A good fallafel sandwich is enough to make you a vegetarian, at least for one meal. That's my feeling, anyway, and at L'as du Fallafel on Rue DesRosiers, in the heart of what was once Paris's most vibrant Jewish neighborhood — that feeling is compounded, because the fallafel is so good that this is the one culinary destination in town I never skip. And NOTE the name of the street. Do you now who it was named after?
The sandwich contains the requisite super-crisp, garlicky chickpea fritters, with creamy hummus, lightly pickled red cabbage (something between slaw and kraut), salted cucumbers and just-hot-enough harissa. This is all piled into a pita in such quantities that eating it is an adventure in napkin management.
You can make for a slightly neater experience by eating in, but aside from the cramped tables and the less than adequate service, there is something about this sandwich that begs for it to be eaten outdoors. So I ate my falafel standing, ducked into a doorway down the street as it was raining just a little bit but enough to need shelter. And as I look around, it's clear that I'm not alone in this.
You chomp on your pita, harissa and hummus dripping down your cheek — tilting your head to get a good bite, as there's no attacking this gargantuan sandwich head-on — and juggle as many napkins as you can grab, and marvel at the neighbourhood.
You can order it with a pile of frites on the top and most of the teenagers do exactly that but I don't recommend it. It is hard enough to eat without the frites yet alone avec pomme frites and it is also a lot of food on its own. If you are hungry and can't resist the smell of the frites then ask for mayonaisse on them ... a very european way of eating your french fries. I resisted ... do you know how many steps it takes to wear off a healthy dose of mayonaisse?
The Rue des Rosiers and its offshoot streets remain central to the lively district called Le Marais and is the favourite stomping ground of my brother-in-law Ron. With its kosher butchers and boulangeries, bookshops and synagogues it is also the central Yiddish district in Paris although I understand is not as involved with Yiddish traditions as it once was many decades ago as fashion shops have invaded the neighbourhood.
From a food perspective, it's unusual in that it features the Jewish food of Eastern Europe alongside that of North Africa and the Middle East. It is the latter, of course, on which L'As du Fallafel bases its cuisine, and although you may find it done better in other parts of the world (that I have not explored) this is THE fallafel destination in Paris.
Life is too short to not enjoy a top notch Fallafel even if you are trying to manage your weight while travelling.... enjoy.
Auto Guru in Paris
The sandwich contains the requisite super-crisp, garlicky chickpea fritters, with creamy hummus, lightly pickled red cabbage (something between slaw and kraut), salted cucumbers and just-hot-enough harissa. This is all piled into a pita in such quantities that eating it is an adventure in napkin management.
You can make for a slightly neater experience by eating in, but aside from the cramped tables and the less than adequate service, there is something about this sandwich that begs for it to be eaten outdoors. So I ate my falafel standing, ducked into a doorway down the street as it was raining just a little bit but enough to need shelter. And as I look around, it's clear that I'm not alone in this.
You chomp on your pita, harissa and hummus dripping down your cheek — tilting your head to get a good bite, as there's no attacking this gargantuan sandwich head-on — and juggle as many napkins as you can grab, and marvel at the neighbourhood.
You can order it with a pile of frites on the top and most of the teenagers do exactly that but I don't recommend it. It is hard enough to eat without the frites yet alone avec pomme frites and it is also a lot of food on its own. If you are hungry and can't resist the smell of the frites then ask for mayonaisse on them ... a very european way of eating your french fries. I resisted ... do you know how many steps it takes to wear off a healthy dose of mayonaisse?
The Rue des Rosiers and its offshoot streets remain central to the lively district called Le Marais and is the favourite stomping ground of my brother-in-law Ron. With its kosher butchers and boulangeries, bookshops and synagogues it is also the central Yiddish district in Paris although I understand is not as involved with Yiddish traditions as it once was many decades ago as fashion shops have invaded the neighbourhood.
From a food perspective, it's unusual in that it features the Jewish food of Eastern Europe alongside that of North Africa and the Middle East. It is the latter, of course, on which L'As du Fallafel bases its cuisine, and although you may find it done better in other parts of the world (that I have not explored) this is THE fallafel destination in Paris.
Life is too short to not enjoy a top notch Fallafel even if you are trying to manage your weight while travelling.... enjoy.
Auto Guru in Paris
So I guess the 5th & 6th generation Jews should take in the atmosphere and the falafels, n'est pas?
ReplyDeletePat jokingly calls it Awful Fallafel. Its the best.
ReplyDelete