The first thing that greets you as you step inside Les Parisiennes Le Café in Shahpur Jat, New Delhi, is a flurry of black butterflies scattered around three big lamps hung from the ceiling. Next, sifting through the arrays of womens apparel (even vintage dresses) in the next room, one realizes this feels more like home than a typical store. As it turns out, it used to be one. Opened in September 2011, it housed womens apparel and accessories, and was originally a circa 1930s haveli, where one of the current owners of the store, Lucie Salaun, resided before deciding to convert it into a shop. The store is co-owned by her and Catherine Barbier, both French women married to Indians. It was when the two women met for another project (Salaun has her own interior decoration studio, while Barbier runs her fashion buying house, working primarily with French designers), that they came up with the idea of this concept store. By October 2012 they expanded their boutique, to offer bedlinen and soft furnishings, menswear, crockery, select furniture pieces, and other decorative items. Along with this, they also opened a small French café, seating about 12-14 right in the middle of the store.
The café does not have an elaborate menu just a few savouries and desserts that change depending on the days special. According to the café manager, the place is buzzing in winters. Try some of their desserts: chocolate banana cake followed by a French delicacy, Baba au Rhum. The first cake (Rs 150 for a slice), has a gooey texture, with a warm banana flavour married with melt-in-the-mouth French chocolate. The second one, Baba au Rhum (Rs 180 for a slice) is one of the most popular desserts on the menu. Typically French, it is a moderately sweet traditional cake served with a rum-sauce poured over it.
Apart from desserts, the quiches are quite popular among the savoury items, says Utpal Tamang, who manages the café. The food is prepared by two chefs, one of whom has trained in France and the other has worked with Barbier for the past several years. The last section of the store, behind the café, is the crockery and childrenswear section. Here a bird cage hangs surrounded once again, by Les Parisienness signature black butterflies. All the design elements in the store have been taken care of by Salaun who has done the interiors of the store. While some of the items on sale are procured from France and other parts of Europe, others are collaborations with Indian designers. In the womens section, there are vintage dresses, for the woman who likes to wear clothes that have a story behind them. The store can even create a dress for women on demand. Two in-house tailors trained by Salaun create the dresses, while Salaun and Barbier take care of the designs. The store and café is open from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 7pm.
Address: 5B, Shahpur Jat Asian Village
Dada Jungi House, New Delhi 110049
Text by Treesha Datta