Bêp Viêt, the delicious vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant in Paris 13th arrondissement

Head for Paris's 13th arrondissement , a stronghold of Asian cuisine, to discover the brand-new Bêp Viêt, a Vietnamese restaurant just opened on rue Caillaux, a stone's throw from the Maison Blanche metro station. Housed in a former beer brewery, the restaurant is decorated in typical Vietnamese style with wicker, bamboo and green shutters.

We owe Bêp Việt to a trio of restaurateurs who are already delighting us in their well-known gourmet spots such as the excellent Ngoc Xuyen Saigon, which does honor to Phở, Didi Saigon or Q Bar, the Thai resto in the 11th arrondissement. Pascal, owner of Ngoc Xuyen Saigon, was on a trip to Vietnam at the time, and fell in love with a vegetarian restaurant he had just tried out there. He then decided to launch this new adventure to reveal all the treasures of Vietnamese vegetarian cuisine. He trained for a month on site to learn the recipes and subtleties.

You may not know it, but vegetarian cuisine is deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture. In Vietnam, it is common practice to eat vegetarian on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, mainly for religious and Buddhist reasons. Some also do it to grant a wish by deciding to eat vegetarian for a certain period of time. Today, trends towards healthy eating have increased the popularity of vegetarian dishes. The consumption of vegetarian dishes is a real success story in Vietnam, as more and more people choose to eat vegetarian for their health at any time of the month. It's a trend that's also happening in France, and one that prompted the acolytes to embark on this adventure.

The menu:

Still in its infancy, the restaurant offers a short menu featuring typical Vietnamese dishes. The menu features cabbage and banana flower salads, as well as spring rolls in mushroom and vegetable or tofu and lemongrass versions. These rolls are accompanied by a vegetarian nuoc mam sauce made from fermented pineapple. It's a real eye-opener! Bánh cuốns, the famous Vietnamese rice pancakes, are garnished with mushrooms and homemade marinated tofu, surrounded by a vegetarian Vietnamese pâté.

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On the main course, don't miss the famous pho , with its exceptional broth. With your eyes closed, you'll find all the flavors of a traditional broth, but made only with spices and vegetables, celeriac and onions. Marinated tofu and shitake mushrooms replace the meat. We're a little less convinced by the dumplings, but we're told the recipe is still being fine-tuned. We also like the Bo Bun, whose crispy egg rolls have nothing to envy the meaty versions.

As for desserts, we find the classic Chẽ with corn, white beans or tarot. We've decided not to go for the 3-color dessert on the menu, but for the 7-color! We love the durian garnish. Whether you're a connoisseur or not, it all depends... We also love the soursop milkshake, with its fragrant, tangy taste. Good texture, not too sweet, we like it.

Of course, as the restaurant is meat-free, it's perfectly suited to Halal and Kosher eaters. Note also that virtually the entire menu is vegan; when we visited, only the special of the day featured eggs.

In Paris, it's not always easy to eat Vietnamese without meat, and it's often at the temple that people end up. This restaurant offers a gourmet alternative. It also allows vegetarians to get away from the more classic salads and dishes they're familiar with, and immerse themselves in Indochinese flavors. So why not take your taste buds to new horizons at this new restaurant in the 13th arrondissement?