Very much worth trying Restaurant Taj Mahal in Paris at 7 rue Simon Le Franc in the Marais. Our meal of soup and two plats - poulet korma and chicken with spinach - were excellently seasoned and the chicken so tender. One of the owners (also a chef) was a charmer and offered his perspective on just running the restaurant five months with his brother. He says he’s committed to quality ingredients, which is why he’s chosen the soupe aux lentilles with creamy texture and tender lentils and also finely seasoned. Rice is a la carte, which was a surprise, and with two Indian beers our bill came to 46 Euros. Worth the price and a tasty diversion from traditional French fare.
Posted by
Washington DC
27047 posts
I'll be putting the Taj Mahal on my list for next year's trip.
I've found Indian restaurants in Europe somewhat more likely to charge extra for rice than those in the US. The same is true for naan, which is sometimes included in the US.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area
5697 posts
Learned to love couscous on an earlier trip to Paris -- someplace on the Left Bank.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9420 posts
Michael, Is this a review / your recommendation or are you asking for other’s recommendations?
Posted by
OP
4 posts
My wife and I recommend the Taj Mahal. We ate there just a few days ago. We always appreciate other recommendations.
Posted by
3238 posts
Petit Cambodge in the 10th Arr. has wonderful Cambodian food - only place I've ever had Cambodian food. If you like pad thai - you'll love bobun.
Posted by
11127 posts
Paris has many excellent Moroccan restaurants too.
Posted by
Reno, Nevada
1025 posts
And at least one Korean BBQ, as well. Hero, 289 Rue Saint-Denis, 75002 Paris, France
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
As one of the world'd greatest cities (food-wise and for everything else) I'd expect to be able to find decent food of virtually every kind in Paris. The smaller the town gets, though, the more limited your choices will be.
That said, IME you can almost always find passable Indian, Thai and Chinese food in almost any city in the world of moderate size. These ubiquitous cuisines can offer a nice break from local fare on a long trip when you are simply tired of eating local (eventually, I get tired of anything). I've enjoyed great Indian food in Latvia, Thai food in Sardinia, and Chinese food in rural France.
One tip: always take a look to see if there are any visible people from the restaurant's actual ethnic origin working in the restaurant before committing (preferably working back in the kitchen if you can sneak a peek). Ever since we took a chance on that sushi joint in Mexico...lesson learned!
Posted by
Washington DC
27047 posts
It was a comment, Bob, not a complaint. I certainly don't need both rice and naan at a single meal.
Posted by
Berkeley CA
1307 posts
I’ve had excellent Thai food on 3 different trips at Madam Shawn.s in the 11th. It’s a small chain so I imagine that any of the locations would be good.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
5580 posts
Falafel is delicious and budget friendly. There are a few good falafel places in the Marais. I like L'As du Fallafel
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9420 posts
Fuxia, several locations in Paris, has great Italian food in a nice, clean, hip atmosphere.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5254 posts
One tip: always take a look to see if there are any visible people from the restaurant's actual ethnic origin working in the restaurant before committing (preferably working back in the kitchen if you can sneak a peek). Ever since we took a chance on that sushi joint in Mexico...lesson learned!
What does that prove? Can American's not cook Italian? Can Nigerian's not cook French? Can Russian's not cook Mexican?
If I peered into the kitchen of a Vietnamese restaurant how can I tell that the cooks are Vietnamese? What if they're Thai, Laotian or Chinese?
What about an Indian restaurant? Are they Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani?
I can cook dishes that are comparable, if not better, than what I've eaten in various Indian (although most often staffed by Bangladeshi's) restaurants and I'm wholly of white European descent.
I can also make perfectly acceptable sushi. Good sushi is about the ingredients and training, nothing to do with nationality or ethnicity.
Take a peek into the kitchens of many of London's top restaurant's (and other cities) and you'll see a plethora of ethnicities and nationalities all cooking and excelling at food from a variety of nations and cultures. It's a ridiculous notion to think that food from a particular country or cuisine can only be cooked by someone from that country/ethnicity.
Posted by
northern CA
2446 posts
In support of JC's assertion, I would agree that standard British pub fare as prepared and served in the San Francisco Bay Area by Americans is usually far superior to the same dishes slung out by comparable restaurants in the UK. So it is indeed foolish to assume that you have to look a certain way in order to do good regional cuisine.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5254 posts
I would agree that standard British pub fare as prepared and served in the San Francisco Bay Area by Americans is usually far superior to the same dishes slung out by comparable restaurants in the UK
It would be difficult to not improve on the food being served in standard British pubs.
The pubs that serve good food are often the ones seldom frequented by tourists, at least in the larger cities.