WORLD CLASS

Brimming with ethnic culture from Beirut to Hanoi, Paris is the place to find colourful markets, funky shops and restaurants serving up amazing new tastes, says Olivia Snaije

forget the drive-through
— walk or cycle to
Paris’s numerous
ethnic markets and be
amazed at the choice
on offerSOMETIMES it’s good to shake things up and look at a city from a new perspective. For all those Francophile gourmets who ooh and aah at the idea of Paris, here’s a challenge – spend four days in the City of Light without putting one single morsel of French food in your mouth. And I don’t mean by starving.

It’s surprisingly easy. France had a colonial empire and it is estimated that about a third of the population of Paris is linked, in some way, to former colonies in North Africa, Francophone West Africa, South-East Asia, or to the remaining French “overseas departments and territories” in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans and French Guiana in South America.

These Parisians have been putting their cultural and culinary stamp on the city in progressive waves since the 1960s. Today, the city boasts some of the best Moroccan, Vietnamese and Lebanese food in the West, as well as a multitude of colourful markets, bars, cafés and boutiques.

Start in the east of Paris in Édith Piaf ’s old neighbourhood of Belleville, which is now home to an energetic and mixed community including Muslim and Jewish North Africans (mainly Tunisians), as well as more recent newcomers, such as South-East Asians and Chinese. On Tuesdays and Fridays, the outdoor market on Boulevard de Belleville is buzzing, and the variety of fresh produce on display is indicative of the area’s ethnic mix.

At this point, you may be ready to devour a steaming plate of couscous with spicy merguez sausage, tender lamb brochettes and a bowl of freshly cooked vegetables in broth. At the inexpensive Aux Bons Amis, Chez Kiki (1 Rue de l’Atlas), you can slip into North African mode without feeling totally disoriented. This looks like a typically French bistro but is run by the gregarious Hamid Allane, originally from Algeria.

After you stuff your face there the most incredible desserts are to be found in the tearoom and shop, La Bague de Kenza (106 Rue St Maur), just a short walk downhill from Belleville. The Algerian owners, Samira Fahim and l’Hassen Rahmani, opened their first pastry shop in 1996 and now have four stores and a cookbook, Les Douceurs de Kenza (Kenza’s sweets), to their name. Flavoured with orange blossom or rose-petal water, soaked in honey or stuffed with pistachios and dates, the sweets are piled high on silver trays.

the Del Boy and Uncle Albert of
Boulevard de Belleville market.Depending on where you’re staying, for dinner you could opt for one of two Moroccan restaurants located at opposite ends of the city. Moroccan cuisine is based on the clever and complex use of ingredients such as ginger, cinnamon and cumin, and the delicate balance between sweet and savoury. The grande dame of Moroccan cuisine in Paris, Fatema Hal, was one of the first to open a high-end Moroccan restaurant in the capital over 20 years ago. Today, the Mansouria (11 Rue Faidherbe), in the 12th arrondissement in south-east Paris, is a reference point for fine Moroccan cuisine.

In the west, tucked away in the staid 16th arrondissement, is the more discreet but equally fine Oum el Banine (16 Rue Dufrenoy) – well worth the detour for fried stuffed sardines and a wide choice of delectable tagines. If you’re up for an after-dinner drink, pop by La Casbah (18-20 Rue de la Forge Royale) for a last bit of North African ambiance. Take a new day to sample a new cuisine in the city, perhaps Middle Eastern.

Lebanon and Syria, which share a great culinary tradition, were both French mandates from 1920 until the mid-1940s. Paris became one of the major cities to take in Lebanese fleeing the 15-year civil war, starting in 1975. The city went from having three Lebanese restaurants to more than 130 today.

A Lebanese breakfast is a treat and there are numerous restaurants and delicatessens that have imported Middle Eastern sages, dome-shaped griddles on which man’ouches (paper-thin pizzas) are made, often with a delicious mixture of olive oil, thyme and sesame seeds, with or without cheese. Fresh fruit juices or Arabic coffee are the perfect accompaniment. If you’re walking around the Notre Dame area, Al Dar (8 Rue Frédéric Sauton) has a deli next to its restaurant. Liza Restaurant (14 Rue de la Banque), near the former stock exchange, has its own bakery next door, which serves delicious breads and man’ouches.

For lunch, a lighter option is the oneof-a-kind Feyrouz Côté Mer (10 Rue de Lourmel), a fish-only restaurant located in the 15th arrondissement, where a large number of Lebanese live. It serves an assortment of beautifully fresh fish – baked, fried or sautéed and served with a careful selection of Lebanese mezzé. For dinner, you could choose the more traditional, and impeccably clean, Rimal (94 Boulevard Malesherbes). Everything there is homemade, including the rose water and pistachio ice cream.

Immigrants from former French colonies in sub-Saharan Africa continue to arrive in the capital, making the African community one that is vibrant and constantly evolving. Until recently, the many African and Caribbean restaurants catered primarily to the community itself but recently restaurants, shops and bars have been emerging, intent on serving Parisians of all stripes. The Château Rouge market (open Monday-Saturday) in the 18th arrondissement is a good place to get a feel for this. Besides the colourful stacks of mangoes, plantains and Scotch bonnet chillies, what impresses most is the array of fresh fish, an essential part of a meal in West African cooking.

One of the best Tiébou Dienn (fish with aromatic stuffing, rice cooked in a tomato broth and vegetables – the Senegalese national dish) can be eaten in a tiny restaurant called Chez Notre Grand Mere (25 Rue Leon), which is also the canteen of choice for many Senegalese in the neighbourhood.

Going far more upscale and westernised, dinner is to be had at Alexandre Bella Ola’s restaurant, Moussa l’Africain (25-27 Avenue Corentin Cariou), near the sprawling science and arts complex of Parc de la Villette, serves mouth-watering dishes from Cameroon and hosts live music on the weekends.

To spend an Africa-themed evening in Paris the best place to drink and snack at is La Jungle (56 Rue d’Argout), where Cameroonian Georges Taffou Happy blends music and cocktails, the latter with names like Panther’s Milk or Sorcerer’s Nest.

Liza chefs get ready
for the lunchtime rushIf you have too many drinks that night, a restorative bowl of pho, the quintessential Vietnamese dish, eaten at all times of the day, and often for breakfast, will set you on track for Asian Paris and its 4,500 restaurants serving Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian and Chinese food. Head to Chinatown, in the 13th arrondissement, and Pho 14 (129 Avenue de Choisy) will serve you a bowl of broth that will pick you up – thinly sliced strips of beef, fresh herbs and rice vermicelli, delicately flavoured with star anise, ginger and cinnamon.

When you have explored the area and are ready for lunch, a good bet is the small and sleek Tao Restaurant (248 Rue St Jacques). Situated near the Luxembourg Gardens, it turns out some elegant versions of typical Vietnamese street food and has a great dessert menu.

For dinner, it’s back to the 13th to feast on some Chinese food. Try the bustling Sinorama (118 Avenue de Choisy), which stays open until 2am, or the quieter La Mer de Chine (159 Rue du Château des Rentiers), where the fried soft-shell crabs are de rigueur.

You could continue your Parisian ethnic-fest for many more days, by trying a Laotian green papaya salad, a Cameroonian lamb mafé or a pork Colombo from the island of Guadeloupe, for example. The choice is vast. But if you overdo it beware. You might find you never eat traditional French cuisine in Paris again. Olivia Snaije is co-author of The Ethnic Paris Cookbook, published by DK and available from www.dk.com, priced £14.99, from September

Recipes for success

Cook your own ethnic grub

ANANAS AU PIMENT
PINEAPPLE SALAD WITH CHILLI

Native to the Caribbean, Scotch bonnets are the chilli of choice for West African and Creole dishes. Twice as hot as jalapenos, they are not for the fainthearted. At Moussa l’Africain, Alexandre Bella Ola adds some fire to a cool tropical fruit salad.

Serves 4

1 Scotch bonnet chilli, seeded and finely minced
1 lime, juiced
1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into bite-size pieces
1 papaya, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-size cubes

1. Combine the chilli and lime juice in a small bowl, and salt to taste.  
2. Put the fruit in a serving bowl; pour over the chilli sauce and toss. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

FILET DE BOEUF AU POIVRE
BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH CRUSHED PEPPER

Surprisingly, the Swiss seasoning Maggi is a household item in Asia, as much of a staple as hoisin sauce or hot chilli paste. Make sure you buy the Maggi Taste of Asia to use in this popular beef dish, which is served at Sinorama (118 Avenue Choisy).

Serves 2

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 450g beef tenderloin, cut into bite-size cubes
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
2 teaspoons crushed black pepper
3 tablespoons Maggi Taste of Asia

1. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet until hot, but not smoking. Toss in cubed tenderloin, shallots, garlic and crushed pepper. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, searing the meat evenly on all sides. Spoon over the Maggi sauce and stir the meat to coat. Let it cook for another minute, or longer according to taste.  
2. Remove from heat, let the meat rest for 1 minute in the pan. Spoon the meat and sauce into a shallow bowl and serve accompanied by steamed rice.

When you’re not eating…

ART AND MUSEUMS

L’Institut du Monde Arabe (1 Rue des Fossés St. Bernard)
Middle Eastern art
Musée Dapper (35 Rue Paul Valéry)
African art
Musée Guimet (6 Place d’Léna)
Hosts a collection of Vietnamese and Cambodian artifacts
Musée du Louvre (34-36 Quai du Louvre)
Bien sur ! For its Islamic art collection

BOUTIQUES

Africouleur (108-110 Rue St Maur)
African
CSAO (9 Rue Elzévir)
African
Compagnie Française de l’Orient et de la Chine (167 Boulevard St Germain)
Asian
Marhaba (30 Rue Faidherbe)
Moroccan
Liwan (8 Rue St Sulpice)
Lebanese

SPA

Sultane de Saba (8 Rue Bachaumont)
North African

HOTEL

Hotel Bourg Tibourg (19 Rue du Bourg-Tibourg)
A Costes hotel with North African overtones

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 15th, 2007 at 12:00 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.