On brunching and catching up with old friends in the Marais

Brunch is one of those wonderful meals that can be extended from late morning to early afternoon with absolutely no guilt. It's even better when it's combined with catching up with old friends, simple pleasures all round.
I recently re-discovered the hidden treasures in the Marais  - more specifically around Place des Vosges.



In our early days in Paris, my family went everywhere in Paris - we were still in the throes of a new love, still infatuated with the city, and fully determined to familiarise ourselves with every part of it. The love is still there, that's for sure - but it's a bit more tempered, controlled even, a more mature fondness. We're still venturing to places yet undiscovered, but are equally finding some gems in our neighbourhood and off the beaten paths.

So it was a pleasure to re-discover some of the earlier haunts - Place des Vosges and its hidden, slightly touristy restaurants is always a treat if you're looking for that uncomplicated combination of historical and pleasurable. The square hosts the house of Victor Hugo, where one of France's literary greats lived for a good part of his life; No.1 was the birth place of Madame de Sevigné; No.21 was the residence of the Cardinal Richelieu - and these are just to name a few. The residence list reads like a Who's Who of historical French society.

La Carette, which overlooks the square and is always full - maybe a combination of tourists and locals - was a surprise. The food was great, or was it us soaking up the sun, sipping a wonderful chilled wine and talking endlessly for three hours straight? Either way, it was a wonderful morning, and we came out of it sated and content.

La Carette
25 Place des Vosges
75003 Paris.