Coffee is all the rage now in Paris - going beyond just the quick café and branching out into the specialty shops. You seekers of the perfect cup need no longer turn up your noses at the mediocre coffee options you can sometimes get in many cafes. Now you can scoot over to Le Bal Café, Kooka Boora, Caféothèque and Coutume.
When I heard that Starbucks was pushing into Montmartre at none other than the famous Place du Tertre, I have to say I didn't care for the idea much. I mean Paris has some pretty nice coffee shops atmosphere-wise and with the newbies the coffee is getting better. But you don't have to wait for Starbucks to arrive to enjoy that coffee shop feeling right in Montmartre. Recently a lovely little coffee shop has popped up on rue Ramey that caught my eye. No plush arm chairs here - actually now that I think about it, it has a very Scandinavian feel to it or at least reminds me of at one place I've been to in Denmark. Wooden tables and wooden chairs, at times you wonder if you are in a library. A few plants and antiques and presto - you have a coffee shop. But what about the coffee?
Not too long ago I had a chance to sit down with one of the founders of the coffee shop Coutume located in St Germain, Tom Clark. What's so special about Coutume, well for one thing they are artisans. They roast their own coffee and it seems now that they are branching out providing these roasted blends to other coffee shop enthusiasts. Which brings me back to the coffee at this new little cafe. It comes straight from Coutume and it is definitely good. I actually thought that the place didn't have a name at first just a chalkboard exterior and their short menu of offerings, but then I spotted it - the name: Black Market.
Show up at the Black Market at around 4PM and you are sure to find a crowd or people at the various tables typing away on their laptops - Perhaps they are working on their manuscripts. The vibe is chill and the coffee flows, not to mention that there's no pressure for you to hurry up and get out. They also have some pastries courtesy of Rachel's Cakes. I tried out the cheese cake which is quite different from my own but oh so yummy.
They've now become my office away from the office for an afternoon cappuccino with a friend or a client meeting. Black Market is just another one of the newcomers to this side of the hill where the young and chic are making their mark. I wonder what we'll see next. . . .
Black Market
27 rue Ramey
Paris 75018
Metro: Chateau Rouge (line 4) or Lamarck-Caulaincourt (line 12)
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I have been in Starbucks twice ..once in Oxford and once in Bayswater road London .. .. If I was in the Montmartre area, and I saw the cafes above, they are the places I would check out .. no way would I go into Starbucks in Paris .. I would always try to support the newbies and those that are opening their own cafes .. not a multi huge company like Starbucks!
ReplyDeleteHi Anne,
DeleteThanks for the comments. You should definitely check this place out next time you are in Montmartre.
It's interesting Anne in Oxfordshire I feel the same way except I did find the Starbucks in the Latin Quarter that I have taken in the Nectur of the Gods!(lol) But I felt so guilty afterwards
ReplyDeleteNo need to feel guilty GeAnita. Most of us have been there and I wouldn't say I wouldn't go back under any circumstances whatsoever. Never say never. : ) Thanks for commenting.
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