Paris is such a huge city with so many things to do and see (and shop for if you have a mind). But what do you do and where do you go if you want to grab a quick, chic but not bank breaking lunch, get your hair cut because you didn’t have time before you left home, or buy a specific vitamin or supplement you left behind.
You’d think that you could just wander into any pharmacy (and there’s one on pretty much every street corner) however the best I’ve found for vitamins and supplements is the Pharmacie Matignon just off the Champs-Elysees round the corner on the Rue Matignon. They specialise in health suppements and have just about everything. They’re also extremely helpful and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Just one word. Ask the price before you say ‘I’ll take it’. Most things are more expensive than you expect in Paris. You’ll find a wide range of skincare and basics such as toothpaste there as well.
Pharmacie Matignon : 1 Avenue Matignon 75008 Tél : 01 43 59 86 55 Metro station: Franklin D Roosevelt.
Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
On to a haircut. I have tried a couple of salons in Paris when I ran out of time before leaving home. The one I’ve been back to is Thomas Coiffeur on the Boissy d’Anglas. Ask for the owner, Florence, to cut your hair.
The price is much what you would pay for a top out of London salon, which is surprising given that the Boissy d’Anglas is a stone’s throw from the Faubourg St Honore and pretty much opposite Hermes. Most Paris salons are more expensive.
They also sell Kerastase products.
Thomas Coiffeur: 20 Rue Boissy d'Anglas, 75008 Paris
01 42 65 29 78. Metro station: Concorde
Where to have lunch: If you’re anywhere near the Galleries Lafayette you should go to the newly opened Lafayette Maison et Gourmet and have lunch at Mavromatis, who offer delicious Greek Cypriot dishes at high speed and reasonable prices. I reviewed this earlier here. They also offer take-away.
Mavrommatis at Lafayette Gourmet,
48-52, Boulevard Haussmann 75009 Paris. Tel : +33 (0)1 42 80 42 42 Metro station : Havre Caumartin
Alternatively if you’d like something a little more sophisticated where you can sit and relax and spend as much or as little as you like, pay a visit to Dalloyau on the Faubourg St Honore. If you can get past the traiteur, macaroons and cakes on the ground floor, go up the stairs and sit down, relax and have lunch.
Order a Caesar Salad with curried chicken, asparagus with smoked salmon or mixed vegetable salad and then have a coffee, when you automatically get macaroons delivered to your table. Resist if you can. Book if at all possible as the restaurant gets full up.
Dalloyau Paris 101 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré - 75008 Paris. Tel 01 42 99 93 37
Metro station: St Philippe du Roule