The day before I flew out of Paris I decided to take it easy. There was still a number of things that I wanted to do in Paris including visiting the Centre Pompidou, checking out the evening view from the Arc de Triomphe with the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the background and going to Rue Moffatard – the famous market street in the Latin Quarter lined with food shops. However, I decided that those would best be left for next time. I didn’t want to rush through these things and it’s always good to leave something for next time (plus I’d already walked and seen so much this trip that my legs were killing me!)

So, rather than trying to cram everything in on my last day, I decided that I would take it easy and focus on getting a few gifts to bring back. This also meant that I had plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely lunch (something that I rarely had the opportunity to do because I was always running around Paris) with my fellow foodie friend Doris, whom I’d met on my second day at Cordon Bleu. She told me about a restaurant she looked up on Zagat and had gotten very good reviews. She had already been there a couple times (I call it her ‘cantine’). My decision to take it easy and have a nice lunch was one of the best decisions I made on this trip! The place we went to was called Pramil. It had very good reviews, was frequented by locals and offered a set menu  for lunch (20 euro for two courses) and dinner. I loved the fact that it had a small, yet organized kitchen and intimate, yet friendly dining room. The chef even came out and chatted with the guests!

Doris ordered a cream of white asparagus soup with foie gras ice cream and Berkshire pork chops with caramelized heirloom carrots – delish! (although to be honest, I can’t really taste the difference between Berkshire pork chops and regular pork chops. Perhaps my palate isn’t refined enough.) However, they were beautifully cooked! They only cook it to medium rare so it is still pink in the middle (normally I would kinda freak out but I had total confidence in the chef. I figured he really knows what he’s doing). Oh yes, and no substitutions! Haha! True French style.

I ordered a smoked salmon salad (the waiter told us that they smoke the salmon in-house) and rabbit (I’ve never had rabbit before – it kinda tastes like chicken).

For dessert, Doris had the squash cake with a lychee sorbet (I think it was lychee – certain things get lost in translation). I had a chili infused dark chocolate ice cream (amazing!) with a passionfruit coulis.

Lunch was divine! What a great place! I wish I had visited it sooner because I would have definitely gone back to try their duck and sea scallops. I’ve decided that the next time I visit Paris, I will choose to have lunch as my main meal out. The prices are better, the environment less hectic and the food is just as good. I think this was even mentioned to me in my “Edible Adventures in Paris” book (but who has time for a 2 hour lunch when trying to see all the sites of Paris). Pramil wasn’t one of the restaurants listed but it was one of the best food experiences I had. Perhaps it might be in the next edition (but for now, it’s my little secret).