Archive for the 'Vegan Friendly' Category

Tien Hiang - Vegetarian Chinese Restaurant in Paris

Published
by
Ted
on April 13, 2008
in 11th Arrindissement, Asian, Ethnic, Vegan Friendly, popular, restaurant and vegetarian-friendly
. 1 Comment

Tien Hang vegetarian restaurant in ParisThis popular chinese food has your traditional Chinese vegetarian dishes as well as an assortment of creative “faux” meat choices. It’s a popular destination for vegetarian tourists and is located near four metro stops. Pere Lechaise and Voltaire are the easiest.

Tien Hiang review

I had been planning a trip to Tien Hiang to try their food and imagine my surprise one night when I walked past it on a warm evening stroll. Although I wasn’t hungry, I had to stop off for a meal. This restaurant is great fun for small groups and the menu is a smörgåsbord of vegetarian Asian food.

The Menu

While this restaurant is listed as Chinese in many guides, their menu is sprinkled with dishes from across the Asian spectrum. Vegetarians are used to deciding between one or two dishes on a menu. It’s difficult to actually choose between 50-60 dishes. Prepare yourself for ten minutes of indecision.

Tien Hiang has a good fixed menu to make that choice easier. You simply choose two appetizers, dinner, and desert from a smaller set of dishes. The menu prices are outrageously affordable. 10 euros gets a full meal!

I chose to skip the fixed menu and ordered a bowl of Thai soup and Vietnamese omelet. To be honest, I had no idea what I was going to choose and finally pointed at a random customer and said “I’ll have that.”

The soup was fantastic. It had coconut milk, pepper, tomato, fake chicken, and basil. It was a great mix and I’ll probably come here more often for just a bowl of soup. The omelet was good, but I was satiated after the soup and earlier meal. So, I wasn’t prepared to really evaluate the dish.

Popular + small = warm

Tien Hiang is a small, popular restaurant. The place was packed with a wide range of alternatives, hipsters, families, and hippies (faux hippies). In other words, it’s a casual, come as you are restaurant. However, it’s also a small place and it gets warm with all of the bodies. I can only imagine what it will be like during the late summer months.

Summary

I really enjoyed this restaurant. The menu is expansive and you’ll probably find yourself wanting to come back and try something else. The dishes range from Pho, clay pot, steamed dumplings, fried rice, and much more. You’ll find vegetarian versions of the most popular Asian dishes. The prices are super cheap, the service friendly, and the community unique. It’s not the easiest place to find, take a map with you. Unless you’re lucky like me and stumble across it accidentally.

Tien Hiang
92 rue Chemin Vert (11°)
01 43 55 83 88
Metro: Pere Lechaise, Voltaire
Chinese/Asian Vegetarian Restaurant
  • Overall: 4/5
  • Location: 3/5
  • Value: 5/5
  • Taste: 4/5
  • Service: 5/5
  • Vegetarian Friendly: 5/5
  • Vegan Friendly: 5/5
  • M.E.F. Friendly: 3/5

Related articles

Piccolo Teatro in the Marais is now closed

Published
by
Ted
on April 6, 2008
in 4th Arrindissement, Vegan Friendly, restaurant and vegetarian-friendly
. 5 Comments

Piccolo Teatro
The Piccolo Teatro was a small, romantic restaurant in the Marais district. After reading reviews on the internet, I was anxious to try it. Unfortunately, this restaurant’s web site states they are closed and in fact the place is for sale.

This restaurant was featured on Gordon Ramsey’s television show. He tried to give the owner a new chance to succeed. Alas, this wasn’t successful. I’ve posted this information to let people know the status, there are plenty of outdated mentions on other sites.

Piccolo Teatro
6, rue des Ecouffes (4°)
01 42 72 17 79
Metro: St-Paul
Closed Restaurant

Related articles

Le Potager du Marais

Published
by
Ted
on April 1, 2008
in 3rd Arrindissement, Vegan Friendly, organic, popular, soup and vegetarian-friendly
. 0 Comments

Le Potager du MaraisThere’s something deeply satisfying about a bowl of vegetarian French Onion Soup. Traditionally, this dish features a rich broth of beef consume with onions sauteed to a dark color and a large crouton floating on top. All of this is smothered with melted cheese. The soup makes you feel like a warm embrace by your favorite grandmother; if it’s possible to have a favorite.

But alas, beef doesn’t sit well with the vegetarian in us. My favorite chef, Jacques Brosse, once created a heavenly French Onion Soup with a rich wine base for me. It was one of the best dishes I’ve ever tasted. Jacques is about to open a new restaurant in Paris, so watch for the news.

It was with these high expectations that I ordered a bowl of Onion Soup from Le Potager du Marais. First off, the soup was good. It wasn’t great. It didn’t make me jump up and scream “Mother Trudy, come here and give me a big fat hug!”

Frankly, I don’t think jumping up would even be possible in this tiny table with a long community table. It would have been more like asking the person next to you to stand up, pull the table out, extricate yourself between two other diners, stand up and then yell “Mother Trudy, come here and give me a bit fat hug!”
Vegetarian French Onion soupThe Onion soup had a rich broth but could’ve used more onions. Instead of a big hunk of crouton, the soup was dotted with smaller chunks. Frankly, the smaller chunks are much easier to manage. It was then covered with a thin layer of cheese. It was also a tad bit salty for my taste. The bread they served on the side was also a bit bland.

Don’t get me wrong, Le Potager is a popular, friendly restaurant that features a great menu of vegetarian and vegan food. There were several daily specials, including vegetable curry, broccoli soup, and pasta primevera. The other diners licked their plates clean. The lady next to me just about died when her nattily atired boyfriend held his curry plate up and licked the last drop off.

It’s just that the Onion Soup had a lot to live up to. It’s hard to beat a memory.

Le Potager du Marais is super easy to find. It’s just down the street from the Rambuteau metro. It’s a great place to get something to eat after spending a day at the Pompideu. Be forwarned, this restaurant is tiny and packed. It’s a good idea to make a reservation during peak hours. However, they are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Surprisingly, they do not accept Cheque Dejeuner (subsidized lunch tickets for those that work in Paris).

Le Potager du Marais
22, rue Rambuteau (3°)
01 42 74 24 66
Metro: Rambuteau
Organic Restaurant
Cheque Dejeuner are not accepted
  • Overall: 4/5
  • Location: 5/5
  • Taste: 4/5
  • Service: 4/5
  • Vegetarian Friendly: 5/5
  • Vegan Friendly: 5/5
  • M.E.F. Friendly: 3/5

Gout Zen - Vegetarian and Organic Restaurant

Published
by
Ted
on March 27, 2008
in 13th Arrindissement, Vegan Friendly, cafe, organic, salad and vegetarian-friendly
. 1 Comment

Gout ZenParis is full of surprises. There are little gems around every corner. The Parisian Sweet Bar in the 12th arrondissement is an example. You’ll also find small museums, art galleries, pocket sized parks, and chunks of ancient history.

This leads me to Gout Zen. I stumbled across this restaurant while leaving an unfamiliar metro exit (Bibliotheque). The street is subterranean, with car-filled bridges above, towering buildings, old stone steps to new areas, and a green beacon of light and energy.

Bruchette at gout zenGout Zen is a restaurant, cafe, and organic market all wrapped into one. It reminds me of the No Stress Cafe, near Place de Pigalle. There’s more to just eating at Gout Zen. You can rent a heated wrap for your tired shoulders at 1 Euro for 15 minutes, use free wireless, and purchase some organic food and supplies. It’s a friendly cafe that is bright and comfortable.

I had the vegetable bruschetta at 6 euros. Although a tad salty, I enjoyed the snack and used the wireless until my laptop battery died. The cafe also features some interesting vegan alternatives. I’m dying to try the faux steak au poivre. The fixed price menus range from 8 to 15 euros and include a variety of vegetarian and vegan options.

Gout Zen cafeFinding Gout Zen is a bit tricky. Take the Rue Du Chevaleret exit if you are coming from the metro line 14 or RER C. You can also reach it by climbing down the steps on Rue de Tolbiac, Rue Thomas Mann, and Rue des Grands Moulins. I’d suggest using the Rue de Tolbiac steps.

Gout Zen
54, Rue du Chevalaret (13°)
01 45 86 26 23
contact@goutzen.fr
Metro: Bibliotheque
Restaurant and Epicerie
Free Wireless
  • Overall: 4/5
  • Location: 3/5
  • Taste: 4/5
  • Service: 5/5
  • Vegetarian Friendly: 5/5
  • Vegan Friendly: 5/5
  • M.E.F. Friendly: 3/5

Parisian Sweet Bar, a small, friendly cafe at Park de Bercy

Published
by
Ted
on February 28, 2008
in 12th Arrindissement, Vegan Friendly, cafe, salad and vegetarian-friendly
. 1 Comment

They say that location is everything. This small cafe in the Bercy neighborhood would make a killing in more popular areas. It’s a charming cafe operated by people that are passionate about the food and service they provide.
Parisian Sweet Bar
It’s conveniently located for those walking to Bercy Village, Parc de Bercy, or the Cour St. Emillion metro (#14). It’s tucked into the side of an anonymous building and looks toward the elevated train tracks and Notre Dame de la Nativité de Bercy

I stop by to get my morning coffee and love the selection of salads, soups, smoothies, and lunch items. It’s a shame I don’t work nearby to enjoy their lunch time offerings. Of course, this really isn’t much of an excuse. They have pre-packaged lunches just waiting for you to pickup on the way to work.

Their menu is stacked with vegetarian and vegan options inspired by seasonal fruits and vegetables. Here’s a sample of their menu:(as of Feb. 2008)

  • Carrot salad with coriander and dressing
  • Lentil salad with red onions and coriander
  • Vegetable plate with zucchini, eggplant, leeks, and fennel
  • 4 different vegetarian/vegan pasta dishes: Vegetarian, Mushroom, 3 cheese, and tomato/pimento
  • Brie, arugula, and walnut sandwich
  • Seasonal market vegetable soup and tarts
  • Fruit salad with mint syrup
  • Fruit smoothies
  • Fresh fruit
  • Teas, coffee, water, and more

Lunches range from approx. 4-7 Euros. It’s affordable, friendly, and an oasis of vegetarian options in this neighborhood.

Parisian Sweet Bar
10 rue de Dijon, Paris 75012
Metro: Cour St-Emillion
01 44 73 40 44
Hours: 8h-18h Monday to Friday
  • Overall: 4.5/5
  • Vegetarian Options: 5/5
  • Vegan Options: 5/5
  • Value: 5/5
  • Location: 3/5