A couple of weeks ago, my friend Anna and I hit up Ten Belles for their 3rd anniversary. She had suggested it and I, having heard of it but never been, looked it up and discovered there would be anniversary deals. Sold!
Just off of the Canal Saint-Martin (man, there are a lot of good brunch/coffee places up here), Ten Belles fits the adorable Parisian coffee shop mold, just a little bit more off the beaten path. If you’ve never gone for a wander down the Canal Saint-Martin though, this is a great excuse to do it.
They have a little upstairs seating area overlooking the entrance, which is nice for extra seating- a scarce commodity, especially in cafés. I wanted to take photos, though, so I talked Anna into grabbing a just-vacated table on the bottom floor. She opted for scones with butter and jam; I gave into the temptation that was this little lemon-blueberry cake. I’m a total sucker for lemon frosting, especially on poppy seed stuff. This cake was sweetened mostly by the frosting, which was nice (not too sugary too early in the morning), and very rich, so much so that I couldn’t finish it. Those who are aware of my crazy sweet tooth may find this surprising. But I had to leave room for the coffee as well- it’s from Belleville Brûlerie, so of course it was delicious.
If I could, I swear I would collect coffee mugs from every one of my favorite cafes in Paris, but given our tiny apartment and not knowing where I’ll be this time next year, probably not the most practical decision…
Happy (belated) birthday, Ten Belles!
Ten Belles: 10 rue de la Grange aux Belles, 75010 Paris.
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