“Eating vegetarian” can be an act of activism, the expression of a philosophy. Or simply a matter of taste. Too many vegetarians walk into a restaurant apologizing for being vegetarian, declaring themselves willing to eat whatever is on offer, as long as nothing in the recipe has resulted in the death of an animal.

And, complicit in this guilt-ridden attitude, too many chefs consider vegetarian dishes to be simple: take a “normal” dish, remove the meat, and add more garnishes... How many vegetarians have never experienced, after announcing their preference, being offered fish as a vegetarian dish?

In defense of these chefs, it should be noted that even today, a two-year vocational training certificate in cooking can be obtained without ever preparing a single vegetarian dish.

At Basilou, we try to break down barriers when it comes to eating habits. You don't have to be vegetarian to enjoy a plant-based dish! We take immense pleasure in cooking with plants.

With meat, it's always pretty much the same thing. We stick to the same types of flavors, meats, or fish: there are certainly nuances, sometimes strong ones, but more often than not, it's the sauce that makes the difference. Whereas the plant kingdom offers an incredible range of flavors, textures, and colors.

At Basilou, the vegetarian question isn't “what am I going to replace meat with?” but “how do I want to showcase this Treviso salad, which has an incredible bitterness when cooked?”... And how can we highlight our homemade tempeh and seitan?
