Vegan in Paris / Pastries, Japanese Food & Nostalgia

Fun fact: my vegan journey began when I was living in France for a year, and over the weekend I had the opportunity to return to the scene of the crime! 

My friend and fellow blogger, Elisabeth (Red Violet Blog) invited me to a vegan Japanese cookery workshop, and so I made a weekend of it, arriving Thursday evening and staying until Sunday. Waves of nostalgia hit as I retraced some of the steps I'd taken with my family when we visited Paris for the first time back in 2004, and a second time in 2011. I was particularly dying to visit Montmartre and oh boy, it did not disappoint. Pure beautiful vibes, exactly as etched in my memory. Easily my favourite part of the entire city. It's no exaggeration to say that Paris will always have a special place in my heart.

What made this trip so vastly different from our family vacation though was that - now as an adult - I chose all the places I visited, stayed in a residential area as opposed to a hotel, and did a heck of a lot more walking through the busy streets. I packed so much into the weekend, it's actually borderline OTT. I had an amazing time with my friend (and her cat, Sésame!) and met some lovely people along the way. 

Naturally, I created a hit list of vegan places to visit. I hope you enjoy this week's video as much as I enjoyed editing it. And if you're planning a Paris trip, scroll down for my top picks of vegan places worth checking out.

1. Le Faitout - vegan bar and bistro. We enjoyed stunning French (vegan) cheese & desserts. Go for the live music too. It's a whole vibe.

2. Jah Jah by Le Tricycle - vegan restaurant serving hearty Ital food.

3. VG Pâtisserie - do not leave Paris without visiting this pastry shop. I'm serious. 

4. Hank Burger - one of a few chains (including Hank Pizza) serving up scrumptious vegan fast food.



5. Ara Chocolat - if you've got a chocolate-covered heart, be sure to stop by this cute, family-run artisan chocolate shop. As soon as you walk in, you'll be hit by the most intoxicating chocolate scent. I could have spent an hour in there.

6. Le Potager du Marais - my final restaurant stop of the trip. Go here for veganised classic French dishes. The customer service is also on-point.

And a couple of other pics worth sharing...

Apple-Miso turnovers made by Elisabeth. Can you say delicious! Find the recipe here.

Chef Miho serving up bite-size mont blancs. If you're ever in Nagoya (Japan), stop by her restaurant Grains!