Exki has a strong commitment to organic food. Here’s a snippet from their web site:

Nous sélectionnons pour vous les meilleurs ingrédients saisonniers.

Nous refusons l’usage de tout additif.

Certains de nos produits sont labellisés BIO. Par exemple le pain, confectionné et cuit artisanalement sur pierre, sans aucun “améliorant” artificiel. Pour garantir sa fraîcheur, nous terminons sa cuisson, chaque matin, dans nos restaurants.

Sont également BIO : le lait, le yaourt, les jets de légumes, des tartelettes, des biscuits, des confitures,…
Exki philosophie

I have not visited this restaurant yet, so I cannot give a review.

Exki

9, boulevard des Italiens (2°)

118, avenue de France (13°)

82, boulevard du Montparnasse (14°)

01 42 61 06 52

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Taisho Ken – Miso Soup Bar

In the center is a small Japanese miso soup restaurant that I’ve been finding myself eating at more and more. It’s a simple place with an open kitchen, large pots of boiling miso broth, and a friendly, bustling atmosphere. This is a simple place that may remind you more of a roadside diner than a French bistro.

Miso soup normally brings to mind a small bowl of broth with a few small chunks of tofu floating amongst green herbs. I was greatly surprised when I ordered the vegetarian soup bowl and was presented with a Texas sized spoon and a big bowl of broth with fresh vegetables and noodles. This is a meal by itself, you won’t need any rice or dumplings.

Paris is a great place to have a big lunch with friends and a simple dinner of soup or salad. I’ve added this place to my list of regular stops. It’s especially nice on a cold rainy night when the windows fog up and you are surrounded by the smell of the broth.

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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

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The menu is small but well conceived. You have your choice of salad, soup, pasta, or the plate du jour. Fixed price menus may combine these choices with an optional dessert. Today’s choices were a vegetarian vegetable soup, a green salad, pasta with Gorgonzola and bacon, Eggplant Parmesan, and a chicken and rice dish.

The food is prepared in advance and heated upon ordering. This keeps the service quick and friendly. I had the eggplant dish with a fromage blanc and herbs combination for dessert. Gustav’ provides Eric Kayser bread; just one of the details that make this restaurant a step above.

Gustav is wheelchair friendly. There is a very small step to enter. However, there are no outdoor seats and the interior is rather cramped. I don’t know if they have a public bathroom. Most people take the food back to work or home to eat.

Similar Restaurants

Keep an eye out for these small restaurants. You’ll find a great lunch, fresh food, and friendly service.

• Parisian Sweet Bar – near Bercy
• Judicious Vegetarian Restaurant – near Bastille
• Cocoon – around the corner from Gustav
• Bubbles – near St. Paul/Marais
• L’Epicerie Verte – near Thernes
• Foody’s Soup and Salad – rue Montorguiel
• La Ferme – near Opera
• Gout Zen – behind Bibliotèque Francoise Mitterrand metro station

Gustav’ Good Choice

154 Blvd Pereire (17°)

09 63 52 01 72

gustav-good-choice@orange.fr

Metro: Pereire, Porte de Champerret

Lunch restaurant

Wheelchair Friendly: very small step to enter, cramped interior

• Overall: 4/5
• Location: 3/5
• Taste: 4/5
• Service: 5/5
• Vegetarian Friendly: 4/5
• Vegan Friendly: 3.5/5
• M.E.F. Friendly: 4/5

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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

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.

• Lasagna Vegetarienne
• Salad La Vegetarienne
• Salad La Chevre Chaud
• Wok Vegetarienne

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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I’ve also been working on a new site: Insider Food. It’s a regional food search engine. I’ll post more about that later.

This is a wonderful tomato soup at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville, CA. Yountville is one of the towns in Napa Valley and has become the center of gourmet restaurants for the area. You can purchase the recipe for about 3 euros, or download it from their web site: Bistro Jeanty Tomato Soup (.pdf)

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Cette boutique de produits biologiques devient le midi un snack où vous pourrez commander tartes et salades à des prix tout doux. Une unique table avec des tabourets hauts vous permettra de lier connaissance avec d’autres végétariens.

Restaurants végétariens Paris 17

Across the street is Etik, a store that sells global, ethical, bio-diverse gifts and merchandise. You can eat organic, shop organic, and support the independent workshops in one little block.

l’Epicerie Verte

5 rue Saussier Leroy (17°)

01 47 64 19 65

Metro: Ternes

Organic groceries and light meals

It’s time to pack away the shorts, sandals, and t-shirts. Bring out those sweaters, scarves, jackets, and gloves. We’re going on a field trip for soup in Paris.

Soup de Jour at Parisian Sweet Bar

Perhaps this cafe was the cause of my current obsession with soup. I stopped off a few weeks ago for my cafe au lait and found two new hotpots in the counter filled with soup. They feature two vegetarian soups every day. They also feature a small fixed menu deal, you get a large bowl of soup and a dessert (try the rice pudding) for 6.50 euros.

Their soups are also quite adventurous. Today I had a carrot and pineapple soup with walnut garnish. I’ve also had their Potiron (pumpkin) soup that was fantastic. They also feature a market vegetable soup for the less adventurous.

Parisian Sweet Bar is a wonderful cafe near Bercy park. They are filled with vegetarian delights and the friendliest service around.

Stuart Friendly – Spicy tomato soup

After working another 12 hour day, I needed something to take the chill off my bones and wake me up. I stopped off at Stuart Friendly, a small restaurant near rue Montorguiel. They had a smaller vegetarian selection than I had expected. However, they did feature a spicy Mediterranean tomato soup. The large bowl was almost too large. Go for the small bowl unless you are really hungry.

Minestrone Soup at your local Italian restaurant

There’s a small Italian restaurant next to my work. It’s a decent place, nothing to go out of your way for. I was happy to see a sign tacked to the wall for a vegetarian minestrone. The soup had lots of noodles and vegetables.  I can’t say I’d recommend this particular recipe. But it would be a good idea to ask you local italian restaurant if their minestrone is vegetarian (or vegan). You may find it a much better choice than another linguine au pesto.

La Victoire in the Marais

Last night I stopped off at La Victoire, Suprême du Coeur for some soup. The daily special was a pumpkin/coconut milk soup. This was a great tasting soup. I’d highly recommend it. In fact, it’s a nice meal by itself.

Tien Hiang – Thai soup

Tien Hiang has a huge menu of vegetarian Asian cuisine. Their Thai soup is a standout amongst the various chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese dishes. This tiny cafe in the 20th arr. is popular for a reason, great vegetarian/vegan food at low prices.

le Potager du Marais

How can I discuss soup in Paris without coming back to Le Potager du Marais? This popular restaurant in the Marais is soup central for vegetarians. It’s the place to go for a vegetarian French Onion Soup and much more. It doesn’t hurt to make reservations as the place is very tight and fills up quickly.

Soup and more at La Ferme

La Ferme is a pseudo-bohemian soup, salad, and pasta restaurant near Opera. It’s rustic interior matches their hardy vegetable soup. La Ferme is a simple place where you eat as if everything is takeout.

What is your favorite place for soup du jour?

Hopefully this post tempts you into the cold night for a bowl of warm soup. What is your favorite place to get soup in Paris?

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Guilt is present in the very hesitation, even though the deed be not committed.
Cicero (Marcus Tullius Cicero)

Bubbles Dietbar’s healthy outlook made me feel like a downright felon tonight. It probably also makes many others feel the pang of guilt as they walk past this tiny cafe of diet goodness. It’s bad enough that I have to pass it as I walk over to Falafel Alley.

Bubbles even sits next door to an American style Diner! How could someone possibly eat a stack of pancakes with eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns, and coffee while next door is this quaint cafe filled with healthy food?

Fortunately, Bubbles Dietbar was closed tonight. I was able to walk straight by to King Falafel to grab an overflowing falafel pita. This is actually the first time I’ve seen the cafe. Its bright green awning would normally catch my eye. So, perhaps this is a new restaurant for Paris.

Their online menu shows a plethora of vegetarian soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. They are conveniently located near the St. Paul metro. I’ll have to find a new route to falafel alley or I may find myself pressured into eating something healthy when I’ve got my heart set on something else.

Bubbles Dietbar

4 rue Malher (4°) Paris

01 40 29 42 41

Metro: St. Paul, Bastille, Chemin Vert

Soup and Salad Bar

Free Wifi

Wanna Juice bars are small restaurants similar to Jamba Juice in the States. You will see a menu board of blended juices, a fridge with yoghurts, snacks, and salads. Soups are also available for lunch.

Wanna Juice has a fairly reasonable lunch menu with soup or salad, bread, and small smoothie for around 8 euros. Purchasing a smoothie by itself may give you some sticker shock. I had the Fast Breakfast smoothie this afternoon for 8.20 Euros, which is a little over $12. The smoothie was great, it had berries, fresh orange juice, yogurt, muesli, and honey. The tasty concoction made me forget about the price. My friend had an orange/strawberry smoothie. He’s a big fan of the Orange Dream Machine smoothie at Jamba Juice. I liked Wanna’s better; it didn’t taste like baby aspirin.

There are 4 locations for Wanna Juice. Each is located near popular tourist destinations. You’ll find it to be a fresh alternative in the sticky heat of a Paris summer. Ask for the frequent buyer card; buy ten and get one free. That may take a bit of the sting off of your currency conversion analysis.

The Mouffetard and Montorgueil locations are also surrounded by great vegetarian bistros, markets, and tasty boulangeries. Both areas are great places to visit for a taste of Paris life. Mouffetard is also home to some hostels and is close to the Universities.

• Overall: 3.5/5
• Location: 5/5
• Taste: 4/5
• Value: 3/5
• Service: 4/5
• Vegetarian Friendly: 5/5
• Vegan Friendly: 5/5
• M.E.F. Friendly: 5/5

Wanna Juice Mouffetard

137 rue Mouffetard (5°)

01 77 32 11 61

Metro:

Juice Bar

Wanna Juice Montorgueil

9 rue Montorgueil (1°)

01 71 18 27 05

Metro:

Juice Bar

Wanna Juice Bastille

7, rue de la Roquette (11° – Bastille )

01 43 38 46 45

Metro: Bastille

Juice Bar

Wanna Juice Odeon

65 rue St-Andre des Arts (6° – Odeon)

01 46 34 11 90

Metro:

Juice Bar

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