It was the enchanted film Amélie that shone the lights on Paris's Montmartre and the surrounding 18th arrondissement. Here you'll find tiny streets brimming with communal chaos, shops filled with fabrics in different colours and obscure little bars with sloping floors and wacky waiters.
And cafés. Oh, how the 18th loves its coffee. There are magnificent old joints on the central Rue Abbesse. And smelly little hovels tucked behind dubious hotels. And hip hang-outs with handsome barmen singing along to impossibly cool French music. And then there's Café de Deux Moulins, the very place where this landmark film was shot.
It's easy to find. Ask any waiter at any café and they will dutifully point it out on Rue Lepic, number 15 — that's if you don't join one of the tours that trace the footsteps of Amelie Poulin. As soon as you wander into this neighbourhood watering hole, you'll realise that it's actually quite a relaxed joint. The film's set designer must have brought in glass screens, colourful backdrops and a fancy art deco tobacco bar … and then promptly shipped them out. Because, quite frankly, this friendly old dame looks like she's in an easy state of decline.
I sit at the bar and enjoy a glass of rosé — it's only midday, but the July sun demands nothing less. My croque madame arrives quickly, on a bed of well-oiled salad. The coffee is better than most other places and the general hum very easy to take, as is the rather under-celebrated portrait of Amelie staring at us from a dark, almost forgotten corner, green-eyed and mischievous. I bet she never knew she would become an international star. And I'm rather glad her face doesn't appear on a bottle of beer. Not in the 18th.
The 18th is the kind of place that doesn't trump up its coat tails. It's hip, it's trendy, the rents have risen since the film, but the attitude hasn't. Sure, the grocer who owns the store in the film has a CD and a website and the owner of the café gladly welcomes tourists, but it's nowhere as commercialised as it would be if made in America, or England. These days the 19th is where it's at and the 18th is quietly pleased that all the fuss has moved somewhere east.
Back on Rue Abbesse, I wander into a wine shop and find a doorway at the end. Tucked behind this is a pint sized bar. This is the kind of speakeasy that must have sprung like a creeper from its environment, adapting to an easy sort of communal enthusiasm for conversation, ideas and wine. And the ugly, plastic chairs and tables attest to that. As does its name … it doesn't seem to have one.
Down the road you can try the celebrated Sancerre Bar, which is disappointingly noisy and filled with back-packing boozers and a slightly sleazy vibe (the place smells like beer soaked carpet). I'd suggest one of the neighbouring bars on Rue Abbesse with their terraced seats and officious looking garcons. And there's lots of little restaurants in the surrounding streets.
Chez Grisette is a rustic gem of a restaurant-cum-wine-cellar run by a little old lady who seems to do everything herself. Here you'll find a pleasingly dusty collection of French wine, with a simple menu of terrines and patés. You'll be seated along two sides of the tiny restaurant at what looks and feels like church pews. Get the Camembert and apple entree or the saucisson terrine. At 23 euros for a main and entrée, it's good value.
Even though it's not strictly Montmartre (it's on the edges, near Place de Clichy), Hotel El Dorado and its restaurant Bistro Des Dames are very much in keeping with the spirit of things. This is Amelie's spiritual home away from home. Evidence: there's a little old man in a pink hat who sits each evening in a corner of the bar with a glass of Cote du Rhone. And the frustrated, wild improvisator-cum-barman who manages to keep the waiters on their toes. There's also a gorgeous back garden with leafy trees and wrought iron tables. It's packed most nights and they don't take bookings, so plan to wait at the bar.
After this you can head back to Montmartre and walk off the meal with a steep climb up the steps to Sacre Coeur. Sit on the grassy slopes and watch the twinkling lights of Paris. And maybe, just maybe, you'll bump into a brunette girl with a short bob and large green eyes.
Fact file
Most airlines fly direct to Paris from capital cities.
Get the Paris metro to Abesse or Pigalle and head for Rue Abbesse.
Chez Grisette
14 rue Houdon,
Paris 75018
Ph: 01 42 62 04 80
Hotel El Dorado
Website: www.eldoradohotel.fr
Les Deux Moulins
15 Rue Lepic, Paris, 75018
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