Sometimes you don’t bring Paris home by recreating it… you bring it home by trusting yourself more.

There’s a moment that happens after Paris.

Not when you land, not when the suitcase is unpacked—but a few days later, standing in your own kitchen, when your body remembers something before your mind does.

The way food felt slower there.

The way nothing was rushed or optimized.

The way a simple plate could feel intentional instead of indulgent.

I always think I’ll bring Paris home with me in big ways—new habits, new routines, a whole new version of myself. But it never works like that. What actually comes back with me are small things. Textures. Instincts. The confidence to trust my taste.

Paris has a way of reminding you that pleasure doesn’t need permission.

Eating Our Way Through Paris

Part of what made Paris linger this time was the food my fiancé and I shared.

Not just the meals themselves, but the way they unfolded—slowly, attentively, without excess. Fresh vegetables that actually tasted alive. Delectable tarts and flans that were rich without being heavy, elegant without trying. Food that didn’t shout, but stayed with you.

One Sunday, we wandered into a quaint vegan restaurant in the 11th arrondissement—the kind of place you could miss if you weren’t looking for it. Small wooden tables. Soft light. Quiet confidence. No spectacle.

I ordered a vegan Benedict that tasted like something dreamed up, not engineered. Silky sauce. Perfect balance. Comforting without being dull. The kind of dish that makes you pause mid-bite, smile, and know you’ll be thinking about it long after the plates are cleared.

It wasn’t about novelty. It was about restraint. About trusting ingredients. About letting vegetables lead and seasoning support rather than disguise.

Sitting there together, sharing bites and glances and that unspoken this is good, I didn’t realize it at the time—but that meal would follow me home.

Vegan dreams are made of moments like that.

Je rêve.

Bringing the Feeling Home

Back in my own kitchen, that memory showed up quietly.

Buttered rustic sourdough toast. A bed of arugula. A soft vegan egg. And a sauce I didn’t measure.

I wasn’t trying to recreate Paris exactly. I wasn’t chasing “authentic.” I just wanted the feeling…that café-morning sense where food is made to be enjoyed.

So I made my own version.

A silky, lemony sauce built from vegan mayo, mustard, nutritional yeast, and black salt—warmed gently and loosened with a touch of water. A dusting of piment d’Espelette, because once you’ve used it in France, you never forget it.

Was it Parisian?

Not technically.

But it felt right.

That’s what Paris teaches you if you’re paying attention: you don’t bring it home by copying it. You bring it home by trusting yourself more.

By letting intuition lead instead of rules.

By choosing what feels good over what’s correct.

By understanding that my version isn’t a compromise—it’s the point.

This wasn’t really about eggs Benedict. It was about remembering that pleasure can live in your own kitchen. That you don’t need a reservation, or a plane ticket, or a €12 coffee to feel nourished.

Paris reminds you who you are.

Home is where you practice it.

And sometimes that practice looks like standing barefoot at the counter, sauce still warm, thinking:

Yeah. This is good. Magnifique.

Paris-Inspired Vegan Egg Benedict (My Way)

A flexible, intuitive recipe — adjust by taste, not rules.

Ingredients

• Toasted bread of choice, buttered

• Fresh arugula

• Vegan egg (such as Serve Yo Egg), prepared according to package instructions

Silky Vegan Hollandaise-Style Sauce

• ¼ cup vegan mayo

• 1½–2 teaspoons lemon juice

• ½ teaspoon yellow mustard (or more to taste)

• ½–1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

• Pinch of black salt (kala namak), to taste

• ½–1 teaspoon warm water (for silkiness and warmth)

• Piment d’Espelette, for finishing

Method

1. Make the sauce:
In a small bowl, whisk the vegan mayo and mustard until smooth. Slowly add lemon juice, then nutritional yeast. Add warm water a little at a time until the sauce becomes glossy and spoonable. Season gently with black salt.

2. Assemble:
Layer arugula onto buttered toast. Add the warm vegan egg. Spoon the sauce generously over the top.

3. Finish:
Dust lightly with piment d’Espelette. Serve immediately, while everything is warm and relaxed.

Bon appétit 😋