Whenever I run across a raw restaurant in my travels, I feel compelled to try it. Raw food often times is prepared very creatively in gourmet restaurants. Upon reading about Pousse-Pousse, a small vegetarian restaurant and juice bar with mostly raw and vegan selections, I was eager to try it. We took 4 connections on the Paris Metro to get there and it was well worth the trip. This by far, was my favorite meal during our trip to France.

The servers brought out some amazing flax crackers and baguette slices before taking our order to snack on. I couldn’t get enough of the flax crackers and was even offered a second bowl which I also finished.

I started off with a fresh pressed juice made with beets, carrots, and ginger. It was divine and perfectly blended.

Next up was a delicious, spicy gazpacho which definitely had some cayenne heat.

My main entree consisted of an eggplant tart (baba ganoush), chutney (mango, cucumbers, pumpkin, red pepper, parsley and pumpkin seeds), salad with a lemon tamari dressing, and a raw caviar made with sprouts (not surprising considering the restaurant’s name “Pousse-Pousse” means “sprout-sprout” in French). The eggplant tart was made with eggplant, tahini, and garlic and was served warm. It was perfect to spread on the flax crackers or to eat alone. The chutney was an explosion of fresh fruits and vegetables. I was so impressed with all of the combinations that I asked the server if someone could write down (in English) what the ingredients were. The server sent the chef out who was a younger American woman who had lived in Syracuse, NY for many years. What a small world!

My husband ordered the polenta cake which was covered in a tomato curry chutney and also included the same side of mango-pumpkin chutney, raw caviar, and salad that my entree had. He noted his polenta cake was flavorful and pleasantly dense.

For dessert, I ordered the apricot crumble. It was a little tart for my liking, but was an interesting mix of crispiness and soft fruit.

All of the food was beautifully plated and as strange as it is to say, it felt like someone who really loved me created this meal. Overall, we were very pleased with our meal and would happily return if back in Paris.

We’d rate this meal a 4 1/2 out of 5 carrots on the veganlicious scale.