Interview with Elie Yobeid lebanonbyalocal Instagrammer and foodie captured by Paris Photographer Federico Guendel www.iheartparis.fr

To continue our Paris Guide section on the blog - where we love to introduce you to new cafes and restaurants in Paris, show you Parisian events, and share interviews with artisans and creatives who work in Paris or whose work is all about Paris - we bring you a new profile of someone we believe has become a part of this City. We would like to introduce you our friend and Instagramer Elie. His account @elieyobeid has become a sort of Parisian Life visual diary, but, most notably, he has become pretty much the Paris food and anything culinarily amazing guide in the City of Light.

Originally from Lebanon and with a background in marketing, after his work contract ended in 2015, Elie decided to explore more Paris and the wave of coffee shops that began popping up around the city during the same time-period. He wanted to discover more places, meet new people, taste and share his finds when something caught his eye. Thus, his adventure on Instagram started.

Why cafés and restaurants? Elie has always loved coffee and food, but his inspiration is centred on family - he spent a lot of time with his grandmother when he was little and would eat a lot of what she cooked. These memories became the fuel to what he does through his account.

So what does a foodie like Elie eat as comfort food in Paris? Burgers, mainly. Memorable examples of a nice tender patty between a couple of bread buns is Five Guys - yes, the famous burger chain restaurant from the US made its way to Europe. Elie thinks they make the best traditional burger in the city. They are closely followed by Blend - a small 3 restaurant chain unique to Paris who offer less classical but incredibly delicious burgers in slices of regular bread. Both Anastasia and I agree strongly with these choices wholeheartedly.

If not in the mood for the nice comfort of a full sized burger from the restaurants above, he could go to any of the following and feel at home:

- Petite Cambodge which is perfect for a quick after work "boubon" and it is always open and always fresh
- Fragments which has good coffee and amazing cakes (their carrot cake is super recommended). The café also has amazing interior decoration, including the Bruce Lee poster behind the counter.
- Boot Café whose facade catches your eye with its beautiful tone of blue and the very small interior walls are shelved by fashion magazines. Elie likes it because it is small and it is perfect for meeting people, you can talk with everyone including the barista and you kind of forget you are in Paris.
- Anything from the Big Mamma Group of Italian restaurant, but Ober Mamma specially so for their lunch...that is, if you can get a place since they do not take reservations.
- Liza because of it's nice brunch and open buffets on the weekends. Also, being Lebanese, it tastes a little like home.

For Elie, a perfect weekend day starts with waking up early - something between 6.30ish and 8am - and getting some good breakfast with coffee either at home or out in the city. Breakfast is very important for him and is something that shall not be rushed as he takes the time to catch up with the news and social on his phone. If he were to start his day without breakfast, Elie would feel kind of lost without it. After breakfast, his ideal day continues with walking - a lot of walking - to explore the city or just coffee hopping with people. You are quite sure to run into him while coffee hopping in the Marais, where he goes to when he doesn't have a plan, or maybe Saint Germain and Marché des Enfants Rouges. His ideal day would end up watching a movie in the UGC on Champs Elysées.

Besides his own account, he has a little side project called @LebanonByALocal. He has already an amazing account and he is bringing the same passion from his personal account into this second project that showcases the little authentic old places in Lebanon. The idea came out from going on holidays in summer of 2015 where he went for a long walk the old places and towns in Lebanon, the very traditional ones with the truly authentic culture. He felt none of his friends appreciated all the things he saw and captured with his phone. After having lots and lots of photos that he did not want to share on his own profile because they did not fit, the project came to life. Now, two of his friends help him keep up with the photography because he cannot do it by himself from Paris.

So, if you are visiting Paris and want to explore a little more of the city following a much more personal touch, definitely follow his account... or just do it if you are into #foodporn. I really can't look at his account without getting a food craving.