My husband and I always hated brunches. I hated them because I don't think breakfast and lunch should be relegated to a single meal. My husband hated them because he thought they were pretentious. As he explained, "It's like, oh, we're grown-ups, so we can't do anything fun anymore- let's have brunch!" Enter Brunch by Inès, an intimate and friendly clandestine brunch which smashed our previous conceptions of the couple's weekend staple like avocado on toast.
Every Saturday and Sunday, Inès- a fashion brand consultant- serves up fresh, original recipes in a secret Parisian loft filled with treasures from far-flung travels. The food is healthy, organic, and gluten-free. Each portion is more generous than the last, homemade from seasonal ingredients. This weekend's menu included thick slices of citrus-tinged linseed loaf with fluffy banana bread, red fruits, homemade granola, carrot-ginger soup with sprouts, quinoa salad and an incredibly rich, amazing raw carrot cake that was like cinnamon-dusted sugarplum fairies doing pirouettes on my tastebuds. Usually I think quinoa is wack but here it was so flavorful, almost buttery. I actually ate my husband's bowl while he was in the bathroom and when he came back, he couldn't believe my gluttony. At any rate, the quality and sheer amount of food wowed my paleo-averse, os à moelle-loving husband. He told his friends- all of whom approach boucheries with the same incandescent, irrepressible delight as kids in candy stores- "It was a great experience. I ate raw, vegan, and gluten-free and loved it anyway." There was such a warm, welcoming atmosphere, and it's the best deal in town, with heaping helpings of each delicious course presented beautifully. We can't wait to go back.
Inès is the sweetest, most gracious hostess, and her gleaming, light-filled loft is just as glamorous as she is. She prepared brunch for a full house in high heels! Someone told me once that in France, you're supposed to leave a little food on your plate, out of politeness. Nobody did that here. People around us cleaned their plates, and many took leftovers home. I made Inès pose for a picture but felt creepy and deleted it, so instead head to the Brunch by Inès Facebook and Instagram for sneak peeks of Paris' best-kept secret weekend destination.
Brunch by Inès
Secret, undisclosed location in Paris
Menu: 30€ per person for a ton of delicious food!
Click here to make a reservation.
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ReplyDeleteLooks amazing! I just love the tableware, the cabinet behind you, the colorful food, everything! Can anyone make a reservation or do you have to be invited? What a fun idea, it's a nice twist on the traditional brunch and farmer's market weekend.
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra! Anyone can make a reservation. I agree, it shakes things up a bit, and her style is just amazing!
DeleteHi Ariana,
ReplyDeleteHow far in advance would you recommend booking for this? We are going to Paris next month and my in-laws are taking the kids. Since my husband can't eat gluten (intolerant, not celiac), but loves brunch :-), I would love to do this with him. It's been forever since we've done a brunch that didn't include coloring books and wet wipes! But I'm not sure if we found about this in time. How did you find this delicious-looking place? I looked at her Instagram and it looks so, so lovely!
Thank you!
J
I found her on Facebook, it came up as a gluten-free page to follow so I liked it and the updates looked amazing too! I just booked a week in advance. The website has dates and says if it's booked or not. Have a great time, if you go, this will definitely be a memorable brunch!
DeleteSounds and LOOKS amazing. I'm so sad we won't be in Paris till Monday and then we leave on Thursday. Such a shame. I'll just have to live vicariously through you then;)
ReplyDeleteYour photo is too cute first of all, second of all we'll still have fun and go to secret things, and next time you come back you'll have to go to her brunch!
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