Botanical wallpaper, banquettes covered in colorful cushions, wicker suspension lamps, shelves filled with tea, coffee, kefir and fruit juices… Inside this restaurant/fine foods shop by the Champ-de-Mars public gardens, self-taught chef Lisseth Léon stitches together 100% seasonal, vegetarian dishes using organic ingredients sourced locally from the covered market or Les Chants de la Terre. Come nibble on something like her burger made on organic bread from the Hirose bakery, a chickpea, red lentil, vegetable and quinoa patty, with pickled red onions, sun-dried tomato sauce and tofu, plus sweet potato fries and salad; a dish of the day, like red kuri squash, ginger and turmeric velouté topped with a tarragon espuma, plus pan-fried mushrooms, red onions, garlic, a purslane salad and wholegrain bread; or a Buddha bowl made with whatever’s fresh at the market – for us, the day we went for lunch, it featured semolina, quinoa, falafel, cauliflower, red cabbage, broccoli, dried kale, lovage hummus, garlic shoots, chickpeas, yellow beets, celery, zucchini, sesame and sunflower seeds (yowzers!), boosted with a coconut milk, ginger and lemon dressing. Delicious! For dessert: vegan chocolate mousse or a pistachio/spinach cake with homemade whipped cream, baby kiwis and caramelized pistachios. // G.D.
FEELING THIRSTY? Shéjoma teas (€3.50), kefir (€4), local Pressoir de la Vallée fruit juices (€2.50 to €3.80), craft beer from the Brasserie du Grillen in Colmar (€4 for 330 ml) and a few biodynamic wines, including a Riesling from the Domaine Zinck (€4.50 a glass).
PRICE: Plates €15.50, desserts €6.
