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-   -   What Does One Order in Parisian Restaurant/Cafe? (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/what-does-one-order-in-parisian-restaurant-cafe-766635/)

Guenmai Feb 8th, 2009 07:00 PM

Dandj2- You were asking about vegetarian food. I haven't eaten meat/poultry since 1976, but I will eat fish/seafood/eggs (sometimes), but mostly eat a mixture of vegan/macrobiotic along with fish/seafood dishes. I was macrobiotic through most of the 80s and fish is included in a macro balance.

As for Paris, I've eaten at Guenmai Vegetarian/Vegan/Macrobiotic Restaurant, regularly since the early 80s. And no, I have no affiliation with the place. I've had this nickname for decades.

The restaurant is in the 6th, and the food is great. It's only open for lunch.

Sophie,the owner, will pack food to go if you need it. She makes the best, fruit tarts and seitan brochette. She makes seitan brochette on Tuesday and there's usually some extras on Wednesday. It's seitan on wooden skewers. Absolutely delicious. A must try. You can buy them either separately or part of the plat de jour. And I always have a cup of Mu tea..no sugar or it will ruin the flavor.

The plat du jour cost 12.50 Euros and Mu tea, 2 Euros per cup. I don't remember the prices of the different fruit tarts as in my travel journal I didn't list some of the prices individually, but as a lump sum for my bag of food/groceries.

She also has a small grocery shop inside the restaurant. She sells Lima brand, boxed Mu tea there which I sometimes buy although it's easy to get here in L.A. But, sometimes I forget to take it with me.

As for how to get there, first she's located in the 6th. Take either metro Line 10 and get off at Mabillion which is the best stop, or take Line 4 and get off at either Odeon or St. Germain.

From Blvd.St.Germain, enter rue Buci and walk about half a block and to your left you will see a street. Turn LEFT there which is the only way you can turn and that's the only street that runs into rue Buci between Blvd.St.Germain and rue de Seine anyway. Then walk straight ahead, one block, and you'll see a big white building,trimmed in green.That's the place. It's a restaurant and the residence of Sophie and her family as they live above their restaurant, so the family is always there, cooking and making sure that things run smoothly.

It's the oldest organic restaurant in Paris. I eat lunch there almost daily as do many others from the neighborhood. I've seen a lot of the same neighbors since the early 80s.

You can google it for more info. It's in the google system.

I used to go to lots of Parisian vegetarian/macro restaurants in the late 70s/80s and early 90s mostly, but some have closed and I haven't really kept up with the new ones that have sprung up. Plus, I eat a lot of Asian food and there are plenty of those restaurants around along with falaffel (sp?) types of places. So, I just do Guenmai for lunch and the Asian restaurants for dinner and throw in a few cafes, department store cafeterias, and crepe stands while out shopping and I'm fine. Happy Travels!

Guenmai Feb 8th, 2009 07:20 PM

If you go to google and type in, guenmai restaurant paris, lots will pop up.

I just noticed that there's a review at happycow.net/reviews and there's a long list of vegetarian restaurants at happycow.net/europe/france/paris. I noticed on that list some of the old ones I used to eat at. One that's really good is Grand Appetit at 9,rue la Cerisaie near Bastille.

The other, Old School one, is Le Grenier de Notre Dame in the 5th. That one was very popular back in the day, but I liked the food quality/cooking of Guenmai much more.

There's also Paradis du Fruit which is listed, but not really vegetarian, but one can eat around the menu. I've eaten there for a long time. They are all over the city. There's one in the 6th, across from the river Seine, and one at Bastille and another near the Arc of Triomphe. A Parisian friend and I have eaten at those three locations. She first told me about the place back in the early 90s. Happy Travels!

ekscrunchy Feb 9th, 2009 04:04 AM

Thank you, Ira. As I've mentioned before, it might be a good idea to qualify your answers to reflect whether or not you have personal experience. If I ask someone to recommend a memorable restaurant and that person gives me an answer, as you did, I would expect that the responder had first-hand experience at the place that he or she is recommending and is not just parroting something from a guidebook or from someone else's review.

I hate to be persnickety about this, but if we all just threw about the names of hotels and restaurants that we had not even been to, the board would be far less valuable than it is now. I have mentioned this to you before, as you may recall.

Next time, it might be better to say something like "I have not been to Les Ombres but have heard that the view is fantastic." Or, just stick to discussing places you know first hand, and let someone with actual experience do the recommending!

Thank you for your cooperation.

dandj2 Feb 9th, 2009 07:46 AM

with everyone's help i will eat like a real parisian :)

it doesnt look like i will have any problems finding delicious food.

it is so wonderful to have 1st hand responses from people passionate about food and travel.

i think a roasted chicken and lovely potatoes will fit the bill.

also the scallops sound wonderful.

we may just check out a vegetarian/organic place too.

we have options !!


kerouac Feb 9th, 2009 08:43 AM

This thread frightens me.

SusanSDG Feb 9th, 2009 10:19 AM

How so?

bubblywine Feb 9th, 2009 12:10 PM

May I also suggest French onion soup aka soupe a l'onion. Soup-er delish!

avalon Feb 9th, 2009 12:52 PM

I think you'll find that as soupe a'la oignon

StCirq Feb 9th, 2009 01:56 PM

Actually, it's soupe à l'oignon.

bubblywine Feb 9th, 2009 03:18 PM

Thanks for the spelling correction. I type French like I speak it: poorly

dandj2 Feb 9th, 2009 05:50 PM

i can barely type this i am laughing so hard, but i hate onions.

god im a mess :)

ira Feb 10th, 2009 05:49 AM

Hi D,

>... i hate onions.<

But have you had the onion soup at Pied au Cochon or Au Chien Qui Fume?

((I))

ekscrunchy Feb 10th, 2009 06:10 AM

Dandi, I will not delve any more into your issues with food, but how do you manage to love Mexican fare and avoid onions? I cannot think of a major cuisine that does not frequently employ onions or alliums in someform!

Ira, I just wanted to remind you to read my address to you above on the chance that you missed it with all the talk of taboo foods..

dandj2 Feb 10th, 2009 09:36 AM

ekcrunchy

simple...

"can i have a cheese enchilada with no onions please. thank you.."

in salsa i can tolerate them but if too many i pick them out.

i usually make my own at home and dont add too many..
i can get walla walla sweets.. they are the best.

it isnt easy being me. i wish i didnt have such food troubles.

ekscrunchy Feb 10th, 2009 12:59 PM

Oh well..you are doing ok if that is the worst of your problems! I


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