I decided to go to Marseille on a bit of a whim, not really having done much research and having heard a lot of opinions - both positive and negative - about the city. If you're thinking of doing the same, I'd like to add my voice to the positive camp - I really enjoyed my time in Marseille and would happily go back. I could tell you about all the fun stuff we managed to cram in during our long weekend, but what you really want to know about is the vegan food, right? I'm here to be pretty positive about that too.
Hododa
Le Panier is the oldest part of Marseille, a district of narrow streets, workshops, graffiti murals, and cafes that's well worth a few hours of wandering through.
If you need to get food while you're there, might I suggest Hododa? It's all vegan, and with staff that are very clued up on the plentiful gluten free options.
We went in the evening, when Hododa was serving a mezze style menu. We were advised to choose four dishes, with bread (gluten free available), and left well and truly full.
First, look how pretty everything is - as colourful as it is plentiful. We chose the tofu brochettes and the celeriac schwarma. As a vegan, loving tofu is in my DNA and so I couldn't help but love these - as much because they were tasty as because there were enough tofu there to stop a truck. Celeriac, well, I can take or leave it normally. But surprisingly, the schwarma was the highlight of the meal for me - the celeriac had become beautifully spicy strips of gorgeousness.
Our other dishes were fondues served in these Lilliputian pumpkins, and these spicy potatoes which, if I remember right, were modelled after batata harra? I loved both - spooning out cheesy sauce until the well ran dry, and then spooning out the pumpkin flesh. The batata harra wasn't the version I'm used to - there was a creamy element that I don't normally encounter in the dish - but they were all kinds of good.
I couldn't find fault with this place - definitely get yourself down there next time you're in Marseille.
Mariposas
102 Cr Julien, 13006 Marseille, France
+33626556192
Mariposas is another all-vegan restaurant. If you're in the mood for a bit of Marseille's hipster side, its location on Cour Julien will see you right.
The restaurant's menu doesn't say which of the dishes are gluten-free, but they have options and the staff can point them out to you if you ask.
Mariposas' menu changes frequently, and it's not posted online, so unfortunately I don't have the name of the dish I ordered and I can't really remember much about it, alas. There was mash, roast carrots, pickled cauliflower, and some form of greens (kale maybe?) that had been coated with something that called to mind stuffing - the sort of thing you might get next to your Sunday roast.
I liked it, but I didn't love it, alas. The mash was a little too plain and a touch gluey, which meant it washed away some of the more interesting flavours - the spiky vinegared cauliflower and the stuffing-flavoured greens got lost in the background. It also felt like it was missing some more protein-y element - a chunk of tofu, some lentils maybe? - to bring it together.
I asked if they had a gluten-free dessert, and the kitchen very kindly made me up a plate - raspberry sorbet and chocolate ganache that went very happily together.
Oh Faon!
Visiting Marseille was my first time trying to travel as both a vegan and someone who doesn't eat gluten (the former very much by choice, the latter very much not) and finding Oh Faon must have been like what a someone dying of thirst in a desert feels like when they see an oasis. Oh Faon is all vegan, probably about two-thirds gluten free patisserie that you definitely need to add to your list of places to check out when you're in Marseille. Well, add both of them to your list - there are in fact two Oh Faons in Marseille, one a couple of doors down from the other. One is a cafe that sells its whole range of products and where you can sit down and enjoy your pastries, and the other is a biscuit shop that sells incredible boxes of vegan, gluten-free biscuits for you to take away. I highly recommend both.
Alas, none of the pastries are gluten free, so I can't tell you how good they were (Mr Flicking the Vs was waxing lyrical, so it sounds like you won't be disappointed if you get a big plate of them), but I did try some of the tartes, and they were beyond delicious.
The first pic is of Oh Faon's signature tarte, the Balade en Garrigue, with a rosemary mousse, pine nuts, almond cream and a sable base. The second picture is the Pecan Bueno, with a vanilla mousse, pecan praline, caramel, and sable biscuit base.
I'm not quite sure how they pulled off the textures as well as the taste - the mousses were feather-lite, the biscuits snapped perfectly under the spoon. We went twice during our few days in Marseille and I took a huge box of biscuits home with me so I could enjoy Oh Faon once I was back home.
John Silver Original Bistroffee
6 Rue Neuve Sainte-Catherine, 13007 Marseille, France
+33486682959
If you heard of a place called John Silver Original Bistroffee, and then you heard it was all vegan, you'd want to get there as soon as possible, right? Yes you would. And you'd be right to do so. John Silver Original Bistroffee (or John Silver as it will be known from here on in, to save my poor fingers from typing that whole long name each time) is a really great little place. It's down a tiny, unassuming side road, and has a tiny, unassuming entrance door, but if you see it, make sure you go in for lunch. The food is decent, and it's such a friendly little place, I couldn't help but really enjoy myself.
The menu has gluten-free options clearly marked, but does note that gluten-free food might still contain traces, so it's not suitable for coeliacs. Do with that information what you will.
I went for the assiette de John complète (John's complete plate) - basmati rice and quinoa, caponata, scrambled tofu, cashew and cauliflower creme, salad, marinated tomatoes, and pickles. It was a cold meal, which caught me a bit off guard - I'm used to scrambled tofu only as a hot dish - but other that than that, it was a tasty plate.
Mr Flicking the Vs had a chilli bowl, and was similarly pleased with his choices. A footnote on the food: this isn't a high end place, it's more like being invite round to your mate's house and they've cooked up a homely vegan meal. The guy behind the counter - who was doing the serving, cooking, and everything else that needed doing - was incredibly friendly and up for a chat, which gave it even more of the 'going round your mate's house' vibe in the best possible way.
On my bingo card of things I didn't expect to see in Marseille: a vegan, gluten free, pumpkin spice lamington. I'm not sure any passing Aussies would see much resemblance between an Australian lamington and what was presented here, but authenticity aside, it was a big fun slab of sponge with enough sauce to sink a ship.
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