Favorite 'Elise-style' coffee shop

All of Paris in Elise's notebook

If there is a place that reminds me of my first days in Paris, it would certainly be the apartment that, to enter, had to pass through a closed gate, leading to a hidden courtyard, where, as promised, the bells of the Saint-Laurent church next door echoed. It was in that small, cramped apartment, always filled with a cool atmosphere, that I first touched Paris through a notebook filled with postcards, newspaper articles, hastily cut flyers or a few urgent notes about a new cool place.

Elise has Paris all over her notebook. It might be an old factory along the Canal Saint-Martin that serves as a Sunday morning flea market. Sometimes it's a grocery store selling African spices, or sometimes it's the opening of an old school friend's metal jewelry exhibition. In short, this girl owns a treasure trove of unique shopping spots in a Paris that seems to be overflowing with cool spots. Le Pavillon des Canaux is one of them. A favorite café "typically Elise".

Canalside

I like to translate the name of the shop as canalside, the exact address is 39 quai de la Loire, Paris 19ème. From the nearest metro station, remember to follow a few barber shops, some public laundries, some construction works that block the sidewalk for pedestrians and some fruit stalls displayed in a straight line. Not to mention you have to cross a bridge into a residential area and turn right to see the hidden graffiti wall.

The facade of this not-just-coffee shop has a view of the vast river. Luckily it was a drizzly afternoon so we had to go inside. Sitting outside would have been a mistake!

The shop was opened with the motif of a house, or more precisely, a house that appeared to be inhabited. The kitchen was shining with pots and pans, piled with baking tools. The edge of the dining table in the living space still had some crumbs left, as if someone had returned last night and placed on it a hasty loaf of bread bought from the bakery at the end of the street. And that coat and hat bar behind the windowsill, only tonight, you will no longer be free and lonely!

In that home-cafe, every corner is used as a seating area for customers. For example, you can get into the bathtub to sip hot chocolate or climb onto the flower-covered bed, where there are dolls of all sizes, to read books and enjoy tea. In the next room, a group of students are busily discussing their upcoming presentation, and if you look curiously, you will see one person leaning on the bed, another leaning on the chair, another fondling a book, as if they were in a familiar space of a friend in the group. No one knows each other, but from the moment they step in, everyone feels like they belong to an item, a perspective, a seat in that leant.

No one knew each other, but from the moment they entered, everyone felt like they belonged to an item, a perspective, a seat in that room.

In fact, what makes Le Pavillon des Canaux most interesting is its constant transformation regardless of space and function. The bathroom with the tub where you used to sit and drink chocolate has now become a space for a hair salon. The courtyard separating the house from the river is where outdoor Yoga classes take place...

Yes, Le Pavillon des Canaux always gives people more than one reason to come back. Love the Love & Dress brand - invite them into the dining room, the Christmas tree corner, to admire the new designs. Want to take a course that few people talk about, Culinary Stylist promises to be a lot of fun. Want to live a sleepless night like the time when you wrote your final thesis - just come to the house, there will definitely be a companion...

And sometimes there is no need for any profound reason. For me, visiting the canalside is to remember the time when I ran after Elise's world, the days when Paris was the whole world to her.

More information:

+ Le Pavillon des Canaux official website: www.pavillondescanaux.com

+ To update the list of the most inspiring cafes in Paris, remember to visit: www.goodcoffeeinparis.com

Article: Trang Ami Photo: Pavillon des Canaux

The Thanh