All language subtitles for Guillaumes.Paris.S01E08.1080p.HDTV.H264-CBFM

Paris is a city that straddles
the spectrum of experience,

from the finer things in life

to the cheap and cheerful.

Whether you're snacking at a bar
before the big game,

or foraging on a rooftop garden,

the one thing you can always count on
in Paris is quality.

It's like a toy shop for a chef.

I am Guillaume Brahimi,
I was born and raised in Paris,

and I learnt to be a chef
in some of the greatest kitchens

in this City of Light.

Now, after 30 years,
I've returned to explore

each of the 20 arrondissements
of Paris, one by one,

to discover the best cuisine

and to show you how much food
drives this city.

Today, I will make two dishes
perfect for springtime in Paris.

A salad with the freshest
possible garden produce

and a beautiful Cote du Veau.

(GYPSY JAZZ ACOUSTIC GUITAR MUSIC)

People have occupied
the 15th arrondissement

longer than any area of Paris.

It was here,
in approximately 8000 BC,

that hunter-gatherer communities
encamped

and lived off the produce
of the land.

Hugging the banks of the Seine,
with lush green parklands,

the 15th evokes something
resembling the Garden of Eden.

The residents here are still
hunting and gathering food

in the many wonderful shops
and markets,

and like them, I'm looking
for something good to eat.

La Cantine du Troquet Dupleix
is a restaurant in the 15th,

serving French cuisine
made with fresh local produce.

Oh!

La Cantine is run by my friend
Christian Etchebest,

who hails from the Basque region
of France, bordering Spain.

His cuisine is prepared simply,

but in huge proportions,

which is good for me,
because it's lunch time.

Watching Christian work
is like a study in simplicity.

He relies on the quality
of his ingredients

to make these big dish sing.

Good veal, good wine, good company.

The simple ingredients
to the perfect meal.

(GLASSES CLINK)

Parisians have always prioritised
local and fresh produce.

As the land occupied by
hunter-gatherers was overtaken

by the city,
farming was pushed out of Paris.

Today, some industrious Parisians
have created a way

of feeding the growing population
with locally grown ingredients.

The 15th arrondissement
is home to Nature Urbaine,

the biggest rooftop farm in Europe.

Encompassing the rooftop
of an exhibition hall in the 15th,

it opened during the pandemic,

to supply locals a daily haul
of seasonal specialities.

I'm here to meet Phenicia Oheix,
a plant scientist,

and manager of Nature Urbaine,

to see what's growing.

The farm uses aeroponics,
a soil-free gardening that maximises

the amount of produce,
while minimising irrigation.

It's just mind-blowing to know
we can grow anything

in a roof in Paris.

It is about 1,400 metres square,

- so it's enormous for a roof.
- Whoa.

That's a big, farm that's a big farm.

Yeah, a huge one,

and, uh, so we are on the Pavillon 6,
in the Paris Expo.

Yep.

And they decided to renovate
the building,

and with this renovation,

they decided to create a project
on the roof

with a restaurant and with a farm.

How much strawberry
are we going to make here?

Yeah, we produce a lot,
also because of the,

the density with the vertical system

and on the farm, you have
12,000 strawberry plants.

Yes.

And at the end of the season,

we can produce ten tonnes
of fruits and vegetables.

Mm. That's a lot of strawberry tart,
let me tell you.

You think it's a future of farming?

And tell me, I heard you're having
a few problems with the pigeons?

Yeah, we have problems!

The Parisian pigeons are very well
fed in the 15th arrondissement,

because they come here,
they've got an abundance

of raspberry and strawberry,
that can cause quite a headache.

- Yes.
- Yes.

Just as well fed as the pigeons
are the residents of the 15th.

Marie Bulle is a local who makes
good use of Nature Urbaine.

Small aquaponic plots
are offered to nearby residents

who want their own rooftop garden.

So I'm going to use some of this mint
to make my salad.

So I've got some mint,
it's going to be very minty.

(MARIE LAUGHS)

There is nothing more exciting
for a chef than ingredients

picked straight from the garden.

Next, I will be using the
fresh produce of Nature Urbaine

to make a salad
that is truly delicious.

I am so happy today.

This is a perfect spring day
in Paris,

and I've got the best lettuce
and herbs,

and I'm going to make a very simple
herb and green salad,

olive oil, vinegar, that's the way
I want to eat it today.

So I've got my bowl,

I picked my salad this morning,

just simple, with some wild spinach,
as well, very simple.

I love this wild spinach,

and I'm going to show you my secret.

Please, never use
a knife with your herbs.

You know when you see a chef
fighting with a knife

with the green herbs on the board?

The board is green,
the flavour is on the board,

there is nothing left in your salad.

All you need is a pair of scissors,

and just go like that.

And I promise you, from the moment
you eat a salad and herbs like that,

you will never do it any other way.

Enough chive, Guillaume.
I'm getting a bit too excited.

And I'm going to do the same
with my parsley,

and it's all about
the flavour of the herbs.

Just like that.

Perfect.

And I've got some basil,

because I love basil in spring
in Paris.

Pourquoi pas?

And again,
I'm not chopping anything here,

I've got all my basil.
I'm just going to cut it in half.

Just like that.

And of course I've got my mint,
from Marie's, who's got a garden here

and she said to me,
"You must use my mint,"

and I'm going to use it.

Just simple, like that.

In the pot.

Ah!

That's exactly why I cut my herbs
with my scissors.

It's an abundance of perfume,

the chive, the basil,
the mint and the wild spinach.

I love it.

So now,

a nice extra virgin olive oil.

Look at the colour
of this olive oil.

Beautiful.

Little touch of vinegar,
not too much.

And of course a touch of pepper.

Little bit of fleur de sel - salt.

Voila. Your salad is ready.

I'm just going to toss it
very delicately.

What I want to do, I want to paint
each leaf with the olive oil.

Beautiful.

And this is it, this is super simple,

but also super delicious.

This is the way my grandmother
used to make the salad,

just fresh herbs,
fresh lettuce from the garden,

a good extra virgin olive oil,

good red wine vinegar,

and I promise you something,

you're going to love it,

and merci to the 15th arrondissement.

How lucky are the Parisians?

Bon appetit.

From the natural bounties
of the 15th,

I am exploring
the man-made attractions

of the 16th arrondissement.

To any Parisian,

the 16th means high society.

It's where the most affluent people
do life and leisure.

So what brings me here today?

Sport.

The largest of the arrondissements,
by area,

the 16th is where you will find
Roland Garros,

the Parc des Princes

and Jean-Bouin Stadium,

the arenas of tennis,

soccer and rugby.

I'm a rugby tragic.

If I never became a chef,

I wanted to be
a professional rugby player.

I'm in the 16th to meet with a friend
living that dream.

Australian rugby player,
Kurtley Beale,

a man with over 90 caps
for the Wallabies.

Kurtley now plays for Racing 92,

the rugby club of Paris.

We are meeting at Les 2 Stades,

a lively sports bar
opposite the rugby stadium.

This is a perfect place for
a pre-match drink and a bite to eat

with the fans who are going to watch
Paris play Pau.

We love our club rugby in Sydney,

you know, you've got six, seven
greats playing in the same ground,

lot of people here,
but here in Paris, it's the same.

- Yeah, exactly.
- People having beers, chips, kids.

Yeah, it's great. Great turnout.
We are in the 16th arrondissement...

Yeah.

and I would call this
the sporting hub of Paris.

- Yeah, yeah.
- There's so many different sports.

You've got the football, the rugby,
you've got Roland Garros

across the road...

Tennis, yeah, yeah, yeah.

..and it's just,
there's always a really good vibe,

a really good energy
about this place.

Yeah. Normally the games are played
on Saturday,

and the great thing, there is about
six games live on television,

it's a big deal. Rugby is big.

- Rugby's a big deal here.
- Big.

And rugby in France, and in Paris,

Paris is a very much soccer,

but now the rugby is there,
we've got two great teams,

one better than the other,
obviously the Racing.

- Racing.
- Where you train.

Don't say that too loud here!
(LAUGHS)

Parisians really love rugby,

but it must be combined
with their first love -

food.

In Australia, you have a meat pie,

and meat pie and meat pie.

Yes.

Here, I've got sausages, sandwiches,
you've got a ham and cheese...

Ham and cheese.

..we've got some chips, we've got
a queue here of people, I mean,

this is really my sort of footy food,
you know?

Yes, absolutely. It's a soul food.

Might have to do a couple of laps
of the field after that!

Yeah, absolutely! Yeah!
(CHUCKLES)

I'll tell you one thing,
the baguettes are always fresh.

- Yeah.
- Always fresh.

You can't go wrong with buying
a baguette from the boulangerie,

it's always very nice to eat.

I love these sausages.

It's not the typical, uh,

burnt sausages you would have
at Randwick. This is merguez.

So the merguez come from North Africa
or Spain.

A lot of spice,

lot of cumin

and it's impossible to burn.

- OK. Wow.
- Yeah.

On a perfect spring day, like today,

it's easy to see why Kurtley is
anchoring his life here in Paris.

Today, they will get, probably,
20,000 people in here.

I think so, yep.

You guys tonight will get more
than that. It's just amazing.

Yeah, equal, yeah, 20,000 people,
and I think the best thing is

it's a great day here in Paris,

always on a sunny day
you're gonna get people out mingling,

enjoying some nice food and wine.

That's a great thing, you know,
to the market in the morning,

go watch a footy game at 3pm,

go home, cook what you got
from the market,

or go to so many great restaurants.

- Absolutely.
- It's a pretty good city, huh?

- It's a good way of life.
- Yeah.

That's for sure.

I know you've got a busy day today,

but next week, can you come over?

I'd love to cook you a little bit of
a Cote du Veau.

So rack of veal with some
little Parisian potatoes.

It'll be delicious. You in?

I'd love to, mate.

- Fantastic.
- Let's do it.

- I'll see you then, buddy.
- See you then. Cheers.

I have a plan and a dinner guest,

but I need some ingredients.

Luckily, I know where to find
the best butcher in the 16th,

before heading home to cook
Kurtley my Cote du Veau.

The 16th arrondissement
is a playground for those

with a taste for the finer things.

It's like a living gallery
of up-market shops

and first-rate providores.

On the outskirts of the 16th
is Desnoyer & Co,

a shop opened by one of the world's
most famous butchers,

Hugo Desnoyer.

Hugo provides meat
to the top restaurants in Paris,

so I know I'm in the right place
to find the perfect cut of veal

to serve Kurtley for dinner.

This is very good.

Everything here
is the best of France.

In this butchery,
in the 16th arrondissement,

it's like a toy shop for a chef.

So, I'm going to have a steak tartare
on the terrace. How good is that?

This is not a regular butcher.

Desnoyer is also a table d'hote,

a small restaurant,
offering a fixed price meal.

Severine, the host, tells me
about the history of the shop

while I enjoy my steak tartare.

With the taste of tartare on my lips,

and the veal in my hands,

it's time for me to get cooking.

I am so excited.

I'm cooking for my friend,
the rugby player, Kurtley Beale.

He's coming over.

I'm going to cook
the beautiful spring veal.

I've made some pommes Parisienne,

some speck, some garlic, some peas.

A very simple dish,

but with the best ingredients

you could only find
in the 16th arrondissement.

So, I've got my pan ready.
Little bit of butter.

Kurtley will have to do
a couple more laps of the field.

The beautiful veal cutlet.
Look at that.

Here we go. So I've got my veal,
like that,

just gently,

I'm going to put garlic and thyme.

That's it. I'm going to
let it be like that.

My heat is in low,

and we're just going to get
the veal to get nice and crispy

and we're going to serve it pink.

I've got my veal.

I'm going to blanche
my pommes Parisienne.

To blanch potato, cold water,
bring to the boil, drain.

So I'm just going to put my carrots,

water boiling my carrots,

I want them to be cooked al dente,

I want a little bit of resistance
with my knife.

I'm going to put some tomatoes
with my veal.

One for Kurtley,

one for me.

(PAN SIZZLES)

My veal is nearly ready.

I want my veal cutlet to rest,

so I'm going to take it off.

Look at that. Beautiful.

And I'm just going to let it rest
for a good 10 minutes,

and during this time,
I will finish my garnish.

My beautiful tomatoes.

Now I'm going to drain
my pommes Parisienne.

So, they've just been blanched.

Just like that.

I'm going to drain them nice and dry.

I'm going to put them in my pan.

(PAN SIZZLES)

Now what I want
is colour my potatoes.

Little bit of butter.

That's it.

So, you know what?
I'm going to add to it,

because I just want more and more.

I think speck, the French bacon,

would go perfectly
with my veal cutlet,

and what I will do to my potato

is I will infuse my potato
with a smoky flavour.

Let's check my carrots.

They should be ready now.

Yeah. Perfect.

Alright. All at once.
Well done, Guillaume.

I'm leaving my water, because I'm
going to use this water for my peas.

OK, I'm just going to cut my carrots
in quarters

and I'm going to put them
with my potato and speck.

Ah, cooking is so simple
when you've got great ingredients.

I've got my peas, my boiling water,

and we let them cook.

In the meantime,
I'm going to take my veal cutlet,

so I'm doing a little nest
for my veal,

my tomatoes.

(PAN SIZZLES)

Like a big family.

Beautiful. Just like that.

And let it roast.

I roast some garlic early on today,
very simple, aluminium foil,

a whole garlic, and look what
I'm going to do with it.

I'm going to, yeah, do you see that?

That's my garlic, who's been roasted,
who's going to my veal.

Oh, yeah.

Just like that.

Beautiful.

Let's toss everything.

It's starting to look good, ah?
Yeah!

Let's get the peas out of the water.

Yum. Perfectly cooked.

Mmm.

I'm going to add my peas.

Look how green they are.

All I need now is some herbs.

Little bit of chives,
little bit of parsley.

Joie de vivre.

Look at that.
Isn't that beautiful?

So simple.

The story of the 16th brings
together two of my favourite things,

sport and great food,

and it is a pleasure to share them
with my friend, Kurtley.

There's everything
I love in this plate.

Veal, potatoes, speck,
garlic and tomatoes.

Wow.

Oh, wow.

It's amazing. There's like
an explosion in my mouth.

Yeah, I'm happy. I'm happy.

Thank you, thank you.

Tell me, the boys you play with,

do they love their food as well?

Yeah. As a rugby man you, it's
very important to eat clean meals,

and the chefs at Racing
do a fantastic job in,

you know, supplying that.

Quality produce. Quality produce.
Fresh produce.

Quality. Yep. And you can't
go wrong here in Paris.

And the good produce
is good for you.

Very good for you.

Just go easy on the fromage
and the cheese and the bread!

Yeah!

High five!

Guillaume, mate, thank
you very much for having me.

This food is amazing.

Kurtley, can't wait to watch you play
with the Wallaby jumper again.

It's awesome to have you here.

Next time in Guillaume's Paris,

join me as I travel into the world
of artists and artisans.

And I find inspiration

in the windmills and wineries
of Montmartre Village.

And we will visit a secret
mushroom farm, deep under the city.

What's going on?! This is amazing!

Captions by Red Bee Media
(c) 2022 SBS Australia