Art and Food Pairing™: Dorothy’s Gallery and Waly-Fay – Part 2

Less than a 10-minute walk from the Gérard Bloncourt photography exhibition at Dorothy’s Gallery is the West African restaurant called Waly-Fay.

Waly-Fay façade
© Discover Paris!
This dining establishment has been operating at 6, rue Godefroy-Cavaignac for 19 years. This summer, it is only open in the evenings. You can go there for dinner 7 days a week, from 7 PM to 2 AM.

Just about everything on the menu at Waly-Fay is fait maison (house made). Fatou Sylla, who hails from Saint-Louis, Senegal, is the chef.

We were seated in the extension of the restaurant to the left of the door at Number 6. This section looks like a traditional Paris bistrot. Its windows can be opened to the sidewalk to permit al fresco dining, which we enjoyed that evening.

We forewent alcoholic beverages as before-dinner drinks and opted instead for jus de gingembre (ginger juice) and jus de bissap (hibiscus flower juice). We found both to be quite refreshing.

Jus de gingembre (left) and jus de bissap (right)
© Discover Paris!
In a futile attempt to avoid overeating, Tom and I decided to split a starter. We selected boudin noir and received two plump, savory blood sausages served with a dollop of chutney made from chopped sautéed bell peppers, cooked onions, and spicy mustard. Three thinly sliced rings of raw, red onion served as garnish. The boudin was finely textured and delightfully spicy.

Boudin noir and pepper and onion chutney
© Discover Paris!
An exquisitely fresh baguette with crispy crust and soft crumb was served with this course. We enjoyed scooping portions of the boudin and small spoonfuls of chutney onto the baguette and finished the entire basket of bread before we knew it. We remembered too late that we’d each get a huge side dish of some starchy substance (rice, sweet potato, or manioc) with our main course and that we’d likely not be able to finish it because we had eaten so much bread!

For the main course, Tom selected a dish called “A Dash of Soul” – a chicken breast coated with a mixture of crushed pecans, paprika, garlic, cumin, and oregano. It was served with a small portion of barbecue sauce, a disk of carrot and cabbage coleslaw, and a large portion of fried white sweet potatoes. Tom enjoyed this dish – he did not leave a single morsel on his plate.

“A Dash of Soul”
© Discover Paris!

I ordered my favorite Senegalese dish, Yassa de poulet. I received a steaming bowl of this delightful preparation of stewed chicken and a plate of long grain rice that could have easily served four persons. The yassa consisted of two drumsticks and a thigh nestled in a sauce of cooked onions, diced carrots, several pitted green olives, a few morsels of chopped tomato, and a wedge of lime. It was exquisitely prepared, but I expected it to have a stronger citrus flavor. A small spoonful of pepper sauce from a tiny goblet served alongside added just the right “kick.”

Yassa de poulet with rice
© Discover Paris!
As I feared, indulging on the bread during the first course left me with insufficient appetite to enjoy this dish fully. I chose to leave part of one drumstick, some of the onion mixture, and 90% of the rice unconsumed so I would have room for dessert.

And speaking of dessert, what could be better on a warm summer evening than ice cream and sorbet? I ordered glace au gingembre (ginger ice cream) with rum-soaked Corinth raisins and Tom ordered sorbet au corrosol, which is made from soursop. He had to choose another dessert when the waiter emerged from the kitchen to tell us that the restaurant was out of this selection. He chose the flan de coco as a replacement and devoured it with pleasure.

Flan de coco
© Discover Paris!
The ginger ice cream was more like a ginger ice – it was not exceptionally creamy and it was not as sweet as I had anticipated. I received two American-sized scoops of this iced dessert, which was artisanally made, but not on the premises. The fresh morsels of ginger provided marvelous bursts of flavor and I ate it with relish.

glace au gingembre
© Discover Paris!
We conversed with our friendly servers for a while after finishing our dessert, happily paid our bill, and wandered off into the evening.

WALY-FAY
6, rue Godefroy-Cavaignac
75011 Paris
Open every night from 7 PM until 2 AM
Last call for orders at 12:30 AM
Telephone: 01 40 24 17 79
Metro: Charonne (Line 9)
Internet: http://www.walyfay.com/

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Art and Food Pairing™: Chefs-d'Oeuvre d'Afrique and Café Dapper Loïc Dablé - Part 2

In Part 1 of this Art and Food Pairing™, I wrote about the extraordinary exhibition, Chefs-d'oeuvre d'Afrique, which is currently on display at the Musée Dapper.

This week, I'm sharing my review of the museum's restaurant, Café Dapper Loïc Dablé.

Café Dapper Löic Dablé is only open on Friday evening and weekends. On Saturday and Sunday, customers have a choice between lunch, dinner, or brunch menus.

Café Dapper dining room
© Discover Paris!
The menu from Saturday, November 21 consisted of the following:

Lunch:

Soupe de courge à la pèbè (Butternut squash soup with "false nutmeg" from Cameroon)

Risotto poulet fumé or Brandade de lieu noir, pousses d'épinard (Smoked chicken risotto or black pollock purée with spinach sprouts)

Pannacotta bissup (Hibiscus pannacotta)

(Lunch was a two-course meal consisting of entrée-plat (starter and main course) or plat-dessert (main course and dessert) for 29€. Note that entrée means "starter" in French.)

Brunch:

Salmon gravelax with pickled radishes

Scrambled eggs with cream

Persimmon and banana fruit salad

Pancakes (sic) Kinkeliba (an herb used for tea)

Hot beverage and fruit juice

Café Dapper Menu d'Art
© Discover Paris!
We noted that there were three waiters working the room, which we found to be unusual considering the small size of the café. We had the chance to interact with each of them during the course of our meal. All were friendly and accommodating.

Tom ordered a Guinness Foreign extra stout before deciding upon the menu he preferred. It was brewed in Cameroon and had an alcohol content of 7.5%, which is well above the ~4% of traditional Guinness brewed in Ireland. He described its flavor as being assertive and bitter, like strong, unsweetened coffee.

Guinness Foreign Stout
© Discover Paris!
I ordered a glass of a 2014 South African red wine called Douglas Green, which was a hearty, peppery, medium-bodied wine with animal notes that mellowed into flavors of ripe red fruits. I discovered that it was the perfect accompaniment for my meal.

Pinotage Douglas Green 2014
© Discover Paris!
Tom elected to try the brunch, while I chose the lunch menu. I decided to go for the entrée-plat option and looked forward to tasting the soup, followed by the chicken risotto. As we waited to be served, we enjoyed our respective beverages.

For the salmon dish, slices of two kinds of pickled radish provided agreeable flavor contrast to the chunks of succulent salmon that had been marinated in brine.

The smooth and buttery scrambled eggs had been perfectly prepared.

Slices of persimmon and banana constituted the fruit salad, which was served without a fruit-juice base. The banana tasted like banana – nothing special there – but the persimmon was sweet and flavorful.

Salmon gravelax with pickled radishes, banana-persimmon salad,
and creamy scrambled eggs
© Discover Paris!
The texture of the pancake (there was only a single, small one) was firm, not soft as anticipated. Served with caramelized sugar-syrup, it tasted quite good, but was quickly consumed and left Tom wishing that there had been a stack of at least three or four of them.

Pancake kinkeliba
© Discover Paris!
The hot chocolate lacked the rich chocolate flavor that Tom always looks for in this beverage, but he declared it to be adequate nonetheless. He found the sweet juice of passion fruit to be refreshing.

My butternut squash soup was thick and satisfying without being creamy. Garnished with a single leaf of flat parsley and flavored with pèbè, the "false nutmeg" from Cameroon, it reminded me of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

Soupe de courge
© Discover Paris!
The chicken risotto dish was superb! It consisted of four slices of smoked chicken breast that rested upon a generous bed of herbed risotto seasoned with foam collected from milk in which hot peppers had been cooked. This gave a lovely spicy kick to the dish!

Risotto poulet fumé
© Discover Paris!
While we were both satisfied with our meals, there was definitely something amiss with the service.

Lunch/brunch crowd at Café Dapper
© Discover Paris!
Tom received all of his food at once, but he did not receive the hot chocolate that he ordered with the brunch. (It is normally served at the beginning of the meal.)

On the other hand, I received nothing for quite an extended period. And when I was finally served, my main dish was set before me instead of my entrée.

When I called attention to this mistake, the waiter apologized profusely and asked if I were angry. He sheepishly suggested that because the dish was hot, I might want to go ahead and eat it. He assured me that he would bring out the soup immediately thereafter. He brought Tom's hot chocolate, and later, the passion fruit juice.

The soup was served quickly after I finished the main course, but there was another delay when I requested salt and pepper and a second glass of wine. I began to laugh at the accumulation of these missteps, and when my wine was served, I found that there was more than the standard portion in my glass. This was either a mistake in my favor or a gesture of apology!

Finally, the waiter came over and asked if I had ordered dessert, forgetting that I had already received the two courses I had ordered. I, too, had forgotten that I was only entitled to two courses and said that I was ready to order. The waiter quickly recovered his memory and said with a smile that he would offer me the dessert at no charge as a means of apologizing for the prior gaffs.

The pannacotta bissap was a traditional preparation of sweet, semi-dense Italian cream with a thick hibiscus syrup layered on top. It was perfectly delectable!

Pannacotta bissap
© Discover Paris!
At the end of the meal, we asked to meet Chef Dablé. He greeted us warmly and firmly shook my hand. I explained that I planned to write this article about him and asked if he would mind taking a photo with me. The waiter then chimed in and said that he would take a photo of Chef Dablé, Tom, and me. Chef was in his street clothes and ready to leave, but he graciously went back into the kitchen to don his chef's attire. The waiter was very accommodating and took multiple shots so that we could choose among them.

From left to right:
Tom Reeves, Chef Loïc Dablé, Monique Y. Wells
© Discover Paris!
We thanked them both and prepared to leave.

As we walked toward the exit, another customer walked up to Chef Dablé and exclaimed how much he and his party had enjoyed their meal. They were deep in conversation when we left.

Chef Dablé discusses wine with a customer
© Discover Paris!
Though the service during this meal was uneven, the waiters were gracious and of good humor and the food was beyond reproach. I will happily return to Café Dapper to give it another try.

Return to Ohinéné

I first wrote about Ohinéné last June, after Tom and I dined there upon the recommendation of a friend who lives nearby. We recently returned to celebrate the success of Tom's e-book, Dining Out in Paris, because Ohinéné is one of the twelve restaurants featured in it!

Ohinéné restaurant
© Discover Paris!
Edith (co-owner and chef) and Jean-Benoit (co-owner and part-time server) were as cheerful and welcoming as ever.

Edith Gnapié and Jean-Benoit Chauveau, co-owners
© Discover Paris!
We were surprised to see an image of their son Owen on a poster in the window on rue Orfila as we approached the front door:

Y'a bon, BISSAP
© Discover Paris!
It tells passersby that Ohinéné serves wonderful bissap (a soft drink made from hibiscus flowers). I can testify to this because Tom and I both ordered it the last time we dined here and we loved it.

Bissap
© Discover Paris!
This time, we elected to try Edith's fresh ginger juice and were equally impressed. It is the best I've tasted in Paris!

Ohinéné still serves French cuisine at lunchtime, as the menu behind the counter shows. They've even begun serving burgers, which have become ubiquitous in Paris restaurants.

Lunch menu
© Discover Paris!
But at night, cuisine from Côte d'Ivoire reigns! Edith almost always prepares a dish that is braised and smothered with a vibrant array of chopped veggies.

Special of the day
© Discover Paris!
And Jean-Benoit is proud of the top quality mangoes that he selects for dessert.

Fresh mango
© Discover Paris!
Read about Edith and Jean-Benoit's story in Dining Out in Paris.

Ohinéné
14, rue de la Chine
75020 Paris
Telephone: 01 71 20 67 62
Metro: Pelleport (Line 3bis)or Gambetta (Line 3)

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Rio Dos Camarãos Restaurant: A Review

Rio Dos Camarãos is an African restaurant located in the eastern suburb of Montreuil, about a five-minute walk from the metro station Robespierre. Tom and I first learned about it when we were surfing the Internet for restaurants serving Afro-centric cuisine. We found an intriguing photo of a banana-chocolate tart presented on a place mat made of bottle caps and followed the information trail to this spacious eatery.

Rio Dos Camarãos - façade
© Discover Paris!
When we saw the African statuettes in the window, we knew that we had arrived.

African statuettes
© Discover Paris!
The interior is simply decorated but the elements that chef and owner Alessandro Bella Ola and his wife have chosen to embellish the large dining room are unmistakably African. Handsome cloths cover the tables and large and small dolls dressed in colorful cloth are placed throughout the restaurant. Color photographs of Africans hang on the walls.

Table setting
© Discover Paris!

Dolls and wine rack
© Discover Paris!
Our waiter, whom we later learned was Chef Bella Ola, invited us to take a table. There, we studied the menu that listed a wide range of traditional African dishes, including Mafé, Ndolé, and Yassa.

We decided to order apéritifs while pondering what to order. Tom chose a blond beer from Cameroon called Castel. Served in a 65cl bottle, it was refreshing with a slight bitter taste. I ordered a Punch au bissap - a cocktail of rum and hibiscus juice. While suitably bracing due to the rum, I found that the flavor of hibiscus was not as strong as I expected (or would have liked). I felt the same about the non-alcoholic ginger juice that I ordered to accompany my meal.

Chef Bella Ola brought over a dish of spicy peanuts and corn nuts to accompany our beverages. Tom also ordered a small side dish of green banana chips, which really did taste like green (slightly unripe) banana. These were fun to crunch on.

After Chef Bella Ola served the beverages, he disappeared into the kitchen. A woman, whom we later learned was his wife, took over the table service.

We are always wary of ordering too much food at African restaurants, so when I spied an intriguing starter called Nyam ngond on the menu, I asked Chef whether it was copious. He assured us that we would receive a "truly appetizer-sized" portion, so we decided to order it. Chef graciously invited us to split it between us so that we'd be sure to have enough room for the main dish.

Nyam ngond
© Discover Paris!
Nyam ngond is a cake-like preparation of pumpkin seeds. It was presented as a flat disk resting on a mound of julienned carrot, zucchini, and cabbage. Instead of containing crunchy morsels of seeds, it was spongy and it had a flavor slightly reminiscent of fish broth. We later learned that it is a dish that is generally served as a main course on the day after family celebrations. We found the salad to be quite refreshing.

We both had a difficult time deciding which main course to choose from the wide variety on the menu. Tom finally settled on Mafé poulet fumé, otherwise known as smoked chicken in peanut sauce. This turned out to be an excellent choice. Madame Bella Ola brought a dish containing a mound of fluffy, white rice and a steaming cast-iron pot containing chicken with carrot and cabbage smothered in peanut sauce. The chicken was tender, the vegetables flavorful, and the rich sauce tempting. Simply delicious!

Mafé Poulet Fumé
© Discover Paris!
I decided to try the national dish of Cameroon, called Poulet D. G. I received a sizzling-hot iron plate containing a copious portion of stewed chicken legs, plantains, leeks, and red and green bell peppers. The chicken was tender and juicy and the plantains were just sweet enough to add balance to the spices in the dish. The vegetables added color and texture to this heavenly preparation.

Poulet D. G.
© Discover Paris!
The dessert menu offered some unusual choices. Tom opted for Tatin banane, a large slice of caramelized, upside-down banana pie served with two dollops of whipped cream. It was fashioned after the traditional Tarte des Demoiselles Tatin that is made with apples. The bananas were dense and chewy and tasted somewhat like the sun-dried bananas that one sometimes finds at specialty stores. Tom loved this, declaring that he could eat a slice every day!

Tatin banane
© Discover Paris!
I sprang for Crème brulée au citron vert. It looked like a traditional crème brulée with its burnt-sugar crust, but it had the bright pick-me-up flavor of lime rather than the mellow-me-down flavor of vanilla. I quite enjoyed it.

Chef Bella Ola, who hails from Cameroon, honored our request to come out from the kitchen at the end of our meal to pose for a photograph.

Chef Alexandre Bella Ola
© Discover Paris!
He proudly shared that Rio Dos Camarãos restaurant will celebrate twenty years of existence in November 2014. He is planning an entire remake of the menu at that time. We're looking forward to returning in the fall so that we can sample his new culinary creations!

Rio Dos Camarãos
55, rue Marceau
93100 Montreuil
Tel.: 01.42.87.34.84
Métro station: Robespierre (Line 9)

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Ohinéné - A Taste of Côte d'Ivoire in Paris

Several months ago, a dear friend recommended a French-Ivorian restaurant in his neighborhood. Tom and I finally planned to have dinner there after a guided tour that we took through the Ménilmontant district and on the appointed day, we wended our way through the streets until we came upon the bright red façade of Ohinéné on the corner of rue de la Chine and rue Orfila.

Ohinéné restaurant
© Discover Paris!
The restaurant is fairly small and the decor is reminiscent of an American lunch room, including a display counter where French take-out items are visible. The dining room is sparsely decorated, but is bright, neat, and clean.

Ohinéné dining room
© Discover Paris!
The appearance of the restaurant can be confusing to those expecting to see "theme" decor to accompany the Côte d'Ivorian dishes that are served here. But rest assured, you are in the right place! One look at the handwritten menu of the day will give you the confirmation that you seek.

Menu of the day
© Discover Paris!

While mulling over the menu, we each ordered a rum punch. Tom's was made with banana and guava nectars, lime, and white and dark rum. Mine was concocted with ginger. Both cocktails were thicker than we anticipated, as though fruit pulp had been used as the base. Both were delicious!

We ordered from the chalkboard that the waiter brought to the table. There were no starters listed, just main courses.

Tom decided to try the fish special of the day. Called Dorade royale marinée et braisée à l’ivoirienne, it was a whole sea bream that had been marinated, braised, and then served smothered in medley of chopped purple onion, tomato, and zucchini. The succulent white flesh of the fish was flaky and tender and separated easily from the bone. A large mound of riz rouge (rice prepared with tomato sauce) was served alongside.

Dorade braisée
© Discover Paris!
Riz rouge
© Discover Paris!
I ordered Kédjénou de poulet, a preparation of chicken stewed with chopped peppers and onion. I received a breast and drumette served in a bowl and drenched in the yellow-orange colored broth in which it had been stewed. A small bowl of attiéké, a dish of light and fluffy fermented cassava pulp, was served alongside. I found the dish nourishing and satisfying.

Kédjénou de poulet
© Discover Paris!
Attiéké
© Discover Paris!
For the beverage accompaniment, we each ordered a glass of bissap, a sweetened beverage made from an infusion of the flower of the roselle (hibiscus) plant. The Ohinéné recipe for this drink is thicker than most bissaps that we've tasted and we found it to be quite refreshing.

Bissap
© Discover Paris!
The variety of desserts offered were not African inspired, but we were pleased with our choice of Tiramisù, a favorite Italian confection. Served in a square bowl, it consisted of cake soaked in coffee syrup that had been topped with mascarpone cheese and powdered with cocoa. We have not tasted a Tiramisù as good as this in a long time. Many are too dry or lack strong coffee flavor—this one was just right!

It was a hearty, satisfying meal. Edith Gnapié, the chef, came out of the kitchen a few times during the service to be sure that everything was fine in the dining room. Her French husband was our waiter and he was very attentive as well. Though this restaurant is off the beaten path for us, we wouldn't hesitate to make reservations to return here!

Ohinéné
14, rue de la Chine
75020 Paris
Telephone: 01 71 20 67 62
Metro: Pelleport (Line 3bis)

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