My friend Grace from Will She Love Paris? knows her way around eateries in Paris. I’m always glad to have friends like this because it often introduces me to new places. Who wants to go to the same places over and over? Unless of course, it’s Paris itself.
We decided to meet for lunch one day, and Grace immediately suggested Rose Bakery, and in such a way that indicated she thought I was already familiar with it. Oops, guess I had missed that memo. We met on an overcast day, when the weather was still struggling to act like Spring. Not having been in the immediate area before, I half-expected not to need the address and just to run into it comme ça, but in the end I managed to walk right past it. Upon entering, we found a charming catering style place right in the front of the space, where evidently you can get some of the menu items to go. It wasn’t immediately clear if we were to order at this front space or go sit down – either way, there was no warm welcome to help us figure it out.
Once settled, we decided on what we wanted (Grace, being on a hunt for the best scone in Paris, had to get up and return to the front to place her order for those), we had to wait quite a while for the one waitress to notice us and come take our order.
I must say, the layout of the space is unfortunate. We had a table against the wall, and were completely blocked in by two or three other parties. But such is life oftentimes in Parisian restaurants, so we dealt. I ordered a green vegetable tarte, which was had wonderful fresh ingredients and was very appetizing looking. In fact, I thought everything I saw go by looked very fresh and delicious. Although I don’t think the scones fared too well in Grace’s eyes, I believe the food here is generally excellent quality. And because the welcome and service left much to be desired, I think the only time I might visit Rose Bakery again is if I’m in a hurry and want a quick fresh and healthy lunch on the go. The rest of the experience, aside from my company, was underwhelming.
46, rue des Martyrs
75010 Paris
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