Belleville

Still no baby action, so we had a morning outing to Belleville, a kind of bohemian/hipster/multicultural area of Paris.

One reason for going was it was market day, shoulder to shoulder stuff.

We also wanted to visit Rue Dénoyez, famous for its graffiti...

..and for Cafe aux Folies..

..often frequented by Edith Piaf.

..the terrace being a favourite hangout for "bobos" - bohemian bourgeois - do we cut it?

We also did a steep uphill walk...

..to the Parc de Belleville, with great views over Paris...

..and mosaics, including a mosaic guide to the view.

We headed back down..

..to find somewhere for lunch. It was quite a challenge given the hundreds of different eateries. We finally settled on Restaurant Le Tais, lured by the prospect of a Tunisian "brik" (a first)..

...and this was it...

..which we shared together with brochettes and lamb couscous.

We then strolled back up the road, through an area thick with sidewalk sellers...

..and home via a funky stretch of Rue Oberkampf

In the evening we headed off for a pre-baby special dinner at Les Deserteurs restaurant. We had the 60E€ 6 course menu (plus cheese). We couldn't fault any of the dishes. Apologies for the stripped down description of the courses, but here goes...

First, oysters with tapioca, cucumber balls and watercress broth

Slow cooked egg with shaved truffle etc

Whiting with puréed pumpkin, Orleans potatoes and some sort of foam

Duck with puréed beetroot etc

Then cheese and two desserts. Absolute decadence.