Paris adventure

Here is a first.

A blog post recommending delicious vegan food based on one of my journeys, but with no photos.

Why no photos? Let me explain.A few days ago I was coming out of exit two at Metro République, listening to music through my phone and feeling rather pleased with myself. It was a track from the Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett album, for those asking.

All day long, from my hotel on Rue Charlot right across to the Tour Eiffel, I had my hand in my pocket resting on my phone.

But as I rode the escalator up through exit two of République, I removed my hand from my pocket to steady myself on the handrail as I neared the top. Instantly my music stopped.

I looked down to see the end of my headphones dangling in mid air. I saw a man hurry past me as I stepped off the escalator. This all happened within the space of two seconds.

I was angry and frightened but I decided to follow the thief.

After a few minutes of watching him, I saw him pull my phone out of his back pocket to inspect it. I started walking toward him but then thought better of it. What if he reacted violently? Would he just deny it and leave me standing there? I felt angry, frightened and rather silly at this point.

It was a phone. It was gone. I decided to walk away as he boarded a bus out of the busy square. The icing on the cake was being told by a police officer that I shouldn’t have been afraid to confront him as I am supposed to be a big strong man.

The theft of my phone isn’t a tragedy but it does mean we have no food photos to look at from my trip to Paris, nor can we marvel at the photo I took of the Eiffel Tower at sunset which was probably the best photo ever taken of the landmark (of course nobody ever says that!).

Even though I can’t show you what I ate, I do want to give you some of my vegan tips for Paris.

Here goes:

HANK Burger – Truly one of the best burgers I have eaten in my life. I would eat here every single day if I could. They start every burger with a bun, house made veggie steak, red onions, pickles and salad. From there, you choose your topping from a list. I opted for the l’Allumé which was dripping in smoked BBQ sauce. I paid for Le Grand Menu meaning I also got fries, a drink and a fabulous pot of strawberry sorbet. Eat here often if you can.

M.O.B. – I did manage to write about this place before my phone was stolen, so click here for the full details. 100% vegan with two locations in Paris. Highly recommended for healthy fast food with beer if you wish.

Loving Hut – How many times have I fallen back on this trustworthy chain? You will find a lot of the same style of cooking in the Paris LH as you do in others all over the planet, but with a few French twists. My vegan cheeseburger was out of this world. I don’t know why, but every burger I ate in Paris was incredible. Nobody does burgers anywhere near as good in the UK.

Un Monde Vegan – This vegan supermarket is impressive and much needed if you find yourself in Paris on Monday or Tuesday when most restaurants appear closed or running on reduced hours. Get all the ingredients you need to whip up your own vegan masterpiece. Pantry items, chocolates, shoes, cheeses, plant-based meats and plenty more.

Gentle Gourmet – I don’t know how they do it so well when so many others fall short, but Gentle Gourmet is probably the most consistently outstanding vegan restaurant in Europe. They even made a bagel into a work of art when they stuffed it with marinated tempeh, fresh tomato and cream cheese. My plate of cannelloni was one of the finest meals I have ever been served. Don’t forget the homemade ice cream. My bowl came with three flavours (cookies and cream/peanut butter and chocolate/oat cookie dough) and was topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

Le Potager du Marais – I am not including this because I ate with the restaurant, I am including it because I want to eat there. This place has bizarre hours that didn’t cater for this vacation so I will look forward to their exquisite menu next time. So many people have absolutely raved about this place.

Please add your Paris favourites in the comments below!

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