Au revoir, 2011! Bonjour, 2012!








The last year in Paris was a corker. In case you missed it, here is a recap of our favourite discoveries of 2011, and a summary of everything we're looking forward to in 2012. 

In 2011, we indulged in great food and wine at the new small-plate/wine-bar combos Verjus and Au Passage, and continued to enjoy old favourites Aux Deux Amis and Le Dauphin. We saw foreign brands WeSC, Banana Republic and Marks and Spencer set up shop in the capital. We delighted in excellent exhibitions from Yayoi KusamaAnish Kapoor, Elmgreen and Dragset, Miss Van and Zaha Hadid, as well as the skateboard exhibition Public Domaine at the newly opened Gaite Lyrique, and Paris-Delhi-Bombay at the Pompidou Centre. 

We rejoiced at the opening of sexy baker Gontran Cherrier's boulangerie in Montmartre and look forward to the opening of his second paris address in 2012. We also enjoyed a big calorie hit from new choux-bun hotspot Popelini (although to be fair, it's not like there was an old choux-bun hotspot from which to steal the crown). We added award-winning Le Chateaubriand and La Tete dans les Olives to our list of favourite places to eat in Paris.

We were thankful for delectable pizza and cocktails at the fabulous Grazie, and enjoyed (yet more) cocktails at our new favourite Paris bar, Le Carmen - a baroque 'n' roll venue which played host the the launch of literary journal A Tale of Three Cities and the already legendary Book Club, the first of which happened in February.  

We enjoyed coffee at new cafes Kooka Boora and Le Floreal, and brunched and lunched (frequently) at Le Bal CafeCupcakerie Chloe S and Marcel - and look forward to eating again at brand new cafe Causses

But it wasn't all over-indulgence. We also relaxed at urban spa L'Echappee and enjoyed healthy food at the new branch of Nanashi in the northern Marais, and at Paris Feni in the 11th arrondissement, and sushi at the charming Asuka on what we dubbed the dark side of Montmartre. 

We also visited the new brightly-coloured cinema,  Le Nouvel Odeon, designed by Matali Crasset, and the new neo-classical restaurant-bar La Rotonde in the up and coming 19th arrondissement. 2011 also saw the launch of the public car hire scheme, Autolib'

What's in store for 2012? It's going to be even bigger and better than 2011, as you would expect. 

Arts wise, our top picks for 2012 are for Daniel Buren at this year's Monumenta, Helmut Newton at Le Grand Palais, Ai Wei Wei at Jeu de Paume, Louis Vuitton-Marc Jacobs at Musee des Arts Decoratifs and Gerhard Richter at the Centre Pompidou. Concert wise, we're looking forward to Florence and the Machine, Drake, Justice, The 2 Bears, St Vincent, Chairlift, Metronomy and SBTRKT

This year will also see the completion of redevelopment work at the Palais de Tokyo by architects Lacaton and Vassal to create 10,000m2 of space devoted to contemporary art. The Fondation Jerome-Seydoux-Pathe - a cinema built by starchitect Renzo Piano - is planned to open in spring 2012. Philippe Prost's renovation of the Monnaie de Paris should be complete this year, with new shops, a 500m2 zen garden and a Guy Savoy restaurant. The Musee de l'Homme will also reopen after its renovation. 

Stay tuned for all the best things to eat, do and see in Paris - we'll keep you up to date throughout 2012. Happy new year to you all from I Heart Paris! 



4 comments:

  1. Nice recap of the year. Happy 2012 - looking forward to seeing what you've got to share in the new year!

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  2. Happy, happy New Year to you and yours! Wishing you nothing but love, happiness and a frolicking good time all year long. xoxo

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  3. I've been following your blog for quite a many months and it makes me want to visit Paris even more :) Nice recap and happy 2012 to you, hope you keep on blogging!

    Feel free to check out my blog "Way to go" (http://waytogo1.blogspot.com) and follow it if you find it interesting :-)

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  4. Here's to a 2012 filled with as many delicious discoveries and inspiring moments as 2011...I can't wait. :)

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