Archive for the 'Ethnic' Category

Pizzeria Hinno in Montparnasse

Published
by
Ted
on March 12, 2009
in 15th Arrindissement, Italian and restaurant
. 4 Comments

Last night I had a really great pizza and I couldn’t wait to tell everyone. I was exploring the outskirts of the Montparnasse neighborhood where the cafes are less tourist and more local.

I was about to eat at Restaurant aux Artistes as they mentioned several vegetarian options on their menu. However, it was getting late and I wasn’t ready for dinner in a restaurant filled with laughing, chatting, debating clients. Not that it is a bad thing, just not for last night. I wanted something more relaxing.
Pizzeria Hinno
About a block further I came across a small pizzeria with a quaint facade and interesting options on the menu. Pizzeria Hinno is a small place with about 15 tables and several vegetarian pizza and pasta options.

I ordered the namesake pizza Hinno. It includes mushrooms, cream, an egg, and bacon. Naturally I requested it without the bacon. They have other options that would be good without the meat component, such as the 4 seasons pizza.

Pizza Hinno’s great food and service

The pizza was great. The cream and egg gave it a smooth taste. It was a very thin crust pizza and the flavors and textures blended perfectly. While I thought I was pacing myself; the plate was empty before I knew it.

No matter how good the pizza, it is only secondary to the service. The owner is the friendliest I have ever met. He has a smile that could melt Greenland and makes you feel like you are the only person in the city when he takes your order, delivers the food, or even the bill.
Pizza Hinno
I left the restaurant satiated from the pizza and feeling much happier. I’ll definitely return to Hinno. It’s a destination restaurant, not the convenient place you stop off on the way home or to the hotel. I would gladly go out of my way for Hinno.

Location

Pizzaria Hinno is at 56, rue Falguière near metro: Pasteur (#3 and #12). As you exit the metro, walk towards the Montparnasse tower and it’s about a block away on the right side.

Vegan options and Accessibility

I don’t remember seeing anything on the menu that was vegan specific. I’m sure there was a green salad. However, they are very accommodating and would certainly remove the cheese from an existing pizza option.

Pizzaria Hinno has a small step at the entrance and I don’t know if the bathrooms are wheelchair accessible. The interior is small but not cramped.

Pizzeria Hinno
56, rue Falguière (15°)
01 43 27 01 14
Metro: Pasteur
Pizza restaurant
Wheelchair friendly: Entrance has a step
  • Overall: 5/5
  • Location: 4/5
  • Taste: 5/5
  • Service: 5/5
  • Vegetarian Friendly: 4/5
  • Vegan Friendly: 3/5
  • M.E.F. Friendly: 5/5

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Enjoy a stress-free dinner at the No Stress Cafe

Published
by
Ted
on January 31, 2009
in 9th Arrindissemont, Asian, cafe, French cuisine, Mediteranean, popular, restaurant, salad, soup, Vegan Friendly and vegetarian-friendly
. 5 Comments

No Stress Cafe in ParisThe No Stress Cafe received international attention for combining fortune telling, massages, and food in a simple Paris cafe. It sits down the hill from the sin-soaked Pigalle area facing a pleasant terrasse fronted by restaurants.

The cafe has matured over the years. The massage chairs have been replaced with more dining tables and an increased attention towards dining instead of dozing. However you can still get your fortune told and enjoy a no stress dinner.

Chef Dean to the Rescue

No Stress Cafe in Paris
I’ve mentioned my favorite chef in Paris, Jacques. What I may not have mentioned enough was his partner and sous chef Dean. The two of them created a menu that kept the No Stress Cafe from becoming a one line joke, “hey did you hear about the cafe with back rubs near Pigalle…”. Jacques has moved on to other restaurants and Dean is now the chef of the No Stress Cafe.

I can tell you from experience that Dean is a masterful chef. He has an international approach from his Asian heritage and years of cooking in Paris. His menu at No Stress is a fusion of Mediterranean, French, and Asian recipes.

Vegetarian Options

The standard menu features several vegetarian and vegan options.
Vegetarian Tapas at No Stress Cafe in Paris

However, you can also request the Tapas menu to be vegetarian. This is what I had the other night and it was excellent! Dean gave me a bit extra but you can expect an assortment of tempura, pickled vegetables, lasagna, and other seasonal vegetables.

Dean also makes a killer bowl of vegetarian french onion soup. He uses white wine instead of stock and it blows away the french onion soup at Potager du Marais. It’s not on the menu, but he’ll make it the soup of the day if you make your reservation a few days in advance. Tell them Ted sent you.

Eating at No Stress cafe reminded me of sharing a dinner at chez Jacques and Dean. Ample portions of food from around the globe served family style with great affection.

No Stress Cafe
24 rue Clauzel (9°)
01 48 78 00 27
Metro: Pigalle, St. Georges
Cafe
  • Overall: 4.5/5
  • Location: 3/5
  • Taste: 5/5
  • Service: 5/5
  • Vegetarian Friendly: 5/5
  • Vegan Friendly: 4/5
  • M.E.F. Friendly: 5/5

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Restaurant Tibetain Dolma in Rennes

Published
by
Ted
on January 9, 2009
in Asian, Outside Paris, popular, restaurant, Vegan Friendly and vegetarian-friendly
. 1 Comment

Rennes buildingsCrêpes filled with cheese, crêpes filled with ham, crêpes filled with potatoes drenched in a cream sauce, crêpes, crêpes, crêpes. This is what I expected to see in Rennes. And while there were certainly crêperies on every street; the city also features a wide variety of ethnic restaurants. You’ll find Indian, American, and luckily a Tibetan restaurant in the city center.

Restaurant Tibetain Dolma provided one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in a long time. It’s a small, intimate restaurant filled with charm… and that includes the people. The menu is a cross between Asian and Indian food; the flavors of India with the preparation of China.

I found the restaurant after walking around the city for hours and needed a place to plop down and eat something warm. I hardly got a chance to plop as the service was so warm and the food so interesting.

I started with a large pot of Chai tea. This is the real stuff, not the frappe-sweet version from Starbucks. It’s spicy, hot, and not too sweet. It was the second best chai I’ve ever had. The first was in the lunchroom of Yahoo! in Bangalore. The third was in a tea shop behind Pikes Place in Seattle.

The entree sounded like a curry. The menu described it as potatoes and peas in a curry flavor. What arrived were two racquetball sized, fried dumplings filled with potatoes and peas and seasoned with curry and other spices.

On the side was a home made chutney. Watch the chutney, there are some hard spices that could break a tooth. They look like raisins but are more like solid pepper seeds. Just don’t chomp down on them.

This was followed by two steamer baskets of spinach and cheese dumplings with another custom pepper sauce. The dumplings were great and quite filling. The waitress probably guessed I was American and thought I’d enjoy some chili sauce. After asking, she brought over some thicker pepper sauce. While I like the heat, the first one was more complex and tasted better with the dumplings.

The final course was home made yogurt with honey. This was the perfect finish to a fairly light lunch in a city filled with heavy crêpes. I planned on returning the next day but got sidetracked by a trip to Mont St. Michel. Which was definately a good idea.

Don’t miss this restaurant when you travel to Rennes. You’ll find warm service, great food, and a memorable meal.

Restaurant Tibetain Dolma
36 rue St. Melaine, Rennes 35000
Metro: St. Anne
02 99 36 84 63
  • Overall: 5/5
  • Vegetarian Options: 4.5/5
  • Vegan Options: 4/5
  • Value: 5/5
  • Location: 4/5

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Old Jawad, an elegant Indian/Pakistan restaurant

Published
by
Ted
on September 9, 2008
in 2nd Arrindissement, Ethnic, Indian, Meat Eating Friends, restaurant and vegetarian-friendly
. 3 Comments

I came across Old Jawad the other night while trying to find a recommended Indian restaurant (Rani Mahal – look for a review very soon). I was seriously tempted to skip the original restaurant and try Old Jawad instead. It’s a very elegant restaurant tucked into a corner near the Opera.
Old Jawad - Indian and Pakistani restaurant
The menu included the basic Indian dishes, with a mixture of meat and vegetarian options. The interior is beautiful and the menu promises a fusion of traditional and modern touches. The prices were also very reasonable. You should be able to have a good meal, minus wine, for under 20 euros a person.

I found a few reviews; the following one in French summarizes the attention to luxury and food.

Très bonne impression

Idéalement situé face au théatre des Bouffes Parisiens, le Old Jawad est un indo pakistanais de qualité. La décoration, chic juste ce qu’il faut et moderne, donne une ambiance chaleureuse et cosy. On jouit largement de l’espace avec des tables bien disposées où on ne profite pas de la conversation des convives voisins. Le service est très efficace et sympathique et en plus l’apéritif et le digestif sont offerts. Une bonne adresse avec un rapport qualité/prix excellent.

RestoAParis.com

Old Jawad
1, Rue Monsigny (2°)
Metro: Quatre Septembre, Pyramides
01 42 96 16 61
Indian/Pakistani Restaurant
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La Taverne du Nil – Lebanese on Ile St. Louis

Published
by
Ted
on July 13, 2008
in 4th Arrindissement, Ethnic, Lebanese, Meat Eating Friends, popular, Turkish and vegetarian-friendly
. 2 Comments

Lebanese restaurant on Isle St. LouisVegetarians that don’t eat at Lebanese restaurants are missing out. While much of Lebanese cuisine is centered around lamb, it is also filled with Mediterranean vegetarian options.

Gridskipper, a travel web site describes the special connection between France and Lebanese culture

Those in the know will visit Paris for excellent terroir cuisine to be sure, but they will also know to look for certain regional fare such as Meditarranean food. In that category (a diverse lot ranging from North African to Greek and Jewish cooking), Lebanese cuisine is a heavy hitter and a favorite amongst the locals. Narrow historical ties between the two countries (Lebanon was a French UN mandate from the end of WWI until WWII, earning Beirut the nickname of “Paris of the East”) have led to a steady influx of Lebanese immigrants into Paris, which of course has translated into a vibrant and bountiful restaurant scene.
Best Lebanese Dining in Paris: La Taverne du Nil

Lebanese restaurant on Isle St. LouisI visited this restaurant with a meat eating friend. We chose the Mézzé platter at 43 Euros to share family style. This is a selection of 9 small dishes. There was an assortment of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, from Hummus to sausage. We simply asked the waiter to bring a variety of mostly vegetarian and a couple meat dishes. You could also request purely vegetarian or vegan options. They have enough to chose from.

While this is a collection of small dishes, it certainly was not a small meal. The platter was seemingly bottomless. It’s a pricey meal at 43 Euros, but not a bad value. The food is fresh and well prepared. The service was great, the environment was great for conversations, and the location is central.

La Taverne du Nil
16, rue Le Regrattier (4e)
01 40 46 09 02
Metro: Pont-Marie
Lebanese restaurant
  • Overall: 4.5/5
  • Location: 5/5
  • Taste: 4/5
  • Service: 4/5
  • Vegetarian Friendly: 4/5
  • Vegan Friendly: 3/5
  • M.E.F. Friendly: 5/5

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