Frédérique of The Wedding Tea Room, and I, were heading to grab a drink the other night for some.quick facetime and a chat to toss around promotional ideas for her upcoming DIY workshop. We met at République as it was convenient foot us both. But I didn’t want to go anywhere on the Place de la République which is mostly populated by chain restaurants, cafés and fast food joints. So we walked literally a minute south of the place and stumbled upon a place that had written “Le Temple” on the awning. Obvious name as the metro station Temple is just across the street.

It was snowing and we wanted to find somewhere quick to get out of the cold and wet. So I looked at the place and I thought we could try it. But I couldn’t tell from the outside if it was sketchy or just eccentric. We went in to find out, and were immediately met with an enormous abundance of leopard print…leopard print EVERYTHING! Even the staff was wearing leopard print! And then we went towards the back for a cozy seat and there were pictures COVERING the walls of Marilyn Monroe. It was literally a shrine! I pointed out that the name of the place may not have as much to do with the metro station across the street and more to do with the adoration of the American goddess herself. And there was chiffon and kitsch dripping from the ceilings, from every corner of the café, oozing, dazzling us with it’s faded and coveted color.

My first thought was : “What the…” and then I saw that it was all so hilarious, and pretty darn awesome. I think it is the most kitsch place I have EVER EVER seen. I mean if you are going to go kitsch, you might as well NOT skimp on the extra kitschiness, right! This is fantastic, unapologetic kitsch, that is loud and bright and in your face, and EVERYWHERE!

We ordered fun mocktails at delightful happy hour prices, and felt cozy and happy in this wild and crazy place. I think it was perfect for lifting the spirits of a dear friend, and escaping the winter chill outside. This place was brimming with good vibes of tongue-in-cheek humor. These people don’t take themselves too seriously! And that may be part of their success since they are going on a 3rd generation family run business. They are a family originally from Corsica, and serve Corse specialties in addition to the fun and frilly drink menu. They also have entertainment, and February 14th they have a Johnny Halliday impersonator who will be crooning to the clients, and you can ask him to sing any song you want I have been told. LOL!

Le Temple 87 rue de Turbigo 75003 And check out their ultra kitsch website! http://la-grande-assiette-corse.com/