Art and Food Pairing™: Galerie Philippe Lawson and Godjo Restaurant

In the 5th arrondissement, lying on rue des Carmes just north of boulevard Saint Germain, a small gallery called Galerie Philippe Lawson has devoted its space to “contemporary art of southern countries” (paintings and sculptures created by artists from Africa and the African Diaspora). . The gallery’s Web site indicates that Mr. Lawson places particular emphasis on works from the South Pacific, Africa, Asia Pacific, South America, and the Caribbean.

Galerie Philippe Lawson
© Discover Paris!
I visited the gallery in early October and was pleased to see many works by Ernest Dükü, a Côte d’Ivoirian artist with whom I have been acquainted for many years.

Ernest Dükü at Galerie Philippe Lawson
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More Ernest Dükü works
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The gallery’s last exposition was held in May-June 2009, when oeuvre by artists Georges Ouanounou (Casablanca) and Catherine Colin (Paris) were featured.

Paintings by Georges Ouanounou
© Discover Paris
I have not been able to interview Mr. Lawson, despite my efforts to reach him several times. According to his Web site, he is bicultural (France and Togo) and splits his time between Paris, Lome, and Barcelona. His assistant runs the gallery. It is open weekdays from 2:30 PM until 6:00 PM and by appointment.

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Not five minutes away by foot is a small Ethiopian restaurant named Godjo It is one of a handful of Ethiopian restaurants in Paris.

Godjo Restaurant
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The restaurant is open every day from noon until 2:00 AM, except for Monday lunch. It has limited seating, so it is advisable to call to reserve a table.

As with most Afro-Caribbean restaurants, portions are copious!

I ordered Ater Azifa (purée of chickpeas) as a starter and Key Wot (spicy chicken) as a main dish. My husband Tom ordered Ye Feseg, which consisted of portions of four traditional Ethiopian dishes: ground beef, sliced beef, chicken, chopped lentils, and stewed string beans. Accompaniments consisted of two hardboiled eggs, lettuce and tomato salad, and white cheese (similar to cottage cheese). All were served on a single metal platter lined with spongy injera and cradled in a colorful basket. More injera (Ethiopian flatbread) was served on a small plate that barely fit onto our tiny table. Tom ordered an Ethiopian beer – St. George Beer – to accompany his meal, and I ordered spice tea, which was heavily flavored with cloves.

Ater, Key Wot, and Ye Feseg
© Discover Paris!
As we began eating, I noticed that I did not see the purée of chickpeas that I ordered. Instead, I found a purée of lentils. Because they tasted just as good as everything else on the platter, I did not go to the trouble to point out the error.

Injera
© Discover Paris!

St. George Beer
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For dessert, Tom ordered two scoops of ice cream. He selected banana and coconut, and particularly liked the latter because it contained morsels of shredded coconut. I skipped dessert but ordered an after-dinner drink, a digestif Godjo aux épices. Made from rum, sugar, lemon, ginger, and cinnamon, it was quite flavorful and not overly strong. I was pleased that I had something sweet to end my meal!

Banana and Coconut Ice Cream
© Discover Paris!
Godjo is quite noisy when the dining room is full, but the conversations are convivial. We waited quite a while for our meal to emerge from the kitchen, but we recognized that there were a lot of customers to serve.

I’ll happily return to eat here, but will remember not to order a full-course meal so that I won’t have to leave food on my plate!

Galerie Philippe Lawson
16, rue des Carmes
75005 Paris
Tel: 01.46.33.00.90
Metro: Maubert Mutualité (Line 10)
Hours: Monday through Friday 2:30 PM – 6 PM and by appointment
Internet: www.philippelawson.com

Godjo
8, rue de l’Ecole Polytechnique
75005 Paris
Tel: 01.40.46.82.21
Metro: Maubert Mutualité (Line 10)
Hours: Open every day (except Monday lunch) from 12 noon until 2 AM
Internet: www.godjo.com

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