L’Apollinaire – French treat right in front of the Eiffel Tower
The petite restaurant L’Apollinaire in Paris, 7 rond point du pont de Mirabeau, is a real secret spot when it comes to vegan and non-vegan food. We got to know every corner of Paris and tried almost everything, but nothing was as promising as this beautiful french delicacy.
1. Location
The L’Apollinaire is placed perfectly: the train takes you nearly right in front of the entrance and in a few hundred meters you can admire the Eiffel tower, the landmark of the french capital. So if you need an after-dinner-walk, you know just where to go!
The inside of the restaurant is very appealing to the both of us. It is decorated classy and welcoming and the combination of gold, red and dark wooden colors creates a unique atmosphere. The tables are pretty close together, which is something you need to get used to while staying here as it is something kind of typical for Paris. It’s all a bit smaller than at home!
What we notice next is something not so typical coming from the music boxes: Reggae! Yes you read right. The sound of Reggae music is at first a bit irritating but as time passes we both agree that it fits perfectly to the calm and classy ambiance of the restaurant.
2. Service
Again typically French is our waiter, who unfortunately doesn’t understand neither English nor German. Our French is just enough to communicate, which is a little stressful but also a lot of fun. Nevertheless, our waiter is incredibly friendly and polite. He seems to be having as much fun as we do.
3. The drinks
The choice of drinks is appropriate – there is soft drinks, water, juices, tea, coffee, wine, beer, cocktails and more. Especially the wine menu is pretty abundant. And so is the price, which again is not unusual for Paris because it contains the extra tip which in Germany usually is paid at the very end. A beer is about 7 to 9 euros, a glass of wine starts at 4 euros. Therefore we can fully recommend you the ‚Happy Hour‘ between 4 and 8 pm, which almost every bar or restaurant in Paris offers. At this time, you can get a lot of drinks much cheaper than usual.What adds to the positive impression of the L’Apollinaire is the vegan label of the drinks, so you know exactly what is possible to drink.
4. The food
The choice of food is various for both of us. There is a board in the restaurant itself that has alternating dish written on it – vegan and non-vegan. The vegan choice is incredible. Almost 2/3 of the food on the board is vegan, starter, main course and even dessert. BUT: The menus on the board are not all named on the website of L’Apollinaire so don’t get scared off by the menu online, just go directly to the restaurant and take a look at the board.
Before the actual starter we are served a big basket of fresh bread, which seems to be common for French restaurants. Another plus: the bread is already included, no extra payment necessary.
The starter „Du fromage aux choix“ is actually meant solely for Stefan, because Esther was quite sure that she wouldn’t take a three-course-meal. But the chefs didn’t seem to accept that so they spontaneously replaced one regular cheese with a vegan variation. We certainly didn’t expect that! But it was very of them to think that we would want to share. The cheese is decorated with walnuts plus a side salad with a dressing.
The main dish for Stefan is called „Filet de bœuf sauce bleu“ and is all about the beef-side of Beef Or Leaf: Rib-eye-steak with beans and potato casserole. In addition a spicy cheese dip is served. Esthers vegan main dish is a „Steak de Lentilles Riz & Ratatouille“, a vegan lens burger with rice and ratatouille-vegetables.
For dessert we decide to share a mellow vegan “Carrot Cake”.
My main course consists of a piece of delicious rib-eye-steak, green beans and a piece of potato casserole. At my request the meat is almost raw on the inside (“bleu”). In France as well as in Germany you normally get asked how you’d like your meat. In French you can order:-
„bleu“ = almost raw
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„saignant“ = somewhat undercooked
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„à point“ = medium
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„bien cuit“ = well-done
The spices of the meat are perfect and make a good combination with the cheese sauce. The beans are fresh and crispy. There’s nothing to complain about!
Even the dessert, although vegan, is a real enjoyment. It tastes fruity and has a light and fluffy texture. The carrot cake is decorated nicely with red syrup and powdered sugar, which adds perfectly to the light citrus flavor.
All in all the visit is a real success. A tasty three-course-menu that leaves you full and satisfied. Just like a steak house, but better!
Even though I haven’t ordered a starter at all, I still get one. Awesome! To Stefan’s regret, one of the three cheeses was kindly replaced with a vegan cheese. It tastes very much like the German “Wilmersburger” and its smoky flavor fits perfectly with the walnuts.
My main dish is served as a huge tower made of rice, ratatouille and a burger made of lenses, decorated with fine herbs. The burger has a nice consistency and tastes almost like a real hamburger. The dip is spicy and the ratatouille fresh. All together makes a very natural taste and doesn’t give you an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach.
The dessert is the bomb! A nicely arranged little sweet piece of carrot cake, that tastes fresh and juicy. The combination with the red syrup, which is evenly spread in little dots, is just delicious.
The portion sizes are perfect and is neither too big nor too small. It leaves you satisfied and full for the rest of the day, which is just right for a long day of sightseeing. What I am really stoked about is the vegan choice and that L’Apollinaire is embracing vegan food so much, which unfortunately is a real exception to other French restaurants.
5. Nice-To-Know
It’s no problem to take home your leftovers. You can pay with cash or credit card. The prices for the food are relatively normal considering the included tip, as mentioned before. For a vegan main course you pay about 12 to 13 euros, for a main with meat it’s a little more. The most expensive thing about the food is the drinks – definitely. But this is endurable if you visit L’Apollinaire at Happy Hour. However the food is more than worth the money.Summary
L’Apollinaire has a unique yet great amount of vegan choices which is amazing and rare for a restaurant in Paris. For groups or couples that want to go out to vor vegan and non-vegan food, this restaurant is the best place to go to because there is something for everyone. The food is varied and high-quality and has a typical french flair.
Vegans will definitely feel at home – and so will meat eaters!
BOL
