PARISIAN CAFE: CARETTE

I didn't imagine my first cafe blog review being a parisian cafe, but yet here we are! One of the cafes I was most excited about trying during my time in Paris, was the highly recommended breakfast cafe 'Carette'. I had heard so much about this cafe from friends and family who had visited Paris previously and from all the Instagram bloggers who had also been here and posted their parisian brunchings. So it was without a doubt, the first parisian cafe that came to my mind when we realised we were near the Trocadéro opposite the Eiffel tower.

My first impression upon walking towards it reminded me of the classic parisian cafe's that you see on Pinterest and Instagram, it was so pretty and welcoming. It was exactly how I had imagined it to be in my mind (yes, I'm a big vintage cafe lover and it gives me all kinds of happiness!). It most certainly made up for the dreadful rain that we had that very morning!

Upon entering Carette, I found it to be so classic with rich parisian vibes. It had tables outside with outdoor heating and then many small circular marble patterned tables scattered across the room inside with the centre focus on the macaroons and dessert pâtisserie array across the side of the cafe. Everything about it brought a big smile to my face like I was a little girl entering a candy store.

Address: 4 Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre, 75016 Paris, France

Phone: +33 1 47 27 98 85

Website: http://www.carette-paris.fr

Transport: Located near the Trocadéro metro station.

Carette Macaroons- A box of 5 macaroons [€10] 8.66GBP

Laduree Macaroons- A box of 6 macaroons [€17.10] 4.81GBP

2 x Brunch Carette [€62] 53.70GBP

Once we were settled at a table, the extensive variety of their breakfast menu made it very hard for us to decide our choices. However we opted for the 'Brunch carette', a little on the pricier side amounting to €31 (Approx £26.85) each. However the brunch carette consisted of the choice of one hot chocolate, coffee or tea. Freshly pressed orange juice, the choice of a croissant or a pain du chocolat (chocolate croissant), one slice of toast and the choice of scrambled eggs or an omelette. This sounded like the best option for a big breakfast rather than ordering individual dishes which would have been more expensive.

It was rather a little challenging not speaking the language, but it did make it a lot more easier having a menu which had the english translation below the french. Yet despite this, rather than ordering a vanilla latte which is what I wanted, I had somehow told the waiter I wanted vanilla milk. But thankfully, I got my latte in the end despite my poor attempt at speaking French.

It true what you hear about the croissants in France! I can now a confirm this. Once you try a french pastry or a croissant in France, you will discover that every other croissant you've ever tried is no where near authentic to how it should really taste. (It's fake!) It was also rather refreshing that the orange juice was freshly pressed with juicy bits.

I can say exactly the same thing regarding the latte I ordered, it was creamy and exceeded my expectations. Our entrée (as the french would say) was rather divine!

I chose the creamy cheese scrambled eggs with chives which came with a garnish of two finely placed puff pastry fingers and a plum tomato. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful these eggs tasted, dipping the pastry fingers in, the smooth creamy texture with the combination of chives perfectly complimented the crunch of each devouring puff pastry bite. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I truly enjoyed this dish.

A chocolate crêpe with a side of Vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream and fresh raspberries [€47.50 for two] 41.14GBP

We had enjoyed our breakfast so much that the following next day before our flight back, we had decided to return again and try their crêpes. This was on the slightly more pricier side in comparison to the 'Brunch carette' however, it lived up to the price. The dark chocolate sauce combined with the fresh raspberries, fresh cream and vanilla ice cream gave the crêpe the perfect balance of sweetness. I'm rather quite picky when it comes to trying crêpes, as my expectations of a perfect crêpe lie in the thin texture and the smooth sweet taste, and I thoroughly enjoyed how this masked the flavours and textures so well.

Carette Desserts

Two Croissants [€3.40] 2.94GBP

A chocolate Almond éclair choux pastry [€5.20] 4.50GBP

A Strawberry Tart [€7.00] 6.06GBP

After enjoying our crêpes, it didn't stop there. I decided I was going to pick some of their finest dessert selections and bring them back for my mama. Which was the best decision because my mother couldn't get over how splendid and divine french pastries truly are. That choux pastry éclair with the chocolate and almond cream inside was my favourite. All of a sudden I want to become a pastry connoisseur and learn the secrets, if only pastries tasted this beautiful in the UK. It was a bittersweet goodbye, but I would definitely love to visit again. If there is anything I would critic on then it would be that I found the waiters there to be less attentive, however the quality of the food outweighs all factors for me. It was a shame the time and weather were not on my side, it would've been nice to try more Parisian cafes. But in'Shaa'Allah maybe next time I'm in Paris.

Zara

xo

Overall Rating: 8

Price: ££££

Comments:

Paris at its finest!

Most exquisite pastry and dessert selections and

fine tasting brunch menu is what stands out most.

I would recommend it and love to visit here again!