Vegetarian Experiences in Paris » Indian

Petite Mumbai de Paris – Indian food and culture

Ted — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:47:35 +0000

I’ve been looking for good Indian restaurants since arriving in Paris. I’ve found some decent ones, but none has triggered a desire to return. I’ve been looking for the spirit and joviality I’ve experienced in Bangalore as well as the Indian neighborhoods of San Diego and the Bay Area.

I had heard about some good restaurants north of Gare du Nord but never found this mysterious Hindu Eden. While flying from San Francisco to Paris on Air France I came across an article that described this small neighborhood of saris, sweets, and restaurants. I took the magazine home with me and read the article several times. Finally I had a weekend to do some Paris exploring and jumped on the metro a couple weeks ago to La Chapelle (metro 6).

Rue Cail

Rue Cail seems to be the heart of the community. You’ll find a great assortment of vegetarian restaurants, sweet shops, grocery stores, jewelry shops, and places to find Saris, shirts, and more. My first visit was also punctuated by an impromptu protest rally for an event in India.

There are two restaurants that get the most attention. Krishna Bhavan and Dishny. Both straddle the street with dual identities, formal and casual restaurants. Krishna Bhavan is 100% vegetarian and this makes me very happy. I love being able to order anything off the menu.

Krishna Bhavan

I visited the casual version of Krishna Bhavan. It reminded me of the neighborhood taco shops of San Diego or similar simple restaurants of any city and culture. They serve dosas, rice dishes, samosas, as well as a hearty fixed price menu.

I ordered the basic menu at 13 euros. This includes a drink, entree, dinner, and dessert. For the drink you get your choice of a lassi (mango, salt, sweet, or banana). Entrees include vegetable, tomato, or broccoli soup, potato, onion, eggplant, or banana dumpling, or a green salad. The dinner is either vegetable curry with your choice of rice (coconut, lemon, or yogurt), Biryani, Capatti, Barotha, or Poori. Finally for dessert you have the house cake, gulab jamoun (soft ball in a honey liquid), or laddu (a sweet ball with cardamom). It’s a big meal for a small price.

The vegetable soup (dal) is very nice. It’s a light flavored lentil soup. The vegetable curry w/rice was more like rice with curried vegetables. The rice is the star of the plate with the eggplant and potatoes as supporting actors. As with other authentic dishes, you need to be a bit careful eating the rice. It had some hard seeds that could cause pain if bit into them unexpectedly. But don’t let that stop you from enjoying it. The rice is very light; almost floating on the fork. Mine was mixed with coconut, onions, and spices. Finally, when you think you couldn’t eat another bite it is time for dessert.

Chai

One of my fondest memories of visiting Bangalore was this small opening into the kitchen of the Yahoo! offices. From this little passage came cups of the strongest, sweetest chai tea you can imagine. Forget what you now of chai from Starbucks. Chai should fill you body with warmth.

Need I bother mentioning my excitement when I looked into the small hole of the kitchen and saw the cooks making what looked like chai. It’s awesome! This is worth the visit alone.

Shops

This is an area to enjoy during the day. There are several grocery stores to purchase indian spices, teas, and ingredients. I also found my beloved instant meals that you can find at any Indian grocery store. These packets are filled with good, spicy curries that you simply heat and eat.

You’ll also find a variety of Hindu god and goddess sculptures, henna tattoos, jewelry, music, videos, saris, and other clothing. I found one shop that specialized in arts and crafts from around the world. The back of the store has a huge selection of jackets, pants, and shirts from Tibet and South Asia. The styles are fairly western but with the strong colors and unique lines of the region.

Indian Sweets

Indian sweets are hard to describe to someone that hasn’t experienced them before. They are brightly colored, geometric, soft, sweet, and full of spices. They are very different from the sweets you’d find elsewhere in Paris. They are typically softer and less sweet than you’d expect. Frankly most Americans that I know are not big fans of the Indian sweets. That said, they are better than any I’ve tried in California.

A little bit of nostalgia, comfort, and spice in Paris

I can’t believe it took me so long to discover this corner of Paris. Rue Cail brings back my fondest memories of eating with colleagues in Bangalore, shopping for spices with Jim, teaching my mother about curry and naan, and the joy of food cooked without a fear of spice. If you like Indian food you’ll love the rue Cail area. If you love Indian food and culture you will have found one of the finest places to visit in Paris.

Krishna Bhavan: 24 Rue Cail (10°); 01 42 05 78 43; Metro: La Chapelle; Indian Restaurant; Wheelchair Access: bathrooms are in basement. Entrance is accessible.

Overall: 5/5
Location: 4/5
Taste: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Vegetarian Friendly: 5/5
Vegan Friendly: 5/5
M.E.F. Friendly: 3/5

Dishny Restaurant: 25 Rue Cail (10°); Metro: La Chapelle; Indian Restaurant

Places I still want to visit in Paris

Ted — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:51:58 +0000

I will be leaving Paris in August, 09. My employer is shutting down their engineering in the Paris office and I’ll be heading back to California. I’m trying to make the most of the remaining weeks, mostly by leaving the city and visiting other countries in Europe.

I’ve been saving magazines and web sites for places I’d like to visit before I leave. i’ve been meaning to make a list that I can update as needed. This seems like as good a place as any to start it.

Jacques new restaurant: La Bélière. I’ve already written about my favorite chef. He’s got a new restaurant and Jazz bar. I’m planning on going this week to see his latest creations. review coming soon
Rungis market, the largest market in Europe. It’s a massive distribution center for all kinds of produce, cheese, meat, and fish from around the world. This is where restaurants, market sellers, and stores go to get their supplies. It’s open to the public, but fruits and vegetables are only sold on week days.I will be visiting Rungis soon with the owner of Paris Sweet Bar cafe as a guide.
Dans Le Noir: the restaurant where you eat in total darkness.
L’Atlantide: supposedly the best couscous in Paris. I’ve been told they have good vegetarian options.
I’ve been holding on to an old Air France magazine filled with addresses for Indian restaurants and shops in Paris. Dishny and Krishna Bhavan on rue Cail both sound inviting. New Review: Petite Mumbai de Paris
I also have an old Gourmet Magazine (September 2008) with some great ideas: 11/12th arrindissements, 19th/20th arrindissements, 10th arrindissement by Alexander Lobrano

An appetite for Paris (boston.com)

Old Jawad, an elegant Indian/Pakistan restaurant

Ted — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:19:58 +0000

I came across Old Jawad the other night while trying to find a recommended Indian restaurant (Rani Mahal – look for a review very soon). I was seriously tempted to skip the original restaurant and try Old Jawad instead. It’s a very elegant restaurant tucked into a corner near the Opera.

The menu included the basic Indian dishes, with a mixture of meat and vegetarian options. The interior is beautiful and the menu promises a fusion of traditional and modern touches. The prices were also very reasonable. You should be able to have a good meal, minus wine, for under 20 euros a person.

I found a few reviews; the following one in French summarizes the attention to luxury and food.

Très bonne impression

Idéalement situé face au théatre des Bouffes Parisiens, le Old Jawad est un indo pakistanais de qualité. La décoration, chic juste ce qu’il faut et moderne, donne une ambiance chaleureuse et cosy. On jouit largement de l’espace avec des tables bien disposées où on ne profite pas de la conversation des convives voisins. Le service est très efficace et sympathique et en plus l’apéritif et le digestif sont offerts. Une bonne adresse avec un rapport qualité/prix excellent.

RestoAParis.com

Old Jawad: 1, Rue Monsigny (2°); Metro: Quatre Septembre, Pyramides; 01 42 96 16 61; Indian/Pakistani Restaurant

Sadika Indian restaurant

Ted — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:08:13 +0000

Sometimes, the best way to find a good ethnic restaurant is to ask an immigrant. I say sometimes because I have no idea where to find good American food in this city. I have no interest in eating American food while in France. But I digress.

I was shopping at one of the local discount stores the other day. I asked the Indian store owner if he had a suggestion for good Indian food in the area. He quickly suggested Sadika, just around the corner. I knew the place, it is across the street from Antalya, my favorite Turkish restaurant.

Sadika Indian Restaurant

Sadika is a traditional Indian restaurant. It features the standards: Palak Paneer, Dal Makhani, Samousa, Naan, Korma, etc. Typical of Indian restaurants in Paris, the meat dishes far outnumber the vegetarian dishes. I keep searching for a true vegetarian Indian restaurant with spicy food.

Sadika’s fixed price menus are generous and reasonably priced. I had the basic dinner menu at 13.50 euros. It also started with a Roti and trio of chutneys. The meal also included two Vegetable Samousas, Naan with Cheese, Aloo Palak (spinach and potatoes), Saffron Rice, and my favorite Indian dessert: Gajor Halwa (carrot pudding).

Sadika is in the 12th arrindissement near metro: Dugommier (6) and Daumesnil (6,8). It’s a small restaurant and isn’t very crowded. You’ll get good service, friendly waiters, and good Indian food at a good price. I’m still looking for an Indian restaurant in Paris that knocks my Achile socks off. Sadika is the best that I’ve found so far.

World’s hottest curry title claimed by Bollywood Burner

Sadika Spécialités Indiennes: 251, Rue de Charenton (12°); 01 43 42 47 15; Metro: Dugommier, Daumesnil; Indian Restaurant

Overall: 4/5
Location: 3/5
Value: 4/5
Vegetarian Friendly: 4/5
Vegan Friendly: 4/5
M.E.F. Friendly: 4/5

Bollywood Lounge – Hip Indian Food

Ted — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 06:49:04 +0000

The Bollywood Lounge sits in the popular, tourist-friendly left bank near Notre Dame. It’s colorful interior will draw your attention. It plays on the seduction of Bollywood and promises a sophisticated, hip interpretation of Indian food.

I have not eaten here yet. However, their menu (.pdf) is available online. Unfortunately, it only gives vegetarian food lip service and instead focuses on Chicken, Lamb, and Seafood. It’s probably due to the high rent neighborhood and the higher fees these dishes can capture.

Bollywood Lounge does offer a vegetarian Thali, but it only consists of dal, raita, rice, samosa, and eggplant caviar for 14 euros. You can also order off the vegetarian side dishes menu. While this restaurant looks promising, I’m going to continue my search for good Indian food in Paris elsewhere.

Bollywood Lounge: 57, rue Galande (5°); 01 43 26 25 26; Metro: Maubert Mutuality, Cluny la Sarbonne, St-Michel Notre Dame; Indian Restaurant

Overall: 3.5/5
Location: 5/5
Value: 3/5
Vegetarian Friendly: 3/5
Vegan Friendly: 3/5
M.E.F. Friendly: 4/5

Reine Du Kashmir – Indian restaurant for the adventurous

Ted — Sun, 04 May 2008 13:31:34 +0000

Ask me for a good taco shop in California and I’ll point to the one that has 15 layers of glossy orange and yellow paint encrusted on the walls. Within those coats of paint could be remnants of tacos, cockroaches, and who knows what else. In short, I’m not afraid of a restaurant with questionable hygiene. “It adds protein” is my standard reply to the occasional hair or fly.

Dirty restaurants do not make the food better, it’s just part of the taco shop environment in Southern California. Clean taco shops usually sell “healthy” burritos and who wants that?

Passage Brady in Paris

I discovered Passage Brady in Paris recently. It’s not far from Strasbourg St. Denis, tucked between streets filled with Turkish kabob stands. This covered, narrow alley is the closest I’ve seen to “Little India” in Paris. I’m a huge Indian food fan and was looking forward to eating an authentic dish. This has been hard to find in Paris; could England actually make something tastier than the French?

Let me set the scene for Passage Brady. At night, the majority of the shop fronts are closed and small restaurants light up the street. It’s narrow, with a fairly high glass ceiling. It’s dirty but not stinky. In some ways, it reminds me of Tijuana, Mexico; when you move off of Avenida Revolucion. The Indian restaurants all look pretty similar. Some are larger and have more clients, others resemble street-side joints.

I finally decided on Reine du Kashmir for two reasons:

It had a prominent sign advertising vegetarian Thali.
It had a sign saying it won some kind of Indian cuisine award.

I didn’t need to see a menu, as I knew that I wanted the Thali (a selection of curry, vegetables, rice, and naan). These usually give the restaurant the opportunity to specialize in regional dishes, they are inexpensive, and tasty (emphasis on “usually”).

The food at Reine du Kashmir

The thali had the standard ingredients. The naan was ok, the rice was good, the vegetable korma was forgettable, the samosa and fried dumpling were good, and the curry was mediocre. I asked for a carafe of water and was nicely surprised to see a sprig of mint in the glass.

Overall, the food was average. It wasn’t bad, but not worth the 12 euros. I could get a better meal for that price at many other places.

The thrill of eating in Passage Brady

So, why does this restaurant stand out and deserve mentioning on this site? I’ve eaten at many mediocre places and haven’t bothered to highlight them. The memorable part of the meal was not the restaurant, but the passage.

A pigeon began flying over my head about five minutes after I sat down. Pigeon poop, feathers, and dust is part of nature, but what would it do for the water and food about to arrive. I watched one feather slowly float from the glass ceiling towards my table. A breeze luckily pushed it away when it began hovering 5 feet above the water glass. Yummy…fun to watch…I’m game so far.

RAT-a-tweeee tweeee tweeee

I survived the pigeon unscathed and began relaxing. The food arrived a few minutes later and I began sizing up the dish and taking the requisite photographs. Just then, an enormous rat ran from one side of the passage to a pile of garbage on the other side.

This rat was huge and was on a mission. His path was about 5 meters from my table. Far enough to not have to lift my legs and scream like a child, but close enough to get a really good view. Pigeons flying and rats running; Passage Brady is going to be an adventure alright.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. I don’t know what the rat was doing, but the garbage heap became a cacophony of rat squealing for the next 30 minutes or until I finished the meal and left. I’d like to think the rat found a friend and enjoyed the romantic atmosphere of Paris. I couldn’t help worrying that my little buddy had ended up on the wrong side of a trap and was not screaming out of pleasure.

Either way, my little Indian Thali was more of an Indian Therror! Naturally, I photographed everything and sent emails to friends describing the scene and wondered if I’d meet the Paris/Indian equivalent of Montezuma’s Revenge.

I declined the waiter’s invitation for coffee or dessert. No thank you, I think I’m ready for the road.

Summary

Passage Brady looks like it has some nicer restaurants. Reine du Kashmir was a mediocre place and wasn’t particularly affordable. Every restaurant area in Paris has rat problems, so I don’t hold that against the place. However, it would be nice if the shop owners didn’t leave stacks of garbage in this tiny passage. I won’t be returning to this restaurant, but I might try another venue in the future.

One of these days I’ll find a really good, authentic Indian restaurant in Paris. It will feature a wide selection of vegetarian cuisine, no beef, and lots of flavor. Do you know of a place? If so, leave a comment.

Restaurant Reine du Kashmir: 82-84 Passage Brady (10°); 01 45 23 39 35; Metro: Chateau d’eau or Strasbourg St. Denis; Indian Restaurant

Overall: 3/5
Location: 3/5
Value: 3/5
Taste: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Vegetarian Friendly: 4/5
Vegan Friendly: 4/5
M.E.F. Friendly: 4/5

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Jonaki – a not-so vegetarian Indian restaurant

Ted — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 19:32:12 +0000

You can always count on a good vegetarian selection at an Indian restaurant. Or so I thought. I visited onaki in the 12th arrindissmont. It was a cold rainy night and I wanted to get out and try something new. The sign drew me closer and the friendly staff brought me into this small establishment.

However, I was a bit disappointed in the menu. It was stacked with lamb, fish, and chicken. The vegetarian selections were the standard Paneer-based curries. Their fixed price menus included no vegetarian options. I’m sure they would be happy to provide a vegetarian dish on demand.

The lack of vegetarian options did not keep me from enjoying my meal. Here are some of the highpoints

Unique and very tasty chutney/sauces. The samosa entree came with a trio of side sauces. The standout was a tamarind and banana chutney. The pickled mango chutney tasted home-made.
Naan with cheese. When in Rome…. This restaurant delivers a naan stuffed with French cheese. While it was difficult to tear into chunks with one hand, it tasted great.
The service was very friendly and the restaurant is comfortable, cozy, and quiet. Several regulars stopped in during the night for their favorite dishes.

Location

This restaurant sits on a side street in the 12th arr. It’s not an easy place to find and probably not the location for a tourist. The closest metro is probably Daumesnil or Dugommier.

Jonaki Restauran Indienne: 8, rue de Wattignies 75012; Metro: Dugommier or Dugomier; 01 43 46 96 62

Overall: 3.5/5
Vegetarian Options: 2/5
Vegan Options: 2/5
Value: 3/5
Location: 2/5