It used to be that Hemp seeds and hemp protein were on my list of items to stock up on when visiting the US or England (no, not Amsterdam)… until recently at an expo where I had the pleasure of meeting Christophe Latouche founder of L Chanvre M. Latouche is a passionate advocate for the benefits of hemp and his company sells a wide range of hemp products such as seeds, oils, skin care, and even chocolate.  Their hemp comes from their farm in the village of St. Antoine in Bretagne. The farm is open to the public where you can do a workshop, taste, test, smell and live hemp. You can order from his site or you can buy their products at Anthylide here in Paris on Rue Pont Louis-Philippe in the 4eme.

Here is the recipe for hemp milk:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup shelled hemp seed
1 cup water
Flavoring (vanilla, agave nectar)

Directions: Place seeds in a blender and add a small amount of water (approx. 1 inch above the seeds). Turn the blender on at multiple speeds and agitate the seeds so they become a thick hemp cream. Then add either vanilla, agave nectar or perhaps only a ripe banana, and serve the blended liquid as a thick drink, or add water to taste for a lighter hemp milk. Optional: add berries, peaches, and/or papaya (courtesy of David Wolfe)

For over twenty years, after the fall of the Ottomans, Lebanon was a French mandate and since then Paris has been home to generations of Lebanese families. It’s practically as ubiquitous as Indian food in London, and just as delicious. It’s also super Vegan-friendly and your best chance of getting good animal-free food if you find yourself suddenly hungry in Paris. Particularly if you find yourself in a more touristique part of Paris, like over by the Eiffel Tower or Arc de Triomphe, Lebanese can be a life saver. And it’s really easy to stop someone in the street and ask where the nearest “restaurant Libanais” is.

Lebanese food is one of my favorite somethings about living in Paris. I crave it often and would be happy to eat it much more often. It always tastes so fresh with such variety of vegetables, textures, dips and salads. A combo plate usually consists of mouttabal, hommous, feuilles de vigne, taboulleh, falafel, fatayer, green beans in sauce and excellent pita. They’ll often also include some cheese, so just ask them for no cheese and they’ll usually cheerfully substitute something. As a rule of thumb, a vegetarian plate will run around 15 euros.

I’m starting a list of some that I have visited and will add to it as I sample more of this wonderful cuisine.

Noura
Institut du Monde Arabe, 9th floor, 1 rue des Fossés St Bernard, 75005
Métro : Cardinal Lemoine or Jussieu
01 55 42 55 42
Multiple locations in Paris including two spots at L’Institut du Monde Arabe: their nice and casual ground floor café and pricier top floor restaurant which many Parisians say has the best view of the city of any dining spot. Its prices reflect this, but still affordable as a treat. Classy joint, impeccable service, fab fattoush.

L’Escale du Liban
1, rue Ferdinand Duval, 75004
Métro: St. Paul
01 42 74 55 70
This is the closest Lebanese to my house and probably the best in the Marais. Casual, great for takeout, excellent taboulleh. I would skip the Mannakish breads, though. If it’s Sunday and you want a Mannakish, get yourself down the fairly nearby Bastille market.

Liza
14, rue de la Banque
Paris, France 75002
Métro: Bourse
01 55 35 00 66

Al Boustan
21, rue Montorgueil 75001
Métro: Étienne Marcel
01 40 41 02 40
A Casual little place with take-out counter. Good take-out deals, nice to sit outside on a great street for people watching and soaking up city atmosphere.

Naî
229, Rue Du Faubourg-Saint-Honore 75008
Métro: Ternes
01 40 68 90 70
Not far from Arc de Triomphe or to escape from the Champs d’Elysee. Nice place, with great veg plate and great service.

Traiteur Al Sage
If you are on the run, or on the run from the prices of this swanky neighborhood,  the take-out place on the corner of Ave Hoche and Faubourg St. Honore offers great cheap eats fast.

Tavern du Nil
16-18 rue le Régrattier, 75004
Métro: Pont Marie
01 40 46 09 02
I hear this place is quite good, but haven’t visited yet. It’s on the Île St. Louis so if you’re headed there for Berthillon sorbets, you can do the double.

Al Dar
93, av Raymond Poincaré, 75016
Métro: Victor Hugo
01 45 00 96 64
One of the most highly regarded Lebanese spots in town. The actual restaurant is underground, beneath the pastry shop and café. If you are very hungry and want to splurge, the set menu is expensive but will fill even the most ravenous herbivore. They also have a location in the fifth.

Then about a year later – for some reason you don’t really understand  - you ask again. And they say… No! It’s totally full of eggs and sheep brains… who told you it wasn’t? Me??? No! My cousin!

Anyway, had a couple of disappointing revelations last week to share.

1- The bitterest of all. I scoured the Marais when I arrived here looking for the elusive chocolate filled vegan croissants promised by this joker here: guess what… I didn’t find them… or any chocolate filled vegan unicorns either. But I did find these almond croissants at the lovely Murciano Bakery on Rue des Rosiers, which were actually more like crescent-shaped marzipan pastry rather than the flaky “French Croissant.” Then last week, I just had to ask one more time in front of my out-of-town vegan friend and… guess what? Full of eggs. Barf me out …

2-Amorino. The widespread chain of Italian glaces artisanales. There’s one very close to my place,  and I have been guaranteed repeatedly that the sorbets I get there are just fruit, sugar, water. Ingredient lists were checked. What could possibly go wrong?

Then the other day, I don’t know why, I had to check again and right there with my kids already holding their cups she tells me “Why no… it has milk protein in it.” Don’t think switching to their chocolate soy ice-cream is going to save you because it is full of eggs.

I hope that I don’t need to update this post with more horrors… but I will if I have to, dear vegan readers!

You used to have to request vegan versions of their dishes, but they have recently had an image makeover, new decor and a whole new menu that they call vege chic.

The new menu is a bit more chic: they have added tofoie gras to their repertoire for example. I hear they force feed a soy bean for weeks to make that: I will be avoiding it…

I had Transcouscous Goa (Tandoori seitan, tofu and couscous) : it was nice, but less filling than the main courses form the previous menu. I was also impressed by their Ravioles de légumes verts: the ravioli pasta had a real home-made look and taste. 

I have also recently visited their Sunday brunch buffet. Since it was a buffet, I checked in with the waiter to see if everything was vegan. He said yes. I asked “Even that big plate of croissants?” He said “Ah, la seule exception!” [they are brought in from a bakery.] After further discussion I learned that the kitchen is now totally animal-product-free [except honey that's in one of the drinks on the menu.]

The buffet is about 20€, and had a tasty lasagne, plenty of salad and tapenades, soups, a mushroom loaf, a sliced raw vegetables dish, tofu, carrots, lentils etc. And a big table dedicated just to desserts. In fact, the buffet is probably 50% desserts: the chocolate tart is particularly worth trying.

La Victoire Suprême du Coeur

27-31, rue du Bourg-Tibourg 75004

Métro: Hôtel-de-Ville

01 40 41 95 03

Here in France the awning will say ‘vegetarian restaurant’ but they might serve fish because they are macrobiotic. I’m going to include those restaurants here, even though a fish is never going to be a vegetable. There are also many places that offer vegan food even though they are not vegetarian restaurants. They aren’t on this list, but you’ll find plenty about them elsewhere on this blog.

Restaurants come and go and their hours can be unreliable so I recommend calling first before you get your heart set on it.

Enjoy!

[Updated: March 28, 2009]

Saveurs Végét’Halles

41, Rue des Bourdonnais, Paris 75001

Métro: Chatelet or Les Halles

01 40 41 93 95

This restaurant is so close to being vegan with only one non-vegan item on the menu: the lasagne. Situated in the former location of La Victoire Suprême du Coeur. Great crispy fried tofu. Plenty of vegan desserts. Review

Le Potager du Marais

22, Rue Rambuteau, Paris 75003

Métro: Rambuteau

01 42 74 24 66

Organic, with all-day long service. Small, cozy and charming: my favorite ambience. Gets busy weekend evenings, so call for a reservation.

Le Végétarien

65, rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, Paris 75003

Métro: Poissonnière

06 60 97 16 12

Recently opened restaurant. Looking forward to trying it out.

Le Grand Appétit

9, Rue la Cerisaie, Paris 75004

Métro: Bastille

01 40 27 04 95

All vegan restaurant. It’s very macrobiotic and hippy: get ready for a no frills experience (i.e. you’ll be setting your own table.) I love it, though, because it is vegan and they have a great grocery store next door.

La Victoire Suprême du Coeur

27-31, rue du Bourg Tibourg, Paris 75004

Métro: Hôtel de Ville

01 40 41 95 03

This restaurant has gone all vegan! Run by devotees of Sri Chinmoy. They’ve also recently introduced a wine list. The Sunday lunch buffet is very popular. The location is lovely, great for people watching and I go there often because it’s on my little street. Review

Les Cinq Saveurs d’Ananda

72, Rue Cardinal-Lemoine, Paris 75005

Métro: Place Monge

01 43 29 58 54

Great macrobiotic plates. Very friendly staff and in a charming part of the Latin Quarter.

Le Grenier de Notre-Dame

18, Rue de la Bûcherie, Paris 75005

Métro: Saint-Michel

01 43 29 98 29

or

Rue des Deux-Ponts, Paris 75004

Métro: Pont Marie

Welcoming, macrobiotic oriented, Paris institution. Review

Maoz Vegetarian

8, Rue Xavier Privas, Paris 75005

Métro: Saint Michel

01 43 26 36 00

Small falafel place. Close to vegan except for a few cheesy items and the mayonnaise in the coleslaw. No gross schwarmas here! Order at the counter, fight for one of the three tables or walk to the Seine with your sandwich.

Guen Mai

6, Rue Cardinale, Paris 75006

Métro: Saint-Germain-des-Prés

01 43 26 03 24

That means brown rice in Japanese, you know. Macrobiotic. They have a counter service as well as seated dining. Tucked right behind St.-Germain-des-Prés and I love their sidewalk café tables.

Pousse-Pousse

7, rue Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, 75009

Métro: Notre-Dame-de-Lorette

01 53 16 10 81

World-class raw cuisine in the heart of Paris in a small and friendly location. I love this place with all my heart. Review

Bob’s Juice Bar

15, Rue Lucien Sampaix, Paris 75010

Métro: Jacques Bonsergent

09 50 06 36 18

A lovely juice bar that even does green juices. A vegan salad and soup everyday. The best juice bar in town. Review

Krishna Bhavan

24, Rue Cail, Paris 75010

Métro: Gare du Nord or La Chapelle

01 42 05 78 43

Sounthern Indian/Sri Lankan, very vegan friendly with great prices. Review

Tien Hiang

92, Rue du Chemin Vert, Paris 75011

Métro: Voltaire

01 43 55 83 88

Buddhist restaurant. Very vegan. Casual and chinese. Unfortunately, they use MSG, but you can ask them to hold it.

Green Garden

20, Rue Nationale, Paris 75013

Métro: Porte d’Ivry

01 45 82 99 54

Another Buddhist Chinese restaurant with a big menu. It’s really good and right in Chinatown. Review

Aquarius

40, Rue Gergovie, 75014 Paris

Métro: Pernety

01 45 41 36 88

I have never been here, because I have read there’s basically nothing for vegans. Please add a comment if I am wrong.

Joy in Food

2, Rue Truffaut, Paris 75017

Métro: Place Clichy

01 43 87 96 79

Lively hole in the wall. Open for lunch week days only. A vegan option available for each course.

Au Grain de Folie

24, Rue la Vieuville, Paris 75018

Métro: Abesses

01 42 58 15 57

A trippy little nook of a place with helpful service and standard macrobiotic fare. Review

This event has a lot to offer for holiday-loving vegans, for example: stands selling seaweed, flower elixirs, spices, cosmetics, goji berries, real fresh vanilla beans, maca, aryurvedic tea, chutneys and much more to behold.

The highlight for me last year was discovering Les Produits de la Vie. It’s a fabulous all-vegan, all-organic stand from a German mail-order company that has divine cookies, breads and sunflower-seed-based creamy spreads, and who are lovely people who understand the power of free samples. Basically, I cannot wait to get there on Friday and stock up on holiday treats.

This charming Belgian café chain has locations all over the world, five of which are right here in the center of Paris. It’s by no means a vegan restaurant, but I appreciate so much the acknowledgment of putting a carrot symbol next to the vegan options. They have three salads, vegan soup everyday, a fruit salad and of course their wonderful organic, whole wheat pain au levain [sourdough bread.]

Sitting in the charmingly decorated location that they have in the Marais around the big communal table, we had a warming bowl of potimarron [chestnut-flavored squash] soup and two nice salads: one with artichokes and beans, the other with tofu and three tasty sauces. The tofu might have benefited from being marinated but it was still an impressive and satisfying salad. Just look at the photo I took!

PROS: Openly vegan friendly, organic, multiple locations, sells nice oils, spreads etc.

CONS: No vegan desserts.

Le Pain Quotidien
18, Rue des Archives, 75004
Métro: Hôtel de Ville
Tel : 01 44 54 03 07

I haven’t had a chance to check out the new place yet but I have a soft spot for the original on Rue de la Bûcherie. Unlike a lot of Paris veg spots, Le Grenier has a touch of diversity to the menu, so you don’t all have to be in the mood for the same kind of food. At the same time, you wouldn’t mistake it for a high-end vegetarian restaurant in the US or UK: it’s more a place to get reliable staples in a welcoming and fun atmosphere than a place to experience unique creations.
 
My favorite thing to eat there is the crispy fried breaded seitan kebabs served over couscous in a traditional tagine. Miam, Miam!

PROS: Central locations, comfortable, friendly, vegan friendly, organic, varied menu.
CONS: Not 100% vegan 

Le Grenier de Notre-Dame
18 Rue de la Bûcherie, Paris 75005
Metro: Saint-Michel Notre-Dame
01 43 29 98 29

For those times, I recommend Cheezly. It’s not French style, but rather English style. It’s for those times when you don’t feel like hitting the Eurostar to satisfy your Anglophile urges. You can pick it up at Le Grand Appétit in the 4th and Rendez-vous de la Nature in the 5th. 

They make a few different types. The one I like best is called “Mature White Cheddar” but it is actually kind of like Cheshire, with excellent crumbling properties. It is magnificent as the centerpiece of a Vegan Ploughman’s sandwich in your bread of choice with a slathering of Branston Pickle purchased either at Galeries Lafayette or Passage Brady.

Disclosure: I have never tried to melt it, so I don’t know if it passes the Nachos test.

Pros: Delicious

Cons: Totally fake