 |
| Sweet Chestnuts |
On a quick trip to Paris this week I decided to look up what I guess now could be called an old favourite. I don't remember what had taken me to rue des Martyrs that day in 2003 but it was the intriguing wrought iron decorated door which caught my eye and the aroma of baking which lured me in. If I had needed any more impetus to enter Rose Bakery it was provided by the sight of a familiar face glancing up to greet customers.
In 1988 the Anglo-French team of Jean Charles and
Rose Carrarini set up one of the most
influential food shops cum café/restaurants in London. With their
treasure of an epicerie fine, Villandry, they drew people from all over
the capital to their tiny space in what was then a rather jaded Marylebone
High Street. In the early days, the shop was stocked with
continental foods mostly unheard of anywhere else in London – Italian Pagnotta
and French Poilane breads, perfectly ripe French cheeses, top quality cured
meats and bacon, preserves, wines and an ever-changing array of
sweetmeats. These were supplemented by savoury and sweet tarts, cakes,
and biscuits. Ingredients sold in the shop were used to produce
deliciously simple dishes for the café. It was a joy to have the
flexibility to walk through the shop and select a perfect Saint Marcellin
to eat in the café with good bread, a glass of wine, a perfectly
dressed mesclun salad and followed, perhaps, by a slice of fig tart.
The atmosphere was quirky, the staff laid back,
and the attitude unpretentious. A strong design eye was evident in the
second-hand furnishings and the eye-catching, ever changing window
displays. Back then this was pioneering stuff in London and everyone who
aspired to open their own traiteur or deli checked out Villandry first.
The Carrarini’s left Marylebone High Street,
when the property owners, Howard de Walden Estates began their gentrification
of the area. Leila's in Calvert Avenue is a welcome, more
recent, embodiment of what I think of as those Villandry principles.
It was that style which I subconsciously
recognised when I was stopped in my tracks and drawn into Rose Bakery on a
perfect autumn day in the 9th arrondisement. Although I was surprised, in
fact it made perfect sense for them to be here. Instead of bringing
France to London as they did for many years, they have, since 2002 been
bringing Britain to an appreciative Parisienne clientele. Jean
Charles' design background is visible in the eclectic mix of second hand
furnishings, stark paintwork and concrete floors, enlivened by a
hand-painted mural on the rear wall of the café. It’s a look which suits
this narrow space, a former chartil, where fruit and vegetable sellers
stored their carts.
The kitchens at either end of the shop are the
domain of Rose. She is supported by an energetic brigade who
constantly pass through the café laden with the latest trays of baking fresh
out of the oven. Carrot cake, scones, shortbread, slab cakes, crumbles
and brown betty go down a storm. Savoury dishes include kedgeree,
bangers and mash, organic Irish smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, soups, tarts
and pizzettes. Seasonal risottos and dishes such as Braised Artichoke,
Lemon and Lamb Chops make use of what is best, and preferably organic, at that
moment. British cheeses from Neal’s Yard Dairy confirm the French have
developed a taste for British food at its best. Even Christmas cakes and
puddings are lapped up in December.
An exceptionally good value ‘formule’menu is
available weekday lunchtimes, always including a mix of salads which
the French clientelle expect. Saturday brunch of eggs, bacon, tomatoes
and toast, or soft boiled eggs with marmite soldiers, porridge or pancakes is
popular. The ethos is simplicity and quality. Customers are
predominantly French with some expats. The young, multinational staff can
get a bit distracted, but Jean Charles does not miss much, and they are so
damned nice you forgive them any lapses. Prices, it has to be said,
are on the high side, reflecting the quality of the ingredients so you may want
to consider their take-out instead of eating in.
Rose Bakery is not the only draw on rue des
Martyrs. Paris' 9th arrondisement is bordered by the Gares du Nord, de
l'Est and St-Lazare. This may not sound like the most appealing location
to recommend to you, but stick with me. Rue des Martyrs snakes
uphill from Boulevard Haussmann (rue Lafitte becomes rue des
Martyrs) to the Basilique du Sacre Coeur in Montmartre. It's also an
easy 15 minute walk from Gare du Nord, so a perfect place to either start or
end a visit to Paris. Food now dominates the street with
good fromageries, traitteurs, boulangeries, patisseries, cafes, a
poissonerie and more. The latest opening is La Chambre aux
Confitures dedicated to preserves and honeys. Using four suppliers,
who prepare the confitures with the lowest possible sugar to fruit ratio, which
varies to suit the particular fruit, they are presented with
typical French style by the charming Lise.
The Carrarinis
have not totally cut their ties with London. You can visit a
scaled-down version of Rose Bakery on the top floor of the ultra-cool Dover
Street Market in W1. Rose's book, ‘Breakfast, Lunch, Tea’ still sells
well. It is based on the food at Rose Bakery and almost twenty years
of dedication to good food. Rose is not a trained chef and this is not
simply a list of recipes but also an expression of the philosophy and style of
the Carrarini’s. It conveys a deep love for good ingredients and a
passion for cooking and feeding people which all true cooks should have.
Further Rose Bakeries can be found in Japan and,
I understand, will continue to open to spread the
philosophy.
Rose Bakery
46, rue des Martyrs, 75009 Paris
Also at: 30, rue
Debelleyme, 75003 Paris
and now at La Maison Rouge
Foundation, 10 Boulevard de la Bastille 75012 Paris
Dover Street Market, Dover Street, London W1
Dover Street Market, Dover Street, London W1
