User: arx

This small restaurant in Paris’ 20th arrondissement is not exactly at a tourist hotspot – which is probably what adds to its charm. The restaurant is lovingly decorated in a vintage 60s/70s style and you really feel like you are sitting in a friends’ living room. A friend with a somewhat eccentric taste, that is, but blessed with amazing cooking skills.

We had a very, very nice dinner at Chez Elle, with wonderful French cuisine at a very fair price (the full menu is 13.50 EUR), and will definitely come here again on our next stay in Paris. It is well worth the metro trip up to Télégraphe station!

I was looking for new sports headphones and after reading the reviews on Amazon which compared those “Mpow” headphones favourably to the Beats Powerbeats line I thought I would give them a try - at 30 CAD they are really cheap.

I have never tried the Beats headphones, but if they are really comparable to these this is not a great endorsement for the Beats line. First, the good: They fit well, don’t fall off and pairing works well. Battery power is sufficient for a longer run. But sound quality is pretty mediocre (and I am not a hi-fi connoisseur). If you don’t need Bluetooth, you are (in my opinion) better off to get similarly priced headphones with a cable connection which will have much better sound quality.

Anticafé is called anti-café because it works differently than a regular café: You don’t pay for what you consume but for the time you spend there (5 EUR / hour, capped at 24 EUR / day). While you are there you can freely consume their (great!) coffee (with a very good selection - including cappucino, hot chocolate etc.) and from a little buffet with cookies, cake, nachos etc.

The good part about this approach is that you don’t need to feel guilty to occupy a space for a long time - making the Anticafé also a great co-working space. The wifi is decent, they have comfortable and varied seating areas (some more couch-like, others with real tables; if they get busy it might be a bit difficult to find a good spot) and overall a very comfortable, friendly vibe. What you should note, however, is that they sell themselves more as a café than a coworking space, which primarily means that people chatting around you is to be expected. If you thrive in a vibrant environment, this could be the space for you, if you want to work in a quieter environment a coworking space with quiet areas might be better suited for you.

They would definitely get five stars from me if it weren’t for the very diverse coworking scene in Bordeaux: Their prices are more expensive than e.g. the Buro des Possibles or the Bac A Sables and I find the former more cozy (plus better wifi and the option to have lunch there), while the latter is larger and offers different areas e.g. for quiet or not-so-quiet working. But definitely check out all three of them for yourself, they are all great choices and your mileage may vary (YMMV)!