2009 April | Vegetarian Experiences in Paris

Monthly Archive for April, 2009

Petite Mumbai de Paris – Indian food and culture

Published

on April 18, 2009

in 10th Arrindissement, Gifts, Indian, Vegan Friendly, restaurant, soup and vegetarian-friendly

. 5 Comments

I’ve been looking for good Indian restaurants since arriving in Paris. I’ve found some decent ones, but none has triggered a desire to return. I’ve been looking for the spirit and joviality I’ve experienced in Bangalore as well as the Indian neighborhoods of San Diego and the Bay Area.

I had heard about some good restaurants north of Gare du Nord but never found this mysterious Hindu Eden. While flying from San Francisco to Paris on Air France I came across an article that described this small neighborhood of saris, sweets, and restaurants. I took the magazine home with me and read the article several times. Finally I had a weekend to do some Paris exploring and jumped on the metro a couple weeks ago to La Chapelle (metro 6).

Rue Cail

Rue Cail seems to be the heart of the community. You’ll find a great assortment of vegetarian restaurants, sweet shops, grocery stores, jewelry shops, and places to find Saris, shirts, and more. My first visit was also punctuated by an impromptu protest rally for an event in India.

There are two restaurants that get the most attention. Krishna Bhavan and Dishny. Both straddle the street with dual identities, formal and casual restaurants. Krishna Bhavan is 100% vegetarian and this makes me very happy. I love being able to order anything off the menu.

Krishna Bhavan

I visited the casual version of Krishna Bhavan. It reminded me of the neighborhood taco shops of San Diego or similar simple restaurants of any city and culture. They serve dosas, rice dishes, samosas, as well as a hearty fixed price menu.

I ordered the basic menu at 13 euros. This includes a drink, entree, dinner, and dessert. For the drink you get your choice of a lassi (mango, salt, sweet, or banana). Entrees include vegetable, tomato, or broccoli soup, potato, onion, eggplant, or banana dumpling, or a green salad. The dinner is either vegetable curry with your choice of rice (coconut, lemon, or yogurt), Biryani, Capatti, Barotha, or Poori. Finally for dessert you have the house cake, gulab jamoun (soft ball in a honey liquid), or laddu (a sweet ball with cardamom). It’s a big meal for a small price.

The vegetable soup (dal) is very nice. It’s a light flavored lentil soup. The vegetable curry w/rice was more like rice with curried vegetables. The rice is the star of the plate with the eggplant and potatoes as supporting actors. As with other authentic dishes, you need to be a bit careful eating the rice. It had some hard seeds that could cause pain if bit into them unexpectedly. But don’t let that stop you from enjoying it. The rice is very light; almost floating on the fork. Mine was mixed with coconut, onions, and spices. Finally, when you think you couldn’t eat another bite it is time for dessert.

Chai

One of my fondest memories of visiting Bangalore was this small opening into the kitchen of the Yahoo! offices. From this little passage came cups of the strongest, sweetest chai tea you can imagine. Forget what you now of chai from Starbucks. Chai should fill you body with warmth.

Need I bother mentioning my excitement when I looked into the small hole of the kitchen and saw the cooks making what looked like chai. It’s awesome! This is worth the visit alone.

Shops

This is an area to enjoy during the day. There are several grocery stores to purchase indian spices, teas, and ingredients. I also found my beloved instant meals that you can find at any Indian grocery store. These packets are filled with good, spicy curries that you simply heat and eat.

You’ll also find a variety of Hindu god and goddess sculptures, henna tattoos, jewelry, music, videos, saris, and other clothing. I found one shop that specialized in arts and crafts from around the world. The back of the store has a huge selection of jackets, pants, and shirts from Tibet and South Asia. The styles are fairly western but with the strong colors and unique lines of the region.

Indian Sweets

Indian sweets are hard to describe to someone that hasn’t experienced them before. They are brightly colored, geometric, soft, sweet, and full of spices. They are very different from the sweets you’d find elsewhere in Paris. They are typically softer and less sweet than you’d expect. Frankly most Americans that I know are not big fans of the Indian sweets. That said, they are better than any I’ve tried in California.

A little bit of nostalgia, comfort, and spice in Paris

I can’t believe it took me so long to discover this corner of Paris. Rue Cail brings back my fondest memories of eating with colleagues in Bangalore, shopping for spices with Jim, teaching my mother about curry and naan, and the joy of food cooked without a fear of spice. If you like Indian food you’ll love the rue Cail area. If you love Indian food and culture you will have found one of the finest places to visit in Paris.

Krishna Bhavan: 24 Rue Cail (10°); 01 42 05 78 43; Metro: La Chapelle; Indian Restaurant; Wheelchair Access: bathrooms are in basement. Entrance is accessible.

Overall: 5/5
Location: 4/5
Taste: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Vegetarian Friendly: 5/5
Vegan Friendly: 5/5
M.E.F. Friendly: 3/5

Dishny Restaurant: 25 Rue Cail (10°); Metro: La Chapelle; Indian Restaurant

Places I still want to visit in Paris

Published

Ted

on April 5, 2009

in Indian, farmers market, markets, resources and restaurant

. 0 Comments

I will be leaving Paris in August, 09. My employer is shutting down their engineering in the Paris office and I’ll be heading back to California. I’m trying to make the most of the remaining weeks, mostly by leaving the city and visiting other countries in Europe.

I’ve been saving magazines and web sites for places I’d like to visit before I leave. i’ve been meaning to make a list that I can update as needed. This seems like as good a place as any to start it.

Jacques new restaurant: La Bélière. I’ve already written about my favorite chef. He’s got a new restaurant and Jazz bar. I’m planning on going this week to see his latest creations. review coming soon
Rungis market, the largest market in Europe. It’s a massive distribution center for all kinds of produce, cheese, meat, and fish from around the world. This is where restaurants, market sellers, and stores go to get their supplies. It’s open to the public, but fruits and vegetables are only sold on week days.I will be visiting Rungis soon with the owner of Paris Sweet Bar cafe as a guide.
Dans Le Noir: the restaurant where you eat in total darkness.
L’Atlantide: supposedly the best couscous in Paris. I’ve been told they have good vegetarian options.
I’ve been holding on to an old Air France magazine filled with addresses for Indian restaurants and shops in Paris. Dishny and Krishna Bhavan on rue Cail both sound inviting. New Review: Petite Mumbai de Paris
I also have an old Gourmet Magazine (September 2008) with some great ideas: 11/12th arrindissements, 19th/20th arrindissements, 10th arrindissement by Alexander Lobrano

An appetite for Paris (boston.com)

Indiana Cafe = Bait and Switch

Published

Ted

on April 5, 2009

in Meat Eating Friends, Places to avoid and restaurant

. 1 Comment

I don’t write many bad reviews on this blog. I’m more interested in highlighting good places to visit than practicing my Yelp review cynicism. However, I will try to warn vegetarians in advance of places to avoid.

Indiana Cafe is a popular “Tex Mex” restaurant chain in Paris. You’ll find their distinctive red/black awnings and tables at any fashionable or popular area. The menu is filled with dishes inspired by American food and is a good place to go if you are a meat eater. One of my co-workers loves their hamburgers. He also fell in love with the Double bacon cheeseburger at Jack in the Box while visiting California. …I’m just saying…

Indiana Cafe’s menu also features a veggie burger, enchiladas, and salad. I’ve visited them twice and the veggie burger is not available. I think they’ve permanently stopped serving it, but leave it on the menu. This is really frustrating as it would be great to have lunch with friends and enjoy a veggie burger.

Instead you are left choosing a marginal salad or the enchiladas. I grew up on the border of Mexico in San Diego. I know enchiladas. I’ve worked with enchiladas. These are not enchiladas. Enchiladas should not have 15 ingredients within the masa envelope. These are a mess.

So be warned if you venture within the red and black Indiana Cafe. Your meat eating friends may enjoy it but you’ll find yourself with mediocre food for too much money.