Salad buffet at La Faim des Haricots
“I protect my restaurants!” That’s the sentence Darcy used when I asked her to tell me about her favorite restaurants in Toulouse. When I asked her to explain what she meant, she said she didn’t want everyone to discover them. They’re small restaurants, little jewels so to speak, whose owners she now knows and who offer reasonable prices. So now we understand why she doesn’t want everyone to invade them. At least she told me about the sandwich she was eating: it’s the new sandwich at the boulangerie in the neighborhood around the Dickinson Center, and you have to try it…as well as the pistachio cake sold at the same boulangerie.
Sipping tea at Dip’s Tea
Not everyone can be a papillary specialist like Darcy, but at least you can know what you like. David isn’t afraid to state: “I really like kebabs…it’s inexpensive, delicious and filling.” Where to find the best kebabs in Toulouse? Between Carmes and Place de la Trinité. Try their “Algerian sauce,” says the expert.
Let’s move on to the opposite of kebabs: vegetarian cuisine. Many students have discovered the well-known restaurant La Faim des Haricots, which Rosy told us about way at the beginning of first semester. Monica now tells us that it’s the best place to get a balances meal at a reasonable price. Ever since she discovered the “take-away” option, she’s become a faithful client. It’s only 1,20€ for 100g, whereas for a sit-down meal, you can choose meals for 10-14€. A good deal. But beyond price and practicality, why eat a vegetarian meal in France, where the cuisine heavily relies on meat? Exactly – it’s an alternative. Monica says, “we eat too much bread here! La Faim des Haricots gives other options. In the United States, we eat a lot of vegetables, which is more difficult to do here. Living with a host family, I have less control over what I eat. If I eat alone, I have to buy food and prepare it in advance. La Faim des Haricots allows her to find a good balance between typical French cuisine and a less well-known culinary tendency in France.
Summing up a semester in Toulouse wouldn’t be complete without a briefing on tea rooms. They’re everywhere, they’re delicious, like for instance Flower’s, L’autre salon de thé, Bapz, Le Bol Bu, Le Sherpa… But they’re also packed. Monica discovered one, however, with a fairly calm ambiance: Dip’s Tea. A bit hidden on rue du Pharaon, near Carmes, this tea room is never too full. Monica tells us that the last time she went there, she was the only person there and she stayed for two hours. The nice owner brought her freshly made madeleines. An intimate place, with delicious teas and cakes.
A group outing at Dip’s Tea