First Time Trying TRADITIONAL FRENCH FOOD in Paris France! OLDEST Bakery in Paris

Hey guys, it's Mike Chen. Welcome to a really windy, cloudy Paris. You know the last time I really explored this city was about five, six years ago when I first started doing YouTube videos. And here's a little bit from a video I filmed here back then. It's just extremely cringeworthy. Here I am. I'm in Paris. I got regular croissants, which I absolutely adore. Oh, that was just like Chinese parents telling their kids, I love you, awkward. Also, I really didn't get any good French food last time. So I figured this time, let's go on a proper food tour. This is pretty early. My first stop is at this popular bakery called, and I'm gonna be butchering names all throughout this trip, Dupain a Day 80. I'm just so sorry. This place is known for their escargot. Now, it's not weird because it's not actually snails in here. I don't think. It's just that the pastry is shaped like a snail. So I got the pistachio escargot and then the fruit escargot. Then I got a regular croissant, which I gotta have when I'm in Paris, and a chocolate croissant. Let's just start with the basics, shall we? The croissants here, they're so airy and fluffy. Just perfect. Super crispy and buttery on the outside. I mean, this is just so, so airy. It's like a little croissant trampoline. Classic croissant is nice, but you've got to get a chocolate one as well. Look how flaky this thing is. Hello, baby. Just as airy as the classic. Fluffy and light. It's just a burst of chocolate. I'll put a smile on your face. But honestly, I still like the classic croissant better. This is good. I mean, I love it, but you just can't beat simple perfection. All right, this just looks insane. It's glistening a little bit on the outside. You can see all the layers of this pastry. You guys heard that crunch, right? Airy, buttery, sweet. Chocolate, pistachio-y. There's a great combo of flavors and textures. This is a must-try when you get to Paris. The fruit rice cargo, texture, obviously, it's the same. Just as good. Flavor-wise, you just cannot touch the chocolate pistachio. Also, all the thin layers of this pastry just adds to its crunchy slash airy slash delicate slash make-your-life-better properties that it possesses. Had to go back to the shop because I heard this is a must-try. They have a chocolate and banana croissant here. And if you ever know about the combo of chocolate and banana, there's a love affair going on with those two ingredients, and they make any food they touch better. It's just a beautiful crunch on the outside of this thing. It's just driving me insane. You can't really see the banana, but it's in there. All the crunchy, airy, butter flavor of the croissant with the fragrant banana and chocolate added will satisfy all your different cravings all at the same time. I think my top recommendations of this place, chocolate banana croissant and the pistachio rice cargo. All right, now that breakfast is done, let's take a walk and go to lunch because that's how it goes, right? Finish your breakfast, go straight to lunch. I'm at a restaurant called Chef Fernand, and this is a place that a lot of you guys recommended to me. Supposedly great local French food, and there's one particular dish I've been dying to try. The legendary Beaufort Guignon. This, I heard about this dish, never tried it, and now I get it from the source. A lot of people might not find the idea of eating snails appetizing, but I tell you, when you're in France, you gotta get this. Takes a little gadget, and clamp the snail on both sides, and then take out the inside. There you go. And the common way to eat it is put it on a piece of bread, and I'm gonna dump the rest of this nice sauce onto the bread itself because you don't want to waste a drop of that. That is gonna be amazing. That's just full of garlic and parsley and butter, and just enjoy. Okay, if you have problems eating snail, don't even think about it. Just put it in your mouth, bite down, and I promise you, that delicious euphoria that's gonna occur in your mouth, it's gonna make you want to go back for seconds and thirds, and just keep on going. And like I said, do not waste a single drop of this. Can't beat that. Look at this bone marrow. This is beefy butter. This is what you want to be spreading on every single piece of bread you'll ever have for the rest of your life. Oh, so buttery. If you're not a fan of fat, not a fan of butter, that bite might just actually be a little too much for you. You want a nice hearty bite. It's full of beautiful beef flavor. That's what bone marrow's here for. Also, sprinkle a little pepper on top. This is gonna be the most ultimate bite of bone marrow. I think in the history of bone marrow. Oh my gosh, like your entire mouth is just flooded with creamy, buttery, beefy river. That is richer than all the crazy, rich ages added up together. Little surf and turf. You know, add a little added basil, garlic flavor to the beef now. Too bad, but it is a bit rich on rich. This is it. This is why I came here. The birth of bolognese. This dish is basically chunks of beef soaked in a thick wine sauce with potatoes, partially on top. Look how thick the sauce is. This thing is just loaded with beef. And if it's done right, the beef is gonna be extremely, extremely tender. Oh my gosh, did not need a knife for that. That cut real easy. And they give you a little bit of mustard. I knew the beef was gonna be tender. It's tender-er, I think you'd think. The taste, you almost don't need to chew that beef. It breaks apart just by just putting your mouth, you just squeeze it between the roof of your mouth and your tongue, and the beef just disintegrates intimately, combining itself with that rich, rich red wine gravy. Flavor is so incredibly earthy and robust. Even the parts with a bit of beef tendon, it's incredibly tender. I mean, they do give you a pretty intense knife to cut it with, but you really don't need this. I mean, the only thing this is good for is scaring off people that want a bite of your food. I think the little mustard, this just becomes transformative. With some of that bite, it cuts through the richness of the gravy and the beef, and it highlights those flavors even more. Potato is so soft as well. Words don't do this dish enough justice. Songs and poems need to be written about it, too. Properly express the euphoric feeling you get when you put this thing in your mouth. I mean, don't get me wrong, it is extremely rich, especially after I had a bone marrow and the escargot, but just push through all that. Also, what I just did, I'm sure a lot of people have done this already, but smash the potatoes down with your fork so the gravy gets all up in there. It tastes like the most flavorful mashed potatoes. I'm really so sad this is over. I'm looking for every single little grain of the potatoes. It's just one of the most delightfully flavorful, one of the beefiest dishes you can ever have. Is it weird if I slurp that like a soup? Yeah? Is it weird if I slurp that broth like a soup? So I'm on my way to get some souffle, supposedly one of the best in Paris, but not open today. So do that tomorrow. Right now, let's get some hot chocolate. Sweet and rich. Good though. That is 100% haunted, by the way. Love walking around the city. Just parts of it really just takes your breath away. Like you see it, and then like someone puts you in the gut or something. That right there. That does it for me every single time. Did you know Tokyo Tower is actually taller? Pretty magnificent, though. This bakery is the oldest bakery in Paris. This pastry here, this is called a sautéed puma, and it's essentially an apple turnover. And this is by far one of the lightest apple turnovers I've ever held in my hand. It's filled with smashed up apples. It looks like spices as well. First thing you notice is how crumbly, flaky, and airy this entire pastry is. The pastry itself is just layers of air pockets. You can taste the chunks of apples inside this filling. There's a hint of cinnamon. The sweetness is not overbearing. And then all that sitting inside just one of the flakiest pastries I think I've ever held in my hand. I mean, I'm surprised this thing isn't crumpling to pieces as soon as I touch it. I mean, just look at this. The combination of the pastry and the apple filling, it's just blissful. The crust is not only flaky, it's buttery as well. You'll start to wonder how the chef actually made this, because I'm pretty sure magic is not allowed outside of Hogwarts. And this, this is the number one selling item in this bakery, the Alibaba. And this thing has a history of over 200 years. Apparently, Steph Stohert, who was cooking for the King of Poland, created the Alibaba by infusing dry buns with some wine, and raisins, and saffron. And this dessert was born. This thing is like the crown jewel, because as soon as I walked into that bakery, I noticed this right away. I mean, it just stands out as something completely unique, and 100% glisteningly beautiful. The yellow is custard, and supposedly there was fresh grapes in the original recipe as well. And the king, King Stanislas, was infatuated by the book. He was reading the book, 1001 Nights, of course. The character Alibaba was in that book, so he named this pastry Alibaba. And now I get to eat Alibaba. You guys know I don't drink, but I'm gonna make an exception here for this. The cake is just absolutely drenched. And I think she mentioned that they use rum nowadays, and it is just soaked. Oh my god. I kid you not, doing that one bite, and this is even before I got into the custard, and the fruits, and everything else, it's like the world floated away a little bit. That bite was so delicate and fragrant. You can taste the alcohol, but it's not overwhelming at all. It's subtle. Oh my god. I definitely taste the alcohol in that bite. Wow. Custard is sweet and creamy. Again, I feel like the fragrance of those pastries was really setting it apart from anything else I've had. And there is a lot of rum in here. There's tons of it in the raisin as well. So after the initial nibble that was perfect for me, the alcohol is getting a little too much for me. But beyond that, it's fruity, creamy. I feel like the bun, and not the custard, is really the highlight of this. If I could sum this up in one word, I'll use a Chinese word for this, it's just really, really, really xiang, which means fragrant. With the elegant use of spices, you can almost kind of taste the history, and taste its connection to the Middle East. It's almost like this pastry could have been something Alibaba actually ate. It's dinner time, and I've just been thinking about this souffle. It's supposed to be one of the best in Paris, and I don't have a reservation to this place, so hopefully I can get a table. Got a table, I'm so happy. I think I'm gonna start with the souffle with lobster, crab meat, and tarragon. And then I'm thinking this hanger steak. Dessert, dark chocolate souffle. This is actually the first time I'm having a savory souffle. If you guys don't know, souffles, you gotta eat it within the first couple minutes, otherwise they sink. And oh my gosh, look at this. There's a little jiggly souffle dance. If it's a good souffle, it's gonna do a little sexy dance like that. It's like my fork just stabbed into a floating cloud. This tastes like somehow a lobster and a crab flew up to heaven. Got trapped in a cloud, and I'm eating that cloud right now. This is the most amazing souffle. I'm really just chewing the lobster and crab meat. You don't actually need to chew the souffle itself. I mean, just look at this perfection. If you never had a souffle before, you need to do it. It's one of those dishes that it will change your life a little bit because after you taste it, you realize it needs to be a big part of your life. This dish has about a 300-year history, and it's really a classic for a reason. And the fluffiness right here, this is made from beaten egg whites. In the savory version of this dish, you get a light eggy flavor. And this thing is just flavored perfectly with some pepper, looks like some herbs. It's so light as an appetizer that it perfectly whets your appetite for what's to come. And my steak is coated in a pepper sauce and reduced cognac. I feel like I just got knocked on the head with a pepper shaker. Steak is making my life right now. First thing, let me just clear something up. I don't expect this to be as tender or as melt-in-your-mouth as an A5 Wagyu, okay? It's not the same thing. But this steak is tender in his own right. And the sauce, oh my gosh. I mean, this country, they really know how to do sauce well. So peppery and rich. Oh man, the potato soup. Soft and cheesy. With a hint of pepper as well, because it's basically sitting in that pool of peppery sauce. And that actually makes the potato better, because the pepper contrasts the smoothness, cheesiness of the potatoes. And when they meet, both ingredients are highlighted. Beautifully cooked, as you can see. Probably their steak is okay, but I feel like it's what they did in the cooking process. Really helped to make this incredibly tender and juicy. And I feel like this dish is definitely 50% the beef, 50% the sauce. An equal partnership that makes it so incredibly delicious. See on that plate? There's still a lot of food left. Bring on the bread. I'm not wasting any of this. That was just... Now, the final souffle. This is the ultimate dark chocolate souffle. And the souffle is able to get so big and airy, because the air bubbles trapped in the egg whites expand as it's heated up. So that's why you don't have so much time before it starts shrinking again. It's all cloudy skies from here. Oh, little bits of melty chocolate on the inside as well. This thing tastes so incredibly divine. Probably because I'm actually eating a heavenly cloud right now. As soon as it goes into your mouth, it dissipates. It's like a chocolate mist. Only thing I wish is this chocolate cloud was sitting on a little scoop of ice cream. Oh man, that would have been even more perfect. Wow, that was probably my favorite meal in France so far. Just one more dish I want to try before I leave this country. But I can't eat it today because the hours for restaurants here often conflict. And the next place I'm going to, the only time I can actually get in is tomorrow night. So one more place tomorrow night. Then I think I can leave this country with slightly less of a food regret. The guy making it. Super nice guy. Really charming. Pretty fun, delicious experience. Only four euros. Just got some macaroons from Pierre Ame. And one in particular stands out. The caviar macaroon. This is very, very, very strange. And you gotta really love caviar to want to put it in a macaroon. I'm not even a fan of caviar. I'm just really curious as to what this tastes like. Well, this might ruin all macaroons for me, but here we go. I'm not tasting the caviar yet. Nope, there it is. Oh yeah, let's not do that again. There are little bits of caviar inside the macaroon, like full-size caviar. And as you put this in your mouth and it starts to dissipate, the fish eggs will be the only thing that remains. So it's a little sweet, a little salty, a bit fishy. After the sweetness is gone, all that's left is the saltiness. So to me, not the greatest combo. This is the rose chestnut macaroon. Oh, I gotta chase it or something. Ah, so much better. Last dinner in Paris. Gotta make it count. So I'm thinking I gotta have something cheesy. This restaurant is really known for raclettes. And if you don't know what a raclette is, watch this. A little trace and a little scooper. Let's see. This is so unbelievably exciting. Let me try this out first, then we're gonna talk. Wow, that is fresh goat cheese. I did not know cumin could add so much flavor to salads. I've always just used cumin for barbecuing meats or stir-frying meats. This makes the salad so much more fragrant. And also when I'm eating a salad now, I think of meat, which is really helpful. What you do is you can put your ham on this griddle here. Take the cheese out and just watch the cheesy waterfall. Oh, that bite was cheesier than the entire Twilight series. The word raclette in French actually means to scrape. And this dish has a history of hundreds of years. So a lot of the farmers, their bread would get really hard. The cheese, obviously, would get really hard. And when they sat down to dinner, they would put the cheese by the campfire, let it melt, and let it melt over the really hard bread. And that's how this dish came about. In Switzerland, they usually take like a chunk of cheese and they scrape it table by table. But in France, they typically give you this little oven and you cook the cheese yourself. Bon appétit. Let me show you something I've been doing. And maybe a lot of people do this, but this is really awesome. Check it out. Take some butter and butter your potatoes and butter your toast. Now take it, slap it on the grill. Now we've got grilled butter potatoes. And butter toast. And just indulge. That was like eating the most insane grilled cheese sandwich. Different types of ham. And this, this is beef right here. I mean, this is a very simple rustic meal. Just bread and cheese and meat. There's something really primal about that, yet incredibly satisfying. I mean, you put great quality meat with bread, cheese together, you don't need much else. Or you can put a slice of ham on top of a potato with cheese in the middle. The possibilities are endless. Well, that was a fun few days exploring Paris and eating whatever I come across. Of course, this place, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And the reason I love this city so much, the history, the culture, the vibrance. And of course, if you really want to get to know this city much better, it takes more than just a few days. And I barely begin to scratch this cultural and culinary surface. Good thing is, there's always next time. Of course, all the places I went to is listed for you guys in my description box below. Thank you all so much for watching. Until we meet again, au revoir.