Behind this strange name there’s a great concept; food that is as healthy as it is tasty. Can they pull off the challenge? We tested them out…

photos : JasonW

The Tugalik has intrigued us for a while now. Just next to the Hôtel de la Sorbonne, I would call it Paris’ first schizophrenic restaurant (in a nice way). Firstly, at its heart is the idea that one can eat food that is both tasty and good for you. Secondly, it’s a restaurant that changes completely between the daytime and the evening. A two-part concept, two different styles depending on the time of day… We were very interested to check it out for dinner, especially as a couple of lunches there had gone well.

The restaurant itself is decorated in reassuring browns, with a certain amount of greenery (both in the plants and the décor). Stones hang from the papier-mâché lights.

Whereas at lunchtime you pay directly at the till when ordering, and are given your food on a tray, the evening is a much more relaxed affair, We were led to our table (it’s a small place, so you may prefer to reserve) and decided to start with an aperitif made with candied orange, ginger, cinnamon and white wine.


To be honest, we weren’t bowled over by it (and it looked very strange!). We decided to order some sparkling water and organic wine to follow.

Then it was time to order our food. The menu is very short, but changes regularly. The first courses, main dishes and desserts are ordered into four menus that have been designed by a nutritionist, although you are free to mix and match. There’s “Tonight I’m going to eat well and light”, “I’m going to have lovely vegetables” (anathema for most French people I would have thought), “Around the world” and “I’m treating myself because the Tougalik is handling everything.” Amusing stuff…

We decided that no one menu fitted the bill for us, so we picked a starter from here, main course from there and waited until later to see what dessert we would like. The dishes sounded very enticing, but we were slightly disappointed that some of them didn’t match up with their description. For example, the “scrambled eggs with a quenelle of tomato and basil. The omelette didn’t have much taste, the quenelle turned out to be a splodge of a tomato mixture and the basil was a tiny tiny sliver placed on top. Hmmm…

The carpaccio of tomato and mozzarella was true to its name, but we found it much tastier with some sea salt sprinkled over it.

Our courgette, apple and Parmesan flake tagliatelle was very thinly cut courgette and small slices of apple that went well with the cheese. Perhaps the most successful starter of the three.

Onto the main courses. The thinly-sliced pork with spices, served with a sweet potato, coconut milk and coriander purée turned out to be the opposite; the pork was so small that it looked more like the accompaniment to the purée. It was tasty but could have been more copiously served.

The grenadier fillet served with courgettes sautéed with almonds with a great success, again better when sprinkled with a little sea salt. It had a great smoked taste and was greatly aided by the olive oil used during cooking.

The lentil, quinoa and bulgur couscous was our favourite dish of the three. Both tasty and good for your health, precisely the restaurant’s premise.

This is one restaurant where you would have the right to treat yourself to a dessert without feeling guilty. Unfortunately, we felt the desserts didn’t live up to their promise.

The strawberry fromage frais mousse was fresh but didn’t really have much taste. More importantly, the only trace of strawberry seemed to be a solitary sliced fruit placed on top.

The pineapple tartar with aniseed and coconut fared rather better. The coconut was actually a sorbet (really good) and went well with the sweet pineapple.

The biggest disappointment was the chocolate and chicory cake made with buckwheat flour and honey, served with a raspberry sorbet. The cake was overcooked, dry, had a burnt taste and no discernible chocolate in it. Very frustrating… So much so that after leaving we went straight for an Italian ice-cream (which is rather counter-productive, don’t you think?).

At 24 euros for three courses, the Tugalik isn’t too expensive. It’s also a great choice for vegetarians desperate for something decent to eat in Paris (the French haven’t really taken vegetarianism on board yet). But does it deliver food that is as hearty as it is healthy? We’re not quite sure. In any case it’s step in the right direction, has several inventive things on the menu, and could help convince friends that not all food has to be drowned in a creamy sauce or served with chips! We think you should try it out.

Tugalik is at 4 rue Toullier, 75005 Paris. Métro Cluny (line 10) Tel. +33 (0)1 43 54 41 49.
The restaurant is open for lunch on Monday (11.30am – 3.30pm), all day from Tuesday to Friday (11.30am – 10.30pm) and for dinner on Saturday (7- 10.30pm).
Official site: www.tugalik.com

Bigger map here