Le Tricycle Hot Dogs

Hot dogs have taken off big time recently in Paris with the fast-food snack popping up at specially dedicated restaurants (Little Fernand) and trendy cocktail bars (Glass) alike, and food trucks - serving burgers and the like - have been going strong in the capital for the last couple of years (Camion qui Fume etc). Now, thanks to the lovely people behind Le Tricycle, the two trends combine, with Paris' first travelling hotdog stand having been launched earlier this month. Stunningly beautiful couple Coralie and Daqui pedal their red push-bike food cart to different - and invariably rollicking good fun - venues around the capital, serving the American street food classic with a twist: here everything is 100% vegetarian. Queues of intrigued - and salivating - punters line up at events such as Wanderlust Village to wolf down the fresh, tasty and more-or-less healthy wheat-protein dogs, with fun names such as Nate Dog (onion relish, fried onions), Snoop Dog (onion relish, fried onions, cabbage and carrots) and Red Hot Chili Dog (with chili sauce) all made to order using high-quality ingredients bought and prepared that very morning. Prices are super reasonable at just €4-5 and there are also scrumptious cookies and cheesecakes for dessert. Go on, treat yourself - have two. To find out where Le Tricycle will be next, see their website.

Café Pinson

The Northern Marais continues its reign as Paris' hipster hub with the arrival of stylish veggie cafe Pinson. Just opposite Nanashi, and just around the corner from Rose Bakery, this new arrival brings another trendy, healthy and laid-back eating option to the happening part of the Marais neighbourhood. In the space which was formerly quiche haven Tartes Kluger, interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon has created a light, bright and breezy atmosphere with geometric fabrics, bare brick walls and very Parisian white panelling, for the 100% organic and vegetarian cuisine. The daytime cafe has a seasonal, daily-changing menu of mostly vegan dishes, made without dairy and without gluten, such as kale, lentil and tofu salad, or beetroot and alfalfa tart, available in a fixed menu including a starter, main course and dessert for €17. Vitamin-packed fresh juices are made to order and cafe from Coutume is also on the menu for those needing even more of a boost. Brunch on Sundays (reserve in advance for brunch; otherwise without reservation). 

Café Pinson

6 rue de Forez

75003 Paris 

09 83 82 53 53

Open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-6pm

Coutume Cafe

Paris isn't traditionally known for its ability to make a decent cup of coffee, but award-winning French speciality coffee roasters and coffee shop Coutume Café, are making it their mission to change that.

Paris-Feni

Just off the well trodden track of rue Oberkampf is the Paris-Feni cafe, located in the charming Village Popincourt, a little pedestrianised square which is also home to some antique shops and the trendy pizza joint Al Taglio. Named after the the city in Bangladesh from which the two founders hail and the capital of France in which they now reside, Paris-Feni was aided by ADIE, an organisation which provides micro-credit to small companies who would ordinarily be unable to apply for more traditional loans, and which itself was founded by fellow Bangladeshi Dr Muhammad Yunis (who won the Nobel Peace Prize for the initiative in 2006). But not only is Paris-Feni good for the soul and the greater good of mankind in general, it's also good for the body and the wallet too. Seasonal, fresh fruit juices and salads, colourful and flavoursome Bengali-inspired dishes fill you up nicely whilst swiftly completing your five-a-day requirements, and the whole lot will set you back less than €15. The biryani, which comes in a vegetable, chicken or mixed variety, is particularly good. Delicious, virtuous and cheap - you'll leave feeling entirely cleansed (and with enough change to buy a packet of fags on your way home, should you wish to redress the balance). 

Paris-Feni 

15 bis rue Ternaux, 75011 Paris

Open Tues-Sun, midday - 11.30pm

All photos copyright Kim Laidlaw 

Nanashi - Le Bento Parisien - Marais Branch

Having opened the original Nanashi in Paris' 10th arrondissement last year, owner and man about town Lionel (who also runs Le Baron and a number of other elite Parisian establishments) has opened a second branch of this healthy Japanese-inspired canteen in the hipster neighbourhood of the moment, the Northern Marais. 

In keeping with the original branch, the menu here features daily-changing seasonal fare, conceived by chef Kaori Endo, formerly of the Rose Bakery.  The speciality is the bento box, which comes in veggie, meat and fish varieties, featuring a protein and a grain on one side (so tofu and brown rice, or fish croquettes and quinoa) and vegetables or salad on the other side of the two-compartment container. There are also brioche pizzas, salads, fresh juices and yummy cakes (the green tea and raspberry one even sounds like it might be good for you). 

The decor here is airier and more luminous than the original, with bright white walls, vast windows, lots of natural light and bold primary coloured chairs. If the original branch is a bit Berlin, this one could be described perhaps as a bit Stockholm. 

A great address for a healthy but hearty, and reasonably priced, lunch (the bentos come in at around €10), to eat in or take-away. 

Nanashi

57 rue Charlot, 75003 Paris

Tel: 01 44 61 45 49

All photos copyright Kim Laidlaw Adrey

Gontran Cherrier - Artisan Boulanger

Sexy French baker, Gontran Cherrier, has opened up a a new boulangerie in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The simple, airy corner space, with shiny white metro-tiled walls and a mosaic floor, provides a showcase for his innovative take on traditional French baked goods. Savoury options such as tartes fines (€4.20), a kind of French pizza, come with delicious toppings including rocket, tomato and bacon, or you can sample delicious bagels and rolls (€4.90), such as the veggie option of gaucamole and red onion in a green bun, coloured and flavoured with with rocket. More traditional viennoiseries (croissants and the like) and bread are also sold, as are cakes like the banana, pistachio and lime tarte we sampled on our visit. These delights can all be eaten in, seated along the window seats, where you can read a paper and have a coffee, or indeed can be taken away. 

Gontran Cherrier

22 rue Caulaincourt, 75018 Paris

Open 7.30am-8.30pm, Mon -Sat and 7.30am-7.30pm Sun. Closed Wed. 

photos copyright Kim Laidlaw. 

Hope Cafe

Hope Cafe

Burger at Hope Cafe

Hope Cafe

Hope Cafe

Hope Cafe

One of the latest editions to the 18th arrondissement's fine selection of neighbourhood eateries is Hope Cafe - an organic grocery-cafe hybrid in the residential area of Lamarck. Much in the same vein as Rose Bakery or Jeanne A, you can pop into Hope Cafe to for a bite to eat and pick up some seasonal veg, jam and other goodies from the epicerie section to restock your larder on your way out. It's also a great pitstop for the afternoon with soya lattes and fresh fruit juices on offer. Open for brunch, lunch and dinner, we sampled the two burgers they have on the menu on our trip - a delicious veggie one with a slice of apple as a garnish (a nice touch), and a classic beefburger, both served with an organic salad and fried potatoes, and washed down with a natural wine. 

Hope Cafe

64 rue Lamarck

75018 Paris

01 46 06 54 40

Open Tues-Sun, 10am-10.30pm (4.30pm Sun)

Opening of Nanashi - 31 rue de Paradis

Confetti System Decorations - Nanashi - 31 rue de Paradis 

Tonight was the opening party for the new canteen at 31 rue de Paradis and its christening - for, after much suspense, we now know that this hot new joint is called Nanashi! The large space offering Japanese-influenced healthy cuisine is the brainchild of Paris scenester Lionel (of Baron fame) and has Kaori Endo (formerly of the Rose Bakery) at the helm in the kitchen. The menu includes bento boxes as well as brioche pizzas and plenty of juices and moorish cakes. The decor, designed by Clarisse Demory, is bright and breezy in this high-ceilinged space with a large glass shop front, and is done up with pretty lamps and fringed decorations from an art collective called ConfettiSystem. 

Cocktails - Nanashi - 31 rue de Paradis - Opening Party

Confetti System decorations - Nanashi - 31 rue de Paradis - Opening Party

Nanashi - 31 rue de Paradis - Opening Party

Cake - Nanashi - 31 rue de Paradis - Opening Party

Fruit Salad - Nanashi - 31 rue de Paradis - Opening Party

Nanashi, 31 rue de Paradis, 75010 

www.31ruedeparadis.com

Open Mon-Wed, 9am-6pm, Thu-Fri 9am-midnight, Sat midday-midnight

Tel: 01 40 22 05 55

Krishna Bhavan - An Indian Restaurant in Paris

When it comes to Indian food, I've got high standards. For a start, I come from the UK, the country whose national dish is chicken tikka. I'm a well seasoned traveller on the Indian sub continent and even when I nip back to London, a trip to the Brick Lane curry houses is usually on the cards. So what's a gal to do when she craves Sag Aloo in Paris, where Indian food isn't the foreign fare of choice and when it is they put Laughing Cow cheese in their naan bread? Go to La Chapelle in North Eastern Paris, that's what. This area, not far from Gare du Nord, is Paris' Indian quarter and is lined with Indian restaurants, grocers and sari shops. The centre of this hub is the rue Cail, where my long time favourite Indian restaurant on the street, and by default, in the whole of Paris, can be found: Krishna Bhavan. It's a small and unassuming joint, decorated with kitsch hindi statuettes and packed with all kinds of people delighted to be getting their curry fix on. The restaurant is entirely vegetarian and my dish of choice is the Thali, a huge platter with a little bit of everything in it - dahl, aloo ghobi, aubergines, popadoms and even rice pudding. I would also recommend the delicious mango lassi but you'd have to be rolled out of the place if you ate a meal and drank one of those too. To top it all off, the menu is extremely purse friendly with a main course coming in at about 5 euros. Next time you crave a proper authentic Indian in Paris, you know where to go.

Krishna Bhavan

24 rue Cail, 75010 Paris

Open every day 11am - 11pm

Tartes Kluger

As you may have noticed, I heart Paris is just obsessed with communal dining right now (see Al Taglio, Bob's Kitchen and Bob's Juice Bar) and the new foodie hot spot in the trendy Northern Marais is helping us to feed (excuse the pun) this obsession. Tartes Kluger is a friendly, airy ground-floor-loft kinda space, which serves tarts at any time of day, to take away or to eat in at the long canteen-style tables scattered with gastronomic magazines and occupied by local trendies. There are innovative savoury and sweet tarts - we had a carrot, mint and lemon tart and a prawn and endive tart, and opted for the €9 formule which comes with salad. Alas, we had no room after that to try the sweet tarts, but that's a very good excuse to return.... There is also a mini shop area where you can by home-made jams and other goodies. A great place for a relaxed, easy and delicious lunch.

Tartes Kluger
6 rue de Forez,
75003 Paris
Monday - Saturday 10am - 8pm, Sunday 11am - 4pm
www.tarteskluger.com

UPDATE FEB 2013: Tartes Kluger has now closed, replaced by Cafe Pinson