Now I know a French restaurant is not instinctively the first place you’d consider for a vegan meal out, but the Nottingham Vegans' Facebook group had firsthand knowledge that things had changed in this Parisian establishment in Kings Walk in the city centre.
I ventured out on a blustery evening to see for myself - we were seated by the window and it was so cosy.
I was immediately presented with a vegan menu, while my other half stuck with the general one. The wine waiter came over to point out which of the drinks were also suitable, which was a nice touch.
French bread with both butter and vegan spread were served, again another nice touch and we were left to make our choices.
I was amazed at the sound of all the dishes and genuinely confused as to what to have. I opted for the Sri Lankan soup with coconut dumplings followed by the Moroccan bean burger.
My other half loved the sound of the mushroom crostini from the vegan menu, followed by a chicken dish, with a side order of green beans.
We also ordered a glass each of the vegan Pinot Grigio wine.
Whilst we waited for our starter we munched on the tasty bread and watched the world go by. Very swiftly our starters arrived and the smell coming from my soup bowl was mouth-watering. It was the right side of spicy with lots of chunky well cooked veg and three delicious mini coconut dumplings.
The vegan crostini looked equally tasty and I was able to purloin a slice of the toasted bread with a highly flavoured mushroom pate, grilled mushroom, pea shoots and hummus. Wow, it was gorgeous and such a generous portion.
We quaffed our chilled wine whilst we waited for the mains to make an appearance. I was really pleased to see that my burger didn’t come in the usual carb heavy bread roll but between pitta bread, which had been smeared with guacamole, layered with thinly-cut crunchy veg, then the small burgers and topped with pickled radish. Served with more guacamole and sweet potato fries.
Again, it was just so tasty. Often bean burgers can be claggy but this was moist and full of flavour. The crunchy veg was a nice touch and the radish added an interesting flavour that was slightly fermented and possibly not to everyone’s taste, but I loved them.
The sweet potato fries didn’t let the side down either, they were thin and crispy and plentiful.
I was reliably informed that the chicken supreme (served with fondant potatoes and a watercress sauce) was very tasty and moist too.
We really didn’t have room for a pudding but I was determined to try one so we shared what was hopefully the lighter option: roasted pineapple, dark rum caramel and sorbet. It was very well cooked, not overly sweet and a fairly small portion, so we just about managed to finish it.
Overall I was really impressed with the level of choice, the dishes themselves, the service offered by this long established restaurant and the value for money (starter and dessert £5.95 and mains £12.50).
As a vegan, if you’re bored of pasta and pizza, then pay a visit to Petit Paris and try food from all over the globe. You won't be disappointed.
For healthy eating advice from Susan visit her blog at nutrition-coach.co.uk
