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DATE NIGHT @ SOYA


For my bestie’s last weekend in Paris before she moved to Munich for the next chapter in her professional life, we planned a little dinner date à deux at Soya, which I had been dying to try. I couldn’t think of anyone better to give this place a whirl with. This gal and I have made Paris our stomping ground, and have grown up so much since our arrival at the same Uni in 2008. It’s pretty crazy how time flies. I must say, the hard thing about expat life is that people leaving for new horizons becomes a common thing. I’ve been the one that’s left before – as I’m sure other expats totally get this feeling, too – so it’s a bittersweet goodbye, that is filled with so much excitement. Now I’ve gotta get my ass to Munich cos I miss her too much.

Soya is a magical vegetarian canteen that serves quality organic food (finding spots with a not as easy as you may think to come by in Paris). The deco has got that earthy yet industrial feel, big beautiful wooden doors, lit candles, some artwork, on the walls, wooden benches and a chalk board where they jot down what’s on the menu. It’s that “less is more” déco that is just perfect in my book. We kicked off the evening with Soya’s mezze plate which was yummy as. For the main dish I went with the lasagna, which I just loved every bite of. My date had the epic quinoa salad with falafel and a sort of veggie tajine with some hot sauce.

Ana Clara, the Brazilian bombshell photographed above, has always been someone I admire for many reasons. One of these one hundred reasons being that this girl truly cares about her body what she puts in it food-wise, which is actually pretty hard in this day and age (or at least I find). I’m not a vegetarian, but eating meals with no meat now and again comes more often than not in my house, and trying some colorfully crafted quality meals without meat is always fine by me.

Soya
20, rue de la Pierre-Levée, 75011
Tél: (reservations recommended)
Métro: Goncourt (11), République (3, 5, 8, 9, 11)

SUNDAY FUNDAY

I love traditions. I inherited this love from my mother. I like the idea of things and moments repeating themselves. It gives me something to look forward to, and to continuously appreciate. I sometimes wonder how lame things could be if it weren’t for traditions.

With that said, my bestie and I are starting a new tradition: random frolicking in Paris on the weekends. This past Sunday was our first Sunday Funday, and we filled it up with vegan cupcakes, a pumpkin spice flat white, a deliciously hoppy pint, quick play of tourist and hot cocoa with Valerie and finished it off with some indian food with more awesome friends.

Sometimes a decently packed day like this one is needed for sanity. What’s better than riding a bike all over Paris on a surprisingly sunny autumn Sunday?

You can read about Ana’s take on our special day and our primary stop, Vegan Folie’s, here.


Vegan Folie’s
53, rue Mouffetard, 75005
Tél:
Métro: Place Monge (7)

Sugarplum Cake Shop
68 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 75005
Tél:
Métro: Cardinale Lemoine (10)

Chez Julien
1 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 75004
Tél:
Métro: Pont Marie

Chettinadu
15 rue Cail, 75010
Tél:
Métro: La Chapelle (2)

MAKING MY BODY HAPPY @ CAFE PINSON

Café Pinson is located in the heart of the Upper Marais.

I discovered Café Pinson through a Yelp Event a few months back, and was so excited to go back and indulge in their treats. Their juices rock my world.

One of those sunny mornings in early spring I decided to pop in and enjoy a juice with a new friend. Café Pinson has a variety of things on their menu available for people with dietary restrictions: gluten free + vegan. They promote a healthy way of enjoying sweets, and tasting their tasty unique creations that you may have never heard of. Even things like tree sap! The staff is friendly and the space is cozy as can be, with magazines and books piled around, and bookshelves filled with knick-knacks.

  

Café Pinson
6 rue du Forez, 75003
Tél:
Métro: Temple (3) / Filles du Calvaire (8)

VEGGIE BURGER DELIGHT @ EAST SIDE BURGERS

East Side Burgers is Paris’s first 100% vegetarian fast-food joint.

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but Paris isn’t the best place for vegans and vegetarians. Obviously you can always order things without meat and whatnot, but what about places dedicated to this lifestyle?  I always felt like when I get asked about where to go if you’re a vegan, I never have much to say. Now I do and I’m stoked about it.

One doesn’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy a delicious veggie burger!

The way East Side works is simple: you queue up, choose your burger, drink, etc.  & make your order, have a seat, and they’ll call your name when your burger is ready.

East Side serves two or three different kinds of burgers a day. The day that Steph and I popped in, the choices were  their Fromager burger & their Basque burger. I went with the Basque, which had a basque style tofu patty, caramelized spicy pepper, tomato & cheddar cheese. It was so delicious, and the perfect size. Their fries were equally delicous and I was thrilled to have room in my belly for both and not feel overly full.

The basement cant seat about 20 people (according to their website) and the turnover is relatively quick. I got the feeling most people in the line were getting burgers to go, as after a 15 minute wait before ordering, we went downstairs to the dining room and half of the tables were open.

It gets better. They don’t just serve burgers. They had all of their desserts (cheesecake!) on display that was quite tempting. They also carry vegan quiches and cheese nuggets amongst other snacks. You can even just stop in for a hot dog.

East Side Burgers
60, boulevard Voltaire, 75011
Métro: Saint Ambroise (9)/Richard Lenoir (5)

YELP PARIS ELITES @ CAFE PINSON

Do you Yelp?

Last week was March’s Yelp Paris Elite event at Café Pinson.. the theme was Detox. It was my first time at Café Pinson, and boy did this evening make me want to go back all the time.

I brought Olivia as my +1 to this event, and we mingled and indulged in delicious organic wines, epicly yumz juices (apple, carrot & lemon, beetroot and something nice, or a green delicoius kale) and other treats. On the menu was butternut squash velouté topped with kale, tofu & spinach madeleines (one of Pinson’s original recipes) and sweet potato falafels. Home run. After gobbling down all of these terribly good snacks, we had the delight of trying something rejuvenating that I had never even heard of before: birch sap. It was slightly chilled and we sipped it in precious Duralex cups.

One of the main things that had me head over heels for was their interior decoration. I just love the simplicity and color tones. From the shelves & knick knacks to the couches to the stools, it was cozy as can. It really is a wholesome place.

And of course, finally, it’s another resto where vegetarians and gluten-free eaters can go at eat freely. (We can all admit that Paris is not the best city for that, so places like this are making it more so!).

In detox we trust. Go ahead, give it a whirl!

Café Pinson is also getting creative with kale. They refer to it now as Chou Kale as you have probably seen on The Kale Project. It was a tough egg to crack with the French… WHAT DO WE CALL THIS?!

I for one am just glad to see this hearty green more present in this magical city.

Special thanks to Elodie for getting all of us Yelpeurs together! It was a hoot.

Don’t forget to check out for info on their daily specials and menus!

Until next time. I can’t wait to try out Pinson’s brunch!

Café Pinson
6, rue du Forez, 75003 Paris
Tél:
Métro: Temple (3), Filles de Calvaire (8)