In the previous episode, we enthusiastically shared with you our discovery of La Tropicale, a gorgeous ice-cream parlour in Paris offering frosted creations with never-before-seen flavours. Well, this time we went back there to enjoy a delicious brunch. Spoiler Alert, we weren't disappointed.
If you like to discover new flavors and unfamiliar dishes, and you're looking for an affordable brunch, this is theplace for you! For €25 on the spot, La Tropicale Glacier offers you a formula consisting of Greek yoghurt & granola, seasonal juice, and a hot drink of your choice (including specialty coffee from Early Birds, a local artisan from the nearby Marché d'Aligre), an assortment of three small savory plates accompanied by a sorbet, and a dessert of your choice. The brunch, excluding drinks, is also available by delivery for €22.
What's more, a totally different brunch awaits you every week on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.! The theme may be the gastronomy of a particular country, but it's also possible to come across a menu imagined around a color, a type of ingredient... we're completely confident in La Tropicale 's ability to surprise us.
So, on our visit, we were treated to an Iranian brunch! As a preamble, we sampled a yoghurt drink which, this time, had been crafted to offer us a cross between an Indian Lassi and a Turkish Sahlab. Quite liquid yet creamy, this drink has been flavored with cinnamon and geranium water and garnished with walnuts and pomegranate. It's accompanied by a blood orange and beet smoothie that wakes up our taste buds!
Then it's time for the three mezzés. The colorful plates whet our appetites. We tackle the Iranian stew with tomato and Espelette bell pepper, with an egg cocotte sprinkled with barberries. We're also won over by yellow rice with broad beans, grapes and ice-cold mint cream.
Finally, the yoghurt-spinach borain with garlic and walnuts completes the seduction. Each of these dishes offers radically different yet complementary flavors. The portions served allow us to take full advantage of the flavors on offer, while leaving plenty of room for dessert. It's a real balancing act, achieved with organic flair!
Which brings us to the final leg of our Sunday road-trip: dessert. For the occasion, you're spoilt for choice: a slice of cake, roasted fruit with ice cream, an ice-cream sundae or a creation specially imagined for brunch, in this case an Iranian pistachio cake with rose and Sichuan pepper ice cream.
As the cake is not very sweet, the ice cream completes the dessert, providing the perfect finishing touch to this Sunday brunch. But as we're very greedy, we couldn't resist the idea of also having an ice-cream sundae with a lavender-blackcurrant ice-cream and a second with immortelle. We absolutely love this spot!
So, what are you doing next Sunday?
Location
La Tropicale
7 Rue de Prague
75012 Paris 12
Access
Metro Gare de Lyon (lines 1, 14 and RER A) or Faidherbe - Chaligny (line 8)
Prices
Sur place: €25
Official website
www.latropicaleglacier.com