A Different Taste of Chilli
August 30th, 2002 by freddie96
Buddha Bar
8 Rue Boissy d’ Anglais
Paris
Having had my flight to Bristol cancelled, my rebooked flight to Cardiff replaced by a crappy 'no Walkmans allowed' charter plane several hours later, and my baggage broken into by Customs (mental note: don't travel with guns again), I feel I can now take a few packets of time between babysitting my mother's new puppy to contemplate a weekend spent chilling out with my father in Paris. Wipe that surprised look off your face – my father brought me up listening to the minimalism of John Cage and Terry Riley through to the ambience of Brian Eno. Without his influence, I might not be the chiller I grew up to be…
Having familiarised ourselves with Buddha Bar's now four-strong series of chilled yet chic compilations, one of our main aims of the weekend was to grace the now infamous bar with our presence and enjoy a meal and some drinks in the shadow of one of the largest Buddha statues this side of Asia. On advice from the bar themselves, we booked ourselves in a week in advance, packed our suits and waited with baited breath for Friday evening to arrive.
Walking in through the elaborate foyer, (where you can buy a wide variety Buddha bar merchandise), it is immediately apparent why the bar has, since it opened in 1996, attracted such celebrity as Bono, Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Posh & Becks (god forbid) and even the anti-cinema himself, George Lucas. Unlike most modern 'trendy' bars which opt for a light and airy approach, Buddha Bar is dark. Very dark. Great for the celebrity who gets to hide in the shadows, unfortunate for a poor film student like myself, hoping to convince Mr Depp that he really does want to be in a 10-minute student film.
My eyes having become accustomed to the light, I found myself looking around the place, gawping at undeniably gorgeous, fashionable Parisian girls – and suddenly it dawned on me – perhaps it's the celebrity friendly nature of places like this that have led the journalistic talents of the tabloid media to believe that an event such as a Big Chill festival can be populated by so-called 'Slippies'.
That said, the ambience of the place is something special – thankfully very chilled – largely due to the bar's unique décor; Parisian architecture and art nouveau styling combined with the Eastern mystery of a giant Buddha and lamps shaped like Thai 'shrooms. In this darkened atmosphere people of all ages enjoy good food and wine – and this, not music, is what Buddha Bar is about – whatever impression you may get from their compilation CDs. When we arrived at 8.30pm there was a suspicious lack of any kind of DJ, and the music was very quiet, any soulful vocals or dubby basslines slipping away into the background. Three hours later when we left, there was still no DJ, and though the music had been ramped up considerably, it was still almost quiet enough to hear conversations on other tables! This said, Paris is the city of Erik Satie – inventor of 'wallpaper' music – which for some people it would seem, now means 'chill-out'.
Buddha Bar is split into two levels; a large restaurant presided over by the Buddha, and a bar/balcony which circles the restaurant. To begin with, my father and I were seated in the restaurant by surprisingly chilled, attitude-free staff. This said, staying on the good side of these guys guarantees a good evening – cross them and you could suffer the fate of a couple we saw, who complained about their seating arrangement only to face serious apathy. That's another thing – if you want to be in the middle of things, bring an entourage – you need three people or more otherwise you'll be sitting at the side (where you'll still get a good view of the rotund bronze chap).
The food in Buddha Bar is expensive, but if you find a cheap eatery in Paris ou're a lucky chiller. In
reflection of the décor, the food is predominantly Asian fusion – whilst not of the absolute highest quality it is still excellent. Expect to pay 140 Euros for a two-course meal for two, eating such delights as Exotic Gazpacho and Caramelised Ginger Chicken (with wine), and expect to pay about 12 Euros per cocktail or double shot in the bar afterwards.
If you're out in Paris, and you're looking for a quiet, relaxed atmosphere to eat and drink in style, then look no further than the Buddha Bar – just don't expect it to be anything like The Big Chill!
Le Gwyn
