Pages

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Gentle Gourmet Cafe, Paris France

Location: 24 Boulevard de la Bastille, 75012 Paris, France


Our last day in Paris we started off eating breakfast and Gentle Gourmet. Even though some of the dinner foods were less than amazing, they did have croissants so we had to go back and try them out. They were really tasty - probably the best vegan croissants I have had. Light and flaky and just amazing. We took some to go so we could eat them on the plane early the next morning.



We also tried on of their sandwiches which is actually twice as big as the photo since they cut it in half for us and gave us our own plates. The people working here really are the nicest people and the lady who owns it is so sweet. We walked in and we had stayed at the Gentle Gourmet bed and breakfast two years ago. She came over and was like you guys didn't stay at the b&b did you? She remembered us from 2 years ago! Incredible as I am sure she has met a lot of people. We also had a nice talk about vegan foods and Paris and Seattle and they are just incredibly nice and accommodating here. The sandwich had smoked tofu, mayo, lettuce and tomato on a baguette and it was incredible! One of the best sandwiches I have ever had! We also got our own sandwiches to go to take with us back to Berlin they were so good.



We also tried one of their crepes with a chantilly cream filling and chocolate sauce. I saw this and thought this is going to be way too sweet for me as I don't like very sweet things in the morning. It was however perfect - not too sweet. The cream was very light and marshmallow fluff like and just melted in your mouth. Very tasty.

Overall - We found the dinner to be hit or miss, but the sandwiches and croissants are incredible! Definitely stop in and get one of each as they are amazing. It makes me with I had one right now...

Friday, December 28, 2012

Soya Cantine, Paris France

Location: 20 Rue de la Pierre Levée, 75011 Paris, France


When looking for food when we first arrived in Paris we walked by Soya Cantine but after looking at the menu on the door decided to go somewhere else. It said that most things could be made vegan, but for some reason we just didn't feel like eating there are the time. Then a few nights later we were looking for food or dessert so we walked by again and again did not go in. Finally on the next to last night we were there we were tired but hungry so we were going to go to the closest restaurant to the hotel where we had eaten on the first day. This however was closed and Soya was the next closest, within walking distance so we finally ventured down there to actually try the food. The inside is cozy and dimly lit making for some nice ambiance. We asked our server what could be made vegan and chose from our options. The first thing we tried was the couscous soya. We actually opted for the quinoa instead of wheat as we love quinoa. This was a bowl with quinoa under a tofu steak and roasted red peppers. The bowl on the left held the broth with zucchini, carrots, eggplant, and yellow squash. Served with this was a red sauce and rum soaked raisins. Each individual piece had so much flavor it was great. Put everything together in the one bowl and you have an incredibly delicious bowl of food that was quite filling. Really really tasty.



Our second main was the plate of the day. This consisted of cabbage rolls filled with veggies, soy, nuts and rice. These were so delicious. I could have eaten a plate full of them. On the top corner of the plate are some roasted red peppers where were amazing and sweet. In the center is some rice with steamed greens and caramelized squash on top. Man it was tasty. Unlike Gentle Gourmet the rice was delicious as well as the greens but the squash was amazing. I love squash and this was some of the best I have had. Really incredible. Also on the plate is that ball which was deep fried tofu, chickpeas and green. Also really tasty, but didn't seem to go with the rest of the items on the plate.



Even though we were quite full we asked about the dessert options. They had an apple crumble or a tofu cream. We went with the tofu cream since we had no idea what it would be and wanted to try something different. I am so glad we did - I was a little hesitant as tofu desserts are not always my favorite. The cream had almost a marshmallow texture and was sweet and super tasty. On top was a mixed nut crumble that was so so good. Not overly sweet, but sweet enough. Also on top was a small piece of nut brittle which was amazing. Really delicious dessert.

Overall - Definitely stop in here if you are in Paris. This was probably my favorite meal of the whole trip and I am glad we finally gave it a try. It is more expensive than some place, but it is well worth it. The food was incredible.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

East Side Burger, Paris France

Location: 60 Boulevard Voltaire, 75011 Paris, France


When I saw that there was a veggie burger place in Paris I knew we had to stop by. East SIde Burger has two different burger selections every day and they can all be made vegan except the cheese one. We decided to try one of each with fries.



First up the day we were there was the L’Oriental - homemade houmous, seaweed and tofu steak, zucchini and eggplant with spices, red onion. The burger itself was pretty tiny, just a few bites to eat the whole thing. The patty was kind of mushy and the toppings...well it just didn't have much flavor in general. Which is a shame. I mean eggplant and zucchini, hummus and seaweed sounds like a weird combo to me, but should be flavorful. I sometimes wonder how people manage to take the flavor out of veggies...



The second burger of the day was the Le Basque= lettuce, basque style tofu steak , cheddar cheese, caramelized and spicy red pepper, tomato. The patty was a little firmer on this one, but still not much flavor over all. Caramelizes onions...no flavor. Peppers...no flavor. How do they do it? Really when eating them I couldn't really tell the difference...there was a visual difference, different patties and toppings but flavor wise...not much. If I closed my eyes and tasted one randomly I wouldn't have been able to tell you which one I had.



The fries at least were tasty. Nice and crisp and hot.



We also tried one of the apple tarts. This was not what we were expecting. It was creamy like cream cheese filling and just...it was just okay. I was expecting more apple less filling.

Overall - I would not go back to East Side Burger. Their burgers are tiny, and not very good. Neither of them had any flavor. When we were here the line was out the door the entire time and I am not sure why so many people eat lunch here. Is there no where else to go in the area? Even then I still wouldn't go back. Maybe the quiche and hot dogs are better....

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Norbulinga, Paris France

Location: 118 Rue Amelot, 75011 Paris, France


Norbulinga was our final Tibetan restaurant on our list of places to try in Paris. With one great and one not very good Tibetan place already crossed off the list we were hoping this would be more like the good one. We arrive shortly after they opened for dinner so there were not many people there yet. The waiter was very friendly and helpful and we started with the vegetable doughnuts. These were tasty fried dough with a really delicious lightly sweet sauce to go with it. Very good.



Then for our mains we tried the fried noodles. These were delicious with a light tomato flavor and shredded veggies. I still liked the noodles at Khatag better, but there were tasty.



The other main we tried were the crepes. These were filled with lots of vegetables and were spiced similar to the doughnuts. Not sure what the spice mix used was, but it was really good. Very tasty.

Overall - I would definitely come back here. This was Raymond's favorite Tibetan restaurant we went to, though I think I liked Khatag better (though they have different selection of food so it is hard to compare). Either way stop in here.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Le Cafe Marly, Louvre Museum Paris France

Location: pyramide du Louvre Paris, Musée du Louvre, 75001 Paris, France

Walking through the Louvre is tiring and mid-afternoon our feet were getting sore so we decided to stop in at Le Cafe Marly for some tea and possibly a bite to eat (if they had anything we could). A quick look over the menu and there was not much for us, though they did have some vegan sorbets. We tried a scoop of the peach (the light pink above) and strawberry. These were tasty, but really most sorbets are. It was a nice refreshing treat, especially since the museum was quite warm. 

Overall - There is not much to eat here, but they do have sorbet. They also have a nice selection of teas and though it is expensive it is a nice place to sit and rest a moment. There is also a great view of the pyramid out the window. 

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Guen Mai, Paris France

Location: 6 Rue Cardinale, 75006 Paris, France

We spent one of our days in Pairs exploring the Louvre and stopped by Guen Mai for lunch. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this restaurant. I couldn't find a menu or anything, but everything is vegan so we ventured off to see what they had. They have two plates of the day which change with the day of the week so we tried one of each. They are both served with the same side. Side note: I love the plates of small bites that seem to be everywhere in Paris. I wish this was a more accepted practice as I like trying out so many different dishes in one. Back to the food here we had the Tempura Veggies which was really tasty. The veggies were still crisp and the batter light. Also served with some carrots which were glazed and so so good, zucchini and leek dish which was buttery and delicious, bulgar which was tasty, lentils which tasted of thyme and were really good, sea vegetables which I enjoyed (I don't like seaweed of seafood and Raymond even commented on the fact that I ate them as he didn't think I would. However they were prepared or whatever they were I liked them), some rice, and finally some uncooked cabbage and carrots. Everything was so tasty and I am glad we got a little bit of everything. 


The other special of the day was Gratinade Tofu served with the same sides. This was really like a little tofu scramble with some herbs and spices. Tasty, but there wasn't much of it (one bite for each of us). 
Overall - I would definitely recommend Guen Mai. The menu changes daily, and they also have some delicious looking soups which we did not get to taste on this visit. 

Monday, December 17, 2012

Abyssinia, Paris France

Location: 5 Rue Martin Garat, 75020 Paris, France

I was very excited when I saw there was an Ethiopian restaurant in Paris to eat at.  Abyssinia is farther away from the center of the city, but we rode the subway out one evening for some dinner. We went in and browsed the menu and noticed they had a veggie combo so we just wanted to order that. We have eaten at many Ethiopian places and one is usually enough for the both of us so we tried to just order the one. The lady working however wouldn't let us...I almost just left then as I was not super hungry and I don't like having to order more food than we need, but Raymond wanted to try it so I finally relented and ordered the two. Two was way too much food so it kind of tainted the whole experience since it was kind of expensive and a waste of food (and we didn't really have a way to keep te excess though I am not sure it would keep very well). Anyways on to the food. The combo came with a standard salad with vinegary dressing which was tasty (bottom of the photo above). Next to the left are some pickled beets which Raymond didn't care for and even though I am a beet lover they were just alright. Next was some spinach which was alright, just spinach and a few spices. Then there was this paste like dish which was really spicy and I couldn't eat it. Next to that was a corn dish which tasted like corn and I enjoyed it. Then lentils which were my favorites, they were spiced nicely. Next to that was potatoes and carrots which at my favorite place in Seattle is my favorite dish. It wasn't as good here, though it was tasty. Really everything was good, it just wasn't amazing or the best we have had. The other issue, which really bugged Raymond, was the bread did not have that sourdough bite to it that I believe it should (or every other Ethiopian place has had bread that does). He just couldn't get past the bread being wrong and throwing everything off. 

Overall - The food was alright. I did not like having to order way more food than we could eat, and the bread to eat with does not have the sourdough bite that we are used to. I probably wouldn't go back again just because we would have to waste more food if we did. 

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Khatag Tibetan Restaurant, Paris France

Location: 68 Rue Quincampoix, 75004 Paris, France


After the disappointing last Tibetan food experience I almost said let's just not try any of the other Tibetan restaurants I had on my list. We were hungry though and Khatag was close by so we stopped. I'm glad we did though as this was much better than Tashi Delek. We tried the Vermicelli legumes - rice noodles, carrots, peppers, green beans in a light sauce. This was really delicious - Raymond preferred the other dish and I preferred this one so I ended up eating it all (usually we share half and half) and he had all of the tofu. The sauce had a really light flavor and complimented the vegetables nicely so their flavors really shown through.



We also tried the Tofu legumes - tofu, peppers, carrots, celery, and green beans. This sauce had a little more flavor, but it still let the vegetables shine. The tofu itself was silky which I don't really like that much (I much prefer a firm tofu - the firmer the better). Raymond loved this one though so it worked out well. 

Overall - I would definitely go back to Khatag. It is very close to the Pompidou Center so it is in a prime location and close to a lot of attractions. Definitely stop by and check out some good Tibetan food. 

Thursday, December 13, 2012

La Grenier de Notre-Dame, Paris France

Location: 18 Rue de la Bûcherie, 75005 Paris, France


After exploring Notre Dame we went to Le Grenier de Notre-Dame for some lunch. We tried the white bean cassoulet - white beans, tomato sauce with herbs, mixed tofu baked with bread crumbs and peppers. We ordered this and it was instantly brought to the table which was a little disconcerting. I mean do they just have everything hot in the back waiting for someone to order it? It was probably a max of 2 min from time of order till it got to our table. For a restaurant that is kind of expensive I expect them to actually cook food not just have food heated in the back all day. So overlooking the odd timing we tried it out and...it was not good. The beans were still hard - they definitely needed to be soaked and cooked longer. Besides that it didn't really have any flavor. It was...not good. 

Overall - I would not go back here again. The food we got came out instantly so it wasn't made or heated when we ordered, and it wasn't even cooked properly or had any flavor. I definitely do not recommend going here. 

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Mi Va Mi, Paris France

Location: 23 Rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris, France


On our last visit to Paris we were staying with a guy who lives there and he took us to some of the best falafel ever - Mi Va Mi. One of the reasons why this is so amazing - the toppings. The put grilled grilled eggplant which is amazing (Raymond even loved it and he doesn't like eggplant usually), onions, a white sauce which we did confirm was vegan, white and red cabbage, cucumbers, tomato, and hummus. The other thing that I love is that they put a few falafel in then some topping then more falafel then more toppings, etc until the pita is full (so no running out of toppings when you get to the bottom). It is also huge! Good thing we walked all over every day so we could eat more as this was so much food and so delicious! 

Overall - definitely stop by here for some falafel. It is a huge amount of food so if you are not that hungry get one to share. Amazing. 

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Saveurs Veget'Halles, Paris France

Location: 41 Rue des Bourdonnais, 75001 Paris, France


Last time we were in Paris we ate at Saveur Veget'Halles and it was delicious. I was very excited to try it again on this visit. The menu however was very different and they did not have as many delicious sounding foods. I was a little disappointed, but we were hungry so we ate. We decided to get two Formule Menus - one with appetizer and main, one with main and dessert as there weren't many things that screamed try me. We tried the vegetable beignets for the starter. There were zucchini and carrots covered in a light batter. The vegetables were still crispy, the carrots sweet and the zucchini was good as well. The batter itself was just eh. It came with raisin chutney which was really sweet with a hint of cinnamon. I wasn't a fan of the chutney. This was good, but nothing special.



Our first main was the soy chicken. This was served with the sides that seem to come with everything. I love this as then I get lots of small things instead of just one dish with no sides. The soy chicken was good - nice and chewy. It came with a shallot sauce which I was not a fan of. It had this raspberry flavor which was just not good. This came with mashed potatoes which were a little salty and chunky which I also enjoy. Very tasty. The black rice was also good and had a nice flavor (maybe cooked in vegetable broth?). The lentils were super good - maybe also cooked in vegetable broth. I loved the sides.



We also tried the dish of the day. This came with the same delicious sides as the soy chicken, but also some tofu (not much flavor), and some fresh veggies (carrots, cabbage, beets - good but hard to eat).



For dessert we tried the Chocolate Banana Cake. This had banana in it and was hot and pretty tasty. Not the most amazing cake ever, but good.

Overall - This was not as amazing as our first visit. I really liked the sides, but overall I wasn't blow away. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't think man I will have to come back here next time we visit. 

Friday, December 7, 2012

Maoz Vegetarian, Paris France

Location: 36 Rue Saint-André des Arts, 75006 Paris, France


Maoz Vegetarian is a falafel place where they give you the falafel in a pita and you choose the toppings from the topping bar.



Here is my falafel. The only problem with this method is it is hard to get toppings throughout, but I made it work. The toppings I put on it were cooked carrots (delicious! Sweet and tasty), pickled vegetables (eh - cauliflower etc. just okay. Would skip next time), cucumber salad (delicious. I love simple cucumber salads), and couscous (pretty tasty and went well with the falafel). The falafel itself was tasty (though Raymond complained about it. He doesn't like most falafel for some reason - he thinks it never has any flavor even though the ones he loves tastes pretty much the same as those he hates). The falafel was also made when we ordered so all in all it was really tasty.



We also ordered some french fries to share. These were also cooked fresh to order and really good. Nice and crispy on the outside and lightly salted.

Overall - I really enjoyed my falafel at Maoz. I would definitely go back and get another one next time I am in a city that has one of their locations.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Tashi Delek, Paris France

Location: 4 Rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques, 75005 Paris, France


I was very excited to try some Tibetan food while in Paris. I have never had it before so I was interested to see what it would be. We stopped by Tashi Delek one day for lunch. Our server was a little...not the friendliest person ever. They have a few vegetarian options so we asked which were vegan and made our selection from them. We tried the Tselrile - vegetable balls with sweet and sour sauce and rice. The sweet and sour sauce was not like others we have had. It was very light flavor and better than the others (sweet and sour is not my favorite). The vegetable balls were tasty at first, but as they sat they just turned into these balls of grease and not good.



We also tried the Thugnoe - wheat noodles and veggies. This also had a very light flavor. I liked this better than the vegetable balls, but it was still just so so. Not much flavor and oily.

Overall - I would not go back here unless I was in the area and couldn't find anything else to eat. The food was just so so and there are other much better Tibetan places you can eat at in Paris.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Vegan Folie's, Paris France

Location: 53 Rue Mouffetard, 75005 Paris, France


On our recent trip to Paris I was very excited to go to Vegan Folie's. I mean it is a vegan bakery so I couldn't wait.



The first thing we tried was a Austin Flower - apricot lavender. This was...I could hardly eat it. It was so overly floral it was overpowering and was hard to swallow. The cake itself was also overcooked and very browned and dry, and you could not taste any apricot flavor as the lavender just overpowers everything.



Next up was the Choc Norris - chocolate chocolate. The frosting nice - chocolatey and light. The cake however was also really dry and not very good. Very disappointing.



Last of the sweets we tried was a cookie sandwich. This was by far the best, but the cupcakes were not good so it was not a hard feat. This however was really tasty. The chocolate chip cookies were delicious, the frosting between not too sweet and complimented the cookies well. I would get these again.



They also served savory cupcakes so we had to try one of them. We went with the L'Indien - curry garam masala. The frosting was curry flavor, the cake had peas and such in it and...it was very strange, but the flavors were good. It took a while to get past the savory cupcake idea while eating it, but it was tasty (though the cake was still dry). I would try another one.

Overall - The cakes were way too dry and overcooked. The cookie sandwich was delicious, and I did like the savory cupcakes, I just wish they wouldn't have been overcooked. If I was in the area and walked by I might get a savory cupcake or the cookies, but I wouldn't make a special trip to go by here.