Ice cream season
JULIA BELL • JJ Hings
WORK • Friday Routine
JULIA BELL • head chef & owner • JJ Hings
Neighborhood you work in: Canal Saint-Martin in 10th arr
Neighborhood you live in: 19th arr
It’s Friday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Friday starts pretty early. Summer is crazy, churning ice cream all day long, but Friday is also doughnut day, so first thing, I'm shaping them for their second proof. We're a very small team, so I'm alone until midday, and I normally have a movie or a series going as I bake, fry, and get set up for the afternoon ice cream churning. The others come in and we sit down for lunch before opening.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’ve been planning new flavors and working on ideas for the spring/summer season. Fruit availability is very dependent on the weather — sometimes we only get something for two/three weeks, so I like to be prepared.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
My sister is here right now, so we’re going to all the places!
For coffee, Café Margo, Caphette, Recto Verso, Koni, and Plural.
Pastry, Pâtisserie GINKO.
Lunch/dinner, Reyna, Oobatz, Best Tofu, Haikara Deep Fried, Le Cheval d’Or, Soces, Quedebon, Ghido Ramen, Le Rigmarole.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Something I love to do in the summer is a boat rental at the Bassin de la Villette. Get a group together, take some drinks and picnic or some snacks. It looks cheesy, but it's actually a really fun time.
Any weekend getaways?
For beautiful countryside and scenery, take the train to Alsace. It’s less than two hours by train to Strasbourg. Head outside the city to a traditional winstub and get a bottomless tarte flambee, and in summer, do the Alsace Wine Route!
For the beach, head to Soulac-Sur-Mer. From Paris it’s a quick train to Bordeaux, just a couple of hours, then a small train down the coast for the perfect beach weekend. Make sure to visit Montreal-Sur-Mer for great bread/wine/vibes.
What was your last great vacation?
The last big trip I took was to Thailand and Vietnam. We hired motorbikes and rode the Mae Hong Son Loop in northern Thailand. 10/10 recommend. The ride is beautiful, with great roads and endless places to stop and eat along the way, waterfalls for swimming, and plenty of lovely towns to spend the night in. Special mention to the northern sausages, they’re incredibly delicious, and everyone has their own recipe. Everything in Vietnam was amazing, we spent a while in Hanoi this time just walking around, eating, and having multiple coffees. Two of my favourite places were Atelier Coffee and Vero Coffee Roasters.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
A Zojiroshi induction rice cooker. It’s the best money I’ve ever spent. The Rolls-Royce of rice cookers. There’s nothing you can’t do with it.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I love Merci. There are so many amazing things in there, and the shop itself is beautiful. I also highly recommend the Hammam at La Grande Mosquée de Paris. It’s gorgeous inside, it does a really good (aggressive) gommage (scrub), and has delicious tea to finish.