How to have a perfect January birthday in Paris

Salut! Happy Friday! And soon to be happy birthday pour moi, and princess puppy. It seems like only yesterday I was telling you all about my Perfect Parisian Friday in NYC. With another anniversaire on the horizon I’m daydreaming of Paris, bien sûr. Welcome to another dream itinerary, How to have a perfect January birthday in Paris!

le matin

I think for a special birthday it would be fun to stay at the Esmeralda apartment on Airbnb. Just down the street from my favorite Hotel Notre Dame, it also has a beautiful view, and looks down on the oldest tree in Paris! Not to mention the building itself is 400 years old. Look at the pictures, charming and perfect. Skylights, a mini kitchen and a mini balcony. Oui, oui and OUI!

For petit déjeuner it would have to be Le Lutétia on Ile Saint Louis. They don’t have a website but you can see them on Tripadvisor or just google images. I think we’ve gone every trip for dinner and on our last trip for breakfast too. I’ve even had dinner there with maman! The soupe l’oignon is what to get for lunch, or dinner. I love sitting outside looking out on the Quai de Bourbon watching Parisian life go by. It’s just magical.

After breakfast, I think a special birthday treat would be a visit to L’Orangerie. I’ve mentioned it before, in my daydreams of Paris. To just sit and be surrounded by Monet’s beautiful Water Lilies would be an absolute dream.

l’après midi

First stop in the afternoon will be at the original Diptyque on Boulevard Saint Germain to stock up on my signature fragrance Eau Capitale (mais oui). I bought some on my NYC birthday trip and I believe I will make it a yearly tradition. I’ve been using it sparingly, it’s très cher, so I don’t need a new bottle yet this birthday. But for a Paris birthday trip, I definitely need to visit the beautiful Diptyque store.

Another tradition I intend to keep is falafel for my birthday 🥙. On my NYC birthday trip I had lunch at Miznon in the Chelsea Market. I even brought home some Miznon Tahini! It is the best tahini I’ve ever tried. Oh how I wish they would ship it. Some day I will just order the Falafel Kit from Goldbelly and make a party out of it! This year I’m taking the Cranberry Chestnut Falafel I made, and froze, to work with me for my birthday.

Anyway, for le déjeuner on my Paris birthday, I’m going to Miznon in the Marais for falafel! I have to mention, a second choice for my Paris birthday lunch is Cafe Charlotte, located in the 20th. Why? Well it’s Cafe Charlotte first of all. But also, they have a BOWL DU CHARLOTTE AUX FALAFELS BIO! Nice! I need to come up with my own Charlotte Falafel recipe. Stay tuned!

le soir

A Paris birthday trip would not be complete without a view of the sparkling Eiffel tower! So let’s begin our evening with cocktails with a view! Any of the rooftop bars I mentioned on my Paris bucket list would do, but for my birthday trip I’ll pick Le Perchoir on top of the BHV. Hopefully they have champagne cocktails. I had one at Bemelmans Bar in NYC for my bday and I’d like to make that another tradition too! Maybe I’ll pick up a little birthday gift (like my happiness journal) on the way up!

For mon dîner d’anniversaire I choose Le 27 Madame. It looks charming! A hidden gem (garnet, to be exact, my birthstone 😜). My birthday is on the 27th, so I think it is meant to be! It has great reviews on Tripadvisor. Just down from Saint-Germain-des-Prés and around the corner from Église Saint Sulpice (and Pierre Hermé) or the Jardin du Luxemburg, it’s the perfect location too.

Looking at the menu on their site, I would chose the beet salad for l’entrée, the chicken ballotine for le plat and the warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for le dessert. Btw, did you know January 27th is National Chocolate Cake Day? Here’s a recipe to make your own moelleux au chocolat et glace vanille, by the one and only Cyril Lignac (who I’ve also mentioned several times before)!

A fitting ending to my birthday in Paris would be a sparkling champagne fruit cocktail for two at Cafe Petit Pont, just around the corner from our apartment. So there you have it – my idea of how to have a perfect January birthday in Paris! Merci for joining me on another of my little daydreams. Maybe it inspired a little dreaming of your own? Have a beautiful sparkly weekend. A bientôt!