Monday, May 12, 2014

Who's House? The Vegetables' House!

Mushroom Pate With Onion Jam
And A Bottle Of Wine!
     Saveurs VegetHalles was a site for sore feet. It is located in a business and shopping part of Paris, but close to the Seine and Louvre, yet it was feat to find. Let me defend myself. It's down a side street, which we went down at first with the numbers getting smaller and smaller, but then I concluded, without going to the end of the street. The building number is 41, that it couldn't be down this street, right? It also doesn't help that Europe is lackadaisical in numbering their buildings.  No matter my reasoning, boy was I wrong. We walked around, even went into a hotel and asked for directions, but in the end we found it. Perhaps for the second time. I even put a photo of the outside in case anyone experiences my same fate. Luckily for me, the special one is patient with me as I try to navigate foreign lands in the quest for vegan eats.


Végét'Halles omelet with spinach and mushrooms of Paris
You say Crepe I say Omelet
     After wandering around the city, the host greeted us and asked in French if we had reservations. All I heard was reservation? My response, no. After asking if he spoke English, he said no problem and found us a quaint table in the back. No small feat since the entire place creeping to capacity. See how awesome and accommodating Parisians are! To reward ourselves for our navigation skills and persistence, we ordered a nice bottle of rose wine and two appetizers to start.
     Not everything in the restaurant is vegan, but the majority is vegan and the menu is clearly marked. After pursuing the menu we went with the mushroom pate and omelette.  The mushroom pate was chilled and interesting. Not quite as impressive as  Le Protager du Marais (I haven't located the pictures!). The onion jam was a nice addition. Not sure if that is how it's traditionally served or not, but proof that veganized version of french cuisine can be just as exquisite. The Omelette was equally satisfying, though a little on the dry side without the gushing of vegan cheese found in the crepe of Loving Hut. I'm sure there's a fine point of the difference between them, but they seam quite similar to me. 
Escalope Of Seitan With Mushroom Sauce 
Vegan Meat and Potatoes 
    Like the Loving Hut,  Saveurs VegetHalles showcases how awesome meat substitutes can be. After the long wandering walk, we wanted something hearty, delicious and satisfying. The special one choose the escalope of seitan with mushroom sauce, paired with brown rice some potatoes and perhaps a risotto. The texture of the seitan was delicious and complemented with the creamy mushroom sauce. Exactly the type of meal you want after a busy running with your heads cut off trying to take all that Paris has to offer. 


Athletic Plate (Chicken Cutlet, Seitan Pepper Steak vegetable skewer shrimp with pineapple & lemon) 
Vegan Meat Lovers!
     Yup, I got the athletic plate. What I really call it is the vegan meat lovers plate. The seitan steak was identical to the special one's plate, but this was a good thing. The cutlet was a decent fake chicken was a tangy dipping sauce. I tried one of the pineapple shrimp, the pineapple was awesome, but the shrimp was a little too much for me. Not in a bad way, but I've never liked seafood to begin with so this wasn't super appealing to me. I did give it a try, though, so I get some points for that, right? Remember this is coming from someone with one of those sophie's vegan seafood dishes in my freezer for almost a year now. I'm too scared to try it. Lucky for me, the special one loved it and ate the rest and I may or may not have gotten some extra seitan out of the deal.

Café Gourmand; coffee, chocolate hazelnut cream, carrot cake, fresh fruit salad
Dessert!
     After that meal, you might be judging me for getting dessert (and to be honest I was stuffed), but I do it for you, my lovely readers. And maybe for my sweet teeth. No matter, I couldn't pass this dessert up. It had portions of every dessert on the menu, kinda like a dessert version of the athletic plate. Every restaurant should take this approach, call it the kitchen sink or whatever. What it does is that it makes  it easier to choose because you get to sample everything.  Plus as an American in Paris, the coffee...err espresso...is so tiny you have to drink it all day. The hazelnut cream was the stand out of the plate and was an excellent way to finish out the evening.
Saveurs VegetHalles Outside
Don't Get Lost! 



No comments: