevent and at the 3-starred Epicure at the Hotel Bristol, one of the top hotels in Paris. 

Taking up my position at the bar, this put me in prime position to have a quick banter with Marco about whether parallels could be drawn between the food cultures of France and of Japan.  I said yes.  He said no. We disagreed agreeably, and with much laughter.

The menu was the classic amuse-bouche (those free things that arrive at the beginning of a meal), entrée (first course) and plat principal (main course), with no small plates on the menu, apart from the entrées. 

Here is what I ate & drank:

•  Hand-dived sea urchins from Brittany with a cacao and chestnut mousse
• Wood pigeon & foie gras pie, with chanterelle mushrooms, watercress ‘chlorophyl’, confit wood pigeon thigh, and a salmis sauce 
• A glass of red Saumur by Jonathan Maunoury

I could have gone for dessert, but I didn’t.

And, finally …

• Le Verre Volé – I haven’t been here for years, but this restaurant helped launch the natural wine movement back in the early 2000s.
• My neighbours have a flat near the Canal Saint-Martin, and they tell me that AVE Pizza Romana is good, but then I’m not a pizza fan.
• The Yves Delorme outlet store for some of the best bedlinen, nightwear and towels in the world at excellent prices.

Discover the the map of my favourite places in Paris.

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About the blog

‘A Conscious Way to Travel’ was born out of my frustration in finding magical places when I travelled. This is despite the plethora of guide books, magazines reviews and the world wide web.  

The word ‘conscious’  is about slowing down, being more aware. ‘Conscious places’ are beautiful places that offer a distinct experience, and which open the door to …  

• ART to lift the soul
• NATURAL WINE and HUMAN WARMTH to free the spirit 
• SEASONAL FOOD prepared with THE HEART to replenish the body. 

As food is for sharing, so are good stories… and good addresses.  If these are your kind of places, follow me on Instagram for updates. 

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