There are plenty of fancy restaurants in Paris, delightful cafés, and boulangeries where you can grab a lunchtime baguette the size of your arm. But sometimes you just want something a little different. The french may be renowned for their gastronomy, but there are two types of food that the Parisians do not handle so well - vegetarian food (or at least some form of it that does not involve cheese) and spicy food. After filling up my arteries with crêpe au fromage when I need a savoury hit on my touristy travels, I was aching for something with the crunch of vegetables. In addition to this, I was craving something with a bit of a kick.
So I headed to the historic Jewish district of Le Marais and joined the throngs of people queueing at L'As Du Fallafel.
The Marais district of Paris is one of my favourite areas. The architecture is noticeably different, having been the aristocratic stronghold of Paris until the 1700s. After they moved out it became a commercial centre, and still today there is some amazing shopping to be done in The Marais, with plenty of big brand names alongside independent boutiques. The area is also one of the centres of Paris' LGBT community, adding another dimension to it's history of diversity.
And of course, the area has also been long associated with the Jewish community in Paris. It is worth visiting the beautiful art nouveau Synaguoge Agoudas Hakehilos, which was designed in the Art Nouveau style by Hector Guimard, the man behind the iconic Paris Metro station signs. On a more tragic note, throughout the district there are constant reminders of the atrocities many members of Paris' Jewish community endured during the occupation of France by the Nazis. There are many plaques on the walls of gardens, listing the names of those transported to the concentration camps, many of them young children.
After the Second World War ended, the Jewish community reestablished itself here. There is the Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme, and many fascinating shops and sites relating to Jewish culture to be seen. Furthermore, this is without doubt the place to come to sample traditional Jewish foods from the multitude of delis and bakeries. Or like I did for some amazing falafel.
L'as du Fallafel is located in the "Pletzl" Jewish quarter. The ancient winding streets fill up quickly because this place is super popular. In fact the crowds get so big they have instituted a terrifying queuing system based upon coloured tickets. You need to decide what you want before you queue, join the queue, desperately try to grab one of the men running up and down the queue with the tickets, then place your order. Then it seems they decide who they want to pluck from the queue and send to one of two window. To be honest I don't possess an advanced degree in mathematics, so I don't know how they were doing it.
However, let me tell you what you are going to order - you are going to order the 'fallafel special' for 6€.
Oh yes. That is what you want.
I cannot describe how good this was. Let's start with the bread - SO SOFT. not soft like that cheap white bread that returns to dough when you squish it. No. Pillow soft. The aubergines are grilled to perfection, not slimy but substantial and still with a little bite.
This softness is complimented by a generous portion of fresh tomatoes and crunchy coleslaw.
And the falafels are so perfect - crunchy outsides, fluffy centres, and spiced to perfection. And before you think that the only falafels are the ones on the top, you are wrong. They put one lot of falafels in the bottom of the bread, load it up with other ingredients, then put another helping of falafels on the top. Yes! Falafel all the way to the bottom - that is your money's worth!
The whole thing is topped off with cool yoghurt dressing and spicy sauce (you can decide how hot).
I have had some pretty great meals here in Paris, but without a doubt this is one of the best. And at only 6€, what is not to love?
Ok, the queueing system is a mess, but it's not terminal. The only other drawback is if you are in Paris for only a short time, it is not open during the day on Saturdays because they (like many other places in the Marais) observe Shabbat. But for a casual Sunday stroll, why not pick up a falafel special and then head to the beautiful Jardins des Rosiers and make a picnic like I did with a friend? It is pretty much perfect.
Details
L'As du Fallafel
34 rue des Rosiers,
4e
Paris
Mon-Thu, Sun noon-midnight
Fri 12n-4pm
Sat 6pm-midnight
So I headed to the historic Jewish district of Le Marais and joined the throngs of people queueing at L'As Du Fallafel.
The Marais district of Paris is one of my favourite areas. The architecture is noticeably different, having been the aristocratic stronghold of Paris until the 1700s. After they moved out it became a commercial centre, and still today there is some amazing shopping to be done in The Marais, with plenty of big brand names alongside independent boutiques. The area is also one of the centres of Paris' LGBT community, adding another dimension to it's history of diversity.
And of course, the area has also been long associated with the Jewish community in Paris. It is worth visiting the beautiful art nouveau Synaguoge Agoudas Hakehilos, which was designed in the Art Nouveau style by Hector Guimard, the man behind the iconic Paris Metro station signs. On a more tragic note, throughout the district there are constant reminders of the atrocities many members of Paris' Jewish community endured during the occupation of France by the Nazis. There are many plaques on the walls of gardens, listing the names of those transported to the concentration camps, many of them young children.
After the Second World War ended, the Jewish community reestablished itself here. There is the Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme, and many fascinating shops and sites relating to Jewish culture to be seen. Furthermore, this is without doubt the place to come to sample traditional Jewish foods from the multitude of delis and bakeries. Or like I did for some amazing falafel.
 |
| Also it is recommended by Lenny Kravitz. Really. |
L'as du Fallafel is located in the "Pletzl" Jewish quarter. The ancient winding streets fill up quickly because this place is super popular. In fact the crowds get so big they have instituted a terrifying queuing system based upon coloured tickets. You need to decide what you want before you queue, join the queue, desperately try to grab one of the men running up and down the queue with the tickets, then place your order. Then it seems they decide who they want to pluck from the queue and send to one of two window. To be honest I don't possess an advanced degree in mathematics, so I don't know how they were doing it.
However, let me tell you what you are going to order - you are going to order the 'fallafel special' for 6€.
Oh yes. That is what you want.
I cannot describe how good this was. Let's start with the bread - SO SOFT. not soft like that cheap white bread that returns to dough when you squish it. No. Pillow soft. The aubergines are grilled to perfection, not slimy but substantial and still with a little bite.
This softness is complimented by a generous portion of fresh tomatoes and crunchy coleslaw.
And the falafels are so perfect - crunchy outsides, fluffy centres, and spiced to perfection. And before you think that the only falafels are the ones on the top, you are wrong. They put one lot of falafels in the bottom of the bread, load it up with other ingredients, then put another helping of falafels on the top. Yes! Falafel all the way to the bottom - that is your money's worth!
The whole thing is topped off with cool yoghurt dressing and spicy sauce (you can decide how hot).
I have had some pretty great meals here in Paris, but without a doubt this is one of the best. And at only 6€, what is not to love?
Ok, the queueing system is a mess, but it's not terminal. The only other drawback is if you are in Paris for only a short time, it is not open during the day on Saturdays because they (like many other places in the Marais) observe Shabbat. But for a casual Sunday stroll, why not pick up a falafel special and then head to the beautiful Jardins des Rosiers and make a picnic like I did with a friend? It is pretty much perfect.
Details
L'As du Fallafel
34 rue des Rosiers,
4e
Paris
Mon-Thu, Sun noon-midnight
Fri 12n-4pm
Sat 6pm-midnight
No comments:
Post a Comment