We walked for hours. At least, it seemed that way on empty stomachs with restaurant after restaurant not having a single vegetarian meal. We were in desperation when we pointed to a busy, red walled place across the road.
“Let’s just go there, I can just eat bread.”
By a strike of luck, our waiting paid off and we were at the popular (with good reason) Chez Papa. The lunch special is good value if you are not vegetarian, but for me too there were a few options (which seemed like a million choices after reading too many menus with none). I opted for the Assiette Paysanne. It suggested a platter of cheese, stuffed tomatoes, potatoes and salad.
What arrived was a high-piled feast of different bites, all hearty and considered in flavour. The sliced, roasted potatoes had been done in butter so that they were the first thing tempting us as we entered. Tomatoes had been halved, hollowed and stuffed with mixed goats’ cheese. A tasty tart sat on top; a quiche of caramelised onions. Carrot and lettuce gave a healthier balance with a mustard, mayonnaise dressing.
Perhaps the most delightful aspect was that I was in France eating a well-priced, delicious and vegetarian meal...such things do not come up often.
The other eaters all seemed t be colleagues and friends on lunch breaks and as the clock struck two, we were the only ones remaining, breaking the strict eating schedule.
We were so full by the end that we had to decline dessert.
Other vegetarian options include open toasted sandwiches and salads. But I would recommend the assiette paysanne for its variety of typical flavours in a non-typical meat-free style.
Chez Papa
153 Rue Montmartre
75002 Paris France
+33 1 40 13 07 31
www.chez-papa.com
“Let’s just go there, I can just eat bread.”
By a strike of luck, our waiting paid off and we were at the popular (with good reason) Chez Papa. The lunch special is good value if you are not vegetarian, but for me too there were a few options (which seemed like a million choices after reading too many menus with none). I opted for the Assiette Paysanne. It suggested a platter of cheese, stuffed tomatoes, potatoes and salad.
What arrived was a high-piled feast of different bites, all hearty and considered in flavour. The sliced, roasted potatoes had been done in butter so that they were the first thing tempting us as we entered. Tomatoes had been halved, hollowed and stuffed with mixed goats’ cheese. A tasty tart sat on top; a quiche of caramelised onions. Carrot and lettuce gave a healthier balance with a mustard, mayonnaise dressing.
Perhaps the most delightful aspect was that I was in France eating a well-priced, delicious and vegetarian meal...such things do not come up often.
The other eaters all seemed t be colleagues and friends on lunch breaks and as the clock struck two, we were the only ones remaining, breaking the strict eating schedule.
We were so full by the end that we had to decline dessert.
Other vegetarian options include open toasted sandwiches and salads. But I would recommend the assiette paysanne for its variety of typical flavours in a non-typical meat-free style.
Chez Papa
153 Rue Montmartre
75002 Paris France
+33 1 40 13 07 31
www.chez-papa.com