PARIS MAY 2018: PT 2

Top - Amour Vert, Jeans - Good American, Bag - Angela Roi, Sunglasses - YSL

Keep reading for two more days of food and fun in Paris!
Jump links to follow for the TLDR crowd. 


See PT 1 of my trip here!
See my Ultimate Paris Vegan Guide here!
See what I pack in my carry on here!

Itinerary for my third and fourth days in Paris

Tuesday
Lula Cantine
Quai de Jammapes
Les Passages Couvert
Hotel Amour

Wednesday
Picnic on Pont de la Tournelle (with recipes)
Le Grenier de Notre Dame
a La Folie

Brunch on Tuesday was at Lula Cantine. They are a vegetarian cafe, but have lots of vegan options and even have a fully vegan brunch every Sunday! The waitress recommended the "enchiladas" (which turned out to be more of a burrito) - I got it 'veganized' and my friend got the vegetarian options. Both of us really enjoyed it, as was evident by our plates that had been completely scraped clean! Word to the wise, Lula (along with many other parisien restaurants), stop serving food between breakfast and lunch hours. We showed up to Lula during the interim, and unfortunately, quite hungry. Luckily they were nice enough to make us some fresh juice to tide us over, but you may not be so lucky elsewhere!

The Enchiladas at Lula Cantine

On the way to Lula we actually came across another vegan restaurant that I hadn't heard of previously, Bodhi Vegan! They were closed at the time so we didn't get a chance to check it out, but wanted to put it on your radar incase you are in need of some vegan asian fusion!

Post-lunch we headed a few blocks over to the Quai de Jammapes along the Canal Saint-Martin, just to digest and enjoy the sunshine. This is a great area to explore on a beautiful day, lots of little shops and cafes to enjoy, or people watching is always good too!

Jean - Good American, Bag - Angela Roi

Next on the agenda were Les Passages Couverts, the18th century glass-roofed shopping galleries. Created for the bourgeoisie, these "tunnels" were quite literally carved into existing building, and even if you're not interested in the shopping (it's a bit touristy) the architecture itself is worth the visit.

Having walked about 8 miles, it felt as though we had earned a cocktail, so we popped into the trendy, boutique Hotel Amour in the hip/still mid-gentrification neighborhood of Pigalle. Pigalle is just down the hill from the more well known (read: touristy) neighborhood of Montmartre. The indoor/outdoor restaurant that is the nucleus of the Hotel Amour is a mini oasis amidst the noise of the neighborhood. While they don't offer much in terms of vegan food, it was the perfect spot for a cocktail. The hotel itself is quite charming, and would be a great location for anyone trying to have a more authentic Paris experience.

We closed out the night meeting friends for more spritz (all the spritz!), and a pretty spectacular view of Sacre Coeur - not a bad way to close out the night, and the first half of my week in Paris.

my French Canadian boyfriend.

Sacre Coeur

Wednesday was so beautiful we decided it would be the perfect day to have an early afternoon picnic on the Seine (the river that intersects Paris). We (and by we, I mean Trent) chose the perfect spot on the bank of the river, beneath Pont de la Tournelle. This spot has the perfect view of Notre Dame and was a pretty idyllic place to have lunch.

My sous chef, Brian.

We popped into the market and grabbed ingredients for a simple and easy to transport lunch: mache with my favorite avocado dressing, lentil salad with beets and mint, hummus and (of course) fresh baguette. I'll include the (loose) recipes below for those interested!

Mache Salad with Avocado Dressing

Ingredients
1 bag mache lettuce

1 ripe avocado
1 lemon, juiced
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp dijon mustard (Maille if you want to be very french!)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Prep
In a bowl, mash together avocado, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, dijon and season to taste. Just before serving, mix dressing in with lettuce. Because we were "travelling" with our salads, I simply placed the dressing on the bottom of the container, topped with the lettuce and combined when we arrived!

Lentil and Beet Salad

Ingredients
1 lb steamed brown lentils
1-2 cups steamed or roasted beets, cubed
1 handful fresh mint leaves, chopped

Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp dijon
Juice from beet packaging (if you have it), could sub a splash of maple syrup
Salt & Pepper to taste

Prep
Dress lentils and beets with EVOO, Balsamic (a few glugs of each), beet juice if you have it, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Add mint fresh mint right before serving (dressing will wilt it if it sits too long).

Of course our picnic wouldn't have been complete without a bottle of rose - what else?

I'll be moving into this apartment shortly, thank you!

After lunch we strolled up Quai de la Tournelle and browsed the bouquinistes (vendors that sell used books, artwork and trinkets, situated along the Seine). Without any hurry, we eventually made our way over to Le Grenier de Notre Dame for a coffee.

Le Grenier de Notre Dame claims it's title as the first vegetarian restaurant in Paris (since 1978). While I cannot validate those claims, I can say when I saw their menu I was very disappointed to have just eaten lunch. Everything looked delicious! I will definitely be back for a meal during my next visit in August!

Almond Milk Cappuccino 

If you didn't 'gram it did it even happen?

Later that evening we met friends for drinks and dancing at La Folie, a bar/casual restaurant/event space in La Villette. I was a bit of a bad blogger (it happens people) and forgot to take photos. I will say, la Folie is a perfect place to spend a summer evening. They boast ample outdoor space/seating (not always the case in Paris). While the food they serve is primarily bbq, they do actually have a vegetarian option which was made vegan for me by forgoing the cheese!

Sunglasses - Ray Ban and vintage Gucci

We took over the dancefloor until close and then headed to a friends new apartment nearby. SWOON. Of course I had to turn the perfectly restored apartment into a photo op - can you really blame me?

Camisole - The Kooples, Duster - Naked Wardrobe, Jeans - Good American

Stay tuned for the final post, my last three days in Paris!