Eating in Paris - help!

[CoolCadbury]

We are off to Paris with our 7 yr old DS and I am already starting to get stressed about what we are going to do about food for him. He has ASD and is extremely picky. We are going to take lots of snacks with us but it's dinner/lunch that I am worried out. He has very plain fayre - chips, burgers, sausages, roast chicken, plain spaghetti and fish fingers. Nothing with sauce or herbs in.

Can anyone recommend any restaurants or chains of restaurants that serve plain food? I know that I am asking a lot! We are staying in the Latin Quarter.

Macdonalds etc are everywhere

Do you know much french? Could you learn some key phrases so you can order plain chicken and chips etc. Frites feature heavily on most bistro menus, as does roast chicken.

And as said above there's always McDonald's if you feel you want to fill him up!

Oh thanks for that, but DS doesn't like burgers from MacDonalds and the like Like I said, extremely picky. We had no end of stress just in London! Are there any French versions he could try?

Thanks, Mrscog, that's a good idea. I can't speak French and don't have the ear for it but DP does and could.

Quick is a French burger chain.

Most restaurants serve a steak hache and frites, basically a burger without the bun and chips. It is a French staple.

See if there's a flunch. It's canteen style and a lot of it is serve yourself.

Good luck and hope your son likes ketchup....

My kids anything and 2yr old DD2 had a delish steak hache BUT when we cut it is was very pink in the middle.... yummy and safe but pink. A generous dollop of ketchup and she was none the wiser but I did think we might have problems!

I suspect you are ally going to struggle I'm afraid :(

Will he eat a pancake with nutella or similar? If so you are going to be eating in creperies a lot ( may different fillings for the more adventurous eaters) and lots of frites...

Take a basic picnic kit with some paper plates, napkins and cutlery. There are a lot of small supermarkets ( like tesco metro) and a lot of parks. No one will suffer starvation if you eat a lot of baguettes with sliced cheese/ham/pre pack salad /crisps/yoghurts etc sitting in the parks even in the early evening if that's going to de stress things. TAke a reusable bag, they charge for carriers

Thanks, eurochick and bishop, they both sound doable. If we find a place he likes, we will be there everyday

theas DS lives on ketchup!

As long as I'm prepared with snacks and prepared mentally (DH & I) I think we will be ok. I think London really threw us because we didn't expect there to be problems and there was. It's made me panic a bit. Nice idea about a picnic - although Ds doesn't like cheese, ham, salad or yogurt. Got to laugh really.I think he will be living on plain baguettes and frites, I think. I will be eating lebanese food and drinking heavily .

Actually, just writing about my anxiety about the food has helped reduce it.

Too many I think there - sorry.

Hippotamus is another chain of burger/steak type stuff and they are good at leaving things off etc (speaking as the parent of a fussy 9 yr old)

If you want your hamburger or steak cooked through- it's
Ben qui - sounds like you're saying
Benquee

J'ai prend/ voudrais is I would like, and that will get you by for asking what you want.

If you're eating out I would go for pomme frites and fill in the gaps with fruits, crudités, olives etc or whatever he likes when you're out and about or back at your accommodation.

Would he eat sushi? Loads in Paris.

I second Hippo- they will have a website. There's one just by Opera Garner, and one on Champs Elysees, but cannot remember where others are.
They do chicken breast, tuna steak, burger etc with fries, or potatoes or rice.