The local bookstore with a Global Conscience

Fiction, non-fiction, environment, poetry, history, mystery, biography, travel guides, children, young adult... and much, much more!

Wide selection of quality second-hand English paperbacks at reasonable prices. The most "dangerous" street in Budapest: good books and gourmet food

Paper Tigers and Baozi

paper tigerWhen Asian Noodle & Wok Restaurant Papir Tigris (Paper Tiger) [V. kerület Veres Pálné utca 22] was about to open last year, they contacted me directly because they wanted to serve Fair Trade coffee from Treehugger Dan's. The name comes from a Chinese colloquialism that is similar to the English phrase "its bark is worse than its bite." In 1956, Mao Zedong used the phrase to describe US Imperialism. The paper bit also describes the restaurant's wallpaper made from Chinese newspapers. When I went to deliver some coffee this week, I took time out to try the menu. Magda, the manager, had assured me that one of my favorite Chinese dishes, the baozi (money-bag shaped dumplings, as opposed the the half-moon shaped jiaozi) would be available for vegetarians as well. This is extremely rare. The ramen noodle place on Bank u. used to be kind enough to make them special for me on occasion, but they have since stopped. And the Nepalese restaurant on Csengery baoziu. charges a small fortune (2200+ for 4). However, the Papir Tigris  offers a smoke-free, friendly, and inexpensive dining experience. The steamed dumplings here go for 220-250 Huf a piece. In order to differentiate the chicken from the vegetarian boazi, the chef makes sure a small swirl of carrot sticks out the top of the vegetarian version. Both versions are very tasty and filling.