Crowds flood in for Bio Sphère Café in Paris

The word ‘bio‘ is taking France by storm. But the fact that the Bio Sphère Café started out as a simply bio friendly restaurant and has now turned, almost, completely gluten free, says that sans gluten is definitely the flood that follows the storm.

The sun-filled parlour, with colourful wall decorations and old-fashioned striped straws poking out of the freshly made juice tonics, is a breath of fresh air in the greyness of Paris. Stepping in from the air heavy with car pollution, cigarette smoke and bitter espressos, entering Bio Sphère is like stepping into the country after a day in the city.

Sylvie, the smiling host and owner of Bio Sphère, will welcome you with a menu overflowing with organic options and you’ll spend the next half hour just trying to decide which delectable dish you will try.

This dilemma is intensified if you are gluten intolerant, and accustomed to having only one item on the menu to choose from. The abundance of gluten free choice will catch you off guard, and force you to exercise the decision-making skills that have lain dormant in you for some time.

Sylvie is a strong believer in high quality, organic ingredients – for health and taste – and when she began her little café in 2010, high quality bio ingredients were her main concern.

But that same year, the only gluten free restaurant in Paris at the time closed its doors and Sylvie was suddenly inundated with requests for gluten free options. Her famed gallettes sarrasin (buckwheat crêpes) were highly successful, being naturally gluten free, but she started to wonder if there wasn’t more she could offer.

So, in an effort to please her clients, Sylvie began experimenting with different recipes, using her enthusiastic clientele as guinea pigs. Fast-forward to today, and Sylvie has triumphed with an impressive glass cabinet laden with an impressive array of gluten free patisseries.

Not to mention the daily pizzas, crêpes and quiches that she has on offer – all gluten free. Sylvie has recently added to her list of achievements baguettes, which she now sells daily after finding out that once weekly just was not enough to cater for the adoring crowds. Be sure to order one the day before or you will miss out, they are that popular.

Perhaps the best aspect of Bio Sphère is the portion size. When you order a pizza for instance, your plate will be filled with the full circle of pizza, not just one measly slice.

And unlike so many gluten free bases, your Bio Sphère pizza will not go rock hard ten seconds after it is brought out, remaining soft, and crunchy in all the right places, right down to the last bite.

Being a bio establishment, you will often find lactose and egg free items amongst the gluten free options on the menu. Everything is clearly labeled and the menu is served in English or French for those francophiles wanting to make an informed decision.

In case all that just was not enough to impress the beret off your head, Bio Sphère also offers macaron making classes, gluten free birthday cakes for order, and the famed galettes du roi and buches de Noël for those seasonally accustomed to sitting out the tradition.

So head over to 47 rue de Laborde, in the 8^th arrondissement, and catch the flood wave.

The café is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 12 – 6pm, offering plenty of time to try out a good section of the menu.

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