I’m proud to announce my latest creation: V3GGIE, a vegetarian search engine. I’ve used the power of Yahoo’s new BOSS Search API and focused the attention on vegetarian and vegan friendly resources. V3GGIE makes it much easier to find what you are looking for.
This means you can find a corn chowder recipe without wading through thousands of clam chowders. You can quickly find the buzz from vegetarian blogs, the closest vegan restaurant, and more.
The following is a short list of web sites that V3GGIE.com recognizes as experts.
V3GGIE is still a work a progress, please feel free to leave comments and suggestions for web sites to add as resources. I hope you find it as useful as I have. I especially like the Vegetarian Recipe Search.
Eating in Paris involves many choices. The first of which is “where should I go this time?” This is especially true when you have great restaurants to choose from. For instance, where do you go when you want some good, vegetarian Chinese food?
Tien Hiang and Green Garden Restaurants
Tien Hiang is a great Asian restaurant in the 11th arrindissement. It is popular, affordable, and has a huge selection of vegan and vegetarian meals. But what if you are on the Left Bank and prefer something closer to home?
The Green Garden is a great Chinese restaurant near Olympiades in the 13th arrindissement. It’s a family style restaurant with a small market with an amazing collection of faux meats. I’ve never seen faux prawn or a complete faux chicken with wings and legs.
It is a small restaurant that can fill up rather quickly. The menu is extensive and the food is affordable and very tasty. I had the steamed dumpling menu for 10.50 Euros. This included 8 dumplings and a plate of fried noodles. I new I’d be returning when I realized the dumplings were gone and I wanted more.
The fried noodles also had some extremely fresh green beans, tofu, and sprouts. Several groups arrived in the restaurant and began ordering family style. The large variety of their menu would make this a great idea.
They are very proud of their menu’s lack of eggs, genetically modified ingredients, alcohol, and MSG. There are plenty of Vegan choices on their menu and many of the dishes can be modified upon request.
Back to the choices
Where do you go for vegetarian Chinese food? Tien Hiang or Green Garden are both a bit difficult to find for the average tourist. Your decision may be based on location. Green Garden is near the Porte D’Ivry metro station, which is also the end of the #3 Tramway. Green Garden is also more spacious and elegant than Tien Hiang. Tien Hiang is closer to Pere Lechaise and is a good post-cemetery stop.
- Green Garden
- 20 rue Nationale (13°)
- 01 45 82 99 54
- Metro: Porte D’Ivry, Olympiades
- Type: Asian Restaurant
- Overall: 4.5/5
- Location: 3/5
- Taste: 5/5
- Service: 4/5
- Vegetarian Friendly: 5/5
- Vegan Friendly: 5/5
- M.E.F. Friendly: 1.5/5
Paris 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.
Gout 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.
Finding 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
This tiny restaurant hidden in the 17th arrindismont plays to the local lunch crowd. Just look for the small facade painted in an odd purplish hue with a line of anxious people out the door. There will equally be a stream of people leaving with bulging paper bags.
Cocoon is not your typical Parisian restaurant. It’s a throwback to the old cafeteria diners. Their menu is as small as their floorplan. You’ll walk in and see a display case of freshly made soups, drinks, and desserts. Grab what you like and make your way to the counter. There you will be greated by a friendly saladier who builds a unique salad to your desires. They also offer sandwhiches but everyone I saw had soup and salad.
To continue the small theme of this restaurant, your Meat Eating Friends can choose between tuna and tuna for their salads. Yes, this is a Vegetarian restaurant and that makes me happy. What’s even better? It’s cheap and just around the corner from my office.
Proximity is actually important for Cocoon as they have virtually no space to stay and eat. It’s also not easy to find. You’ll want to visit this place if you work or live in the 17th arrindissmont.
For lunch today, I had a very flavorful lentil soup, a small salad, perrier, and fromage blanc with raspberry confiture. This soup menu is 8,50 euros, tasted great, and is much healthier than most of the places in the area. Cocoon is open for lunch but don’t get there late. I arrived after 2 one day and they had already been cleaned out.
- Cocoon
- 3, rue Galvani (17°)
- 01.45.72.59.12
- Pereirre
- Fast and healthy
- Overall: 4.5/5
- Location: 3/5 stars
- Taste: 4.5/5
- Service: 4.5/5
- Vegetarian Friendly: 5/5
- Vegan Friendly: 5/5
- M.E.F. Friendly: 1/5
Pommes de Terre mean Apples of the Ground. These are potatoes and there are a million different preparations in Paris restaurants. You’ll especially be interested in combinations with onions and the inevitable cheese.
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