I have wanted to review the restaurant Caffé Créole since July 2013, when I visited the nearby art gallery BE-ESPACE (now closed) to see a fantastic exhibition of works by Alexis Peskine. Something has always prevented me from going there...until now!
The restaurant is located on boulevard Beaumarchais, about a third of the way between place de la Bastille and place de la République. The evening that Tom and I dined there, the atmosphere on the sidewalk terrace was animated because of a UEFA Euro 2016 match that was in full swing.
We arrived early enough to benefit from happy hour and decided to order caipirinhas, the classic Brazilian cocktail, while we perused the menu. They were quite refreshing!
© Discover Paris!
For the starter, Tom selected Feroce d’avocat, a paste of shredded, dried codfish, avocado, and cassava flour. Served chilled on a plate with achards (a type of cold slaw in spicy sauce) and a mixed-green salad, it was a tasty dish that somewhat resembled guacamole with grainy texture.
© Discover Paris!
I ordered samossas and was delighted with the appearance of this appetizer. But I mistakenly thought that they had a vegetable filling and gave them to Tom when I discovered that they were made from tuna (I'm not a seafood eater).
© Discover Paris!
As a replacement, I ordered Boudin créole, a portion of three small blood sausages served with mixed-green salad, achards, and two kinds of salsa, one hot and one mild. The owner of the restaurant came to the table and offered a third type of salsa made from vinegar, chopped bell pepper, grated cabbage, and sliced green onions. The boudin was only mildly spicy and the owner specified that the special salsa also was not spicy. I enjoyed the combination of the two.
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Tom and I both selected Colombo de cabri (goat stew) as our main course. Our portions were generous and redolent with the aroma of cloves and other spices. Sides of long-grain white rice, achards, fried plantain, and cassava were served on the same plate as the stew, and tender red beans flavored with onion were served in a separate bowl for us to share. Along with the rice, these could have been a course on their own.
© Discover Paris!
When it came time for dessert, I was satiated and decided not to indulge in this course. Tom ordered the Sorbet coco maison and received two scoops of house-made coconut sorbet in a coconut shell. He described it as being surprisingly rich with slightly-grainy texture and enjoyed it immensely!
I appreciated the eclectic decor of this restaurant, which includes straw hats of many colors, a madras pattern of orange, yellow, peach, green, and white on the walls, and several works of art that evoke the black Creole world.
Caffé Créole decor
© Discover Paris!
© Discover Paris!
Three persons served us that evening and each of them was friendly and accommodating. I wouldn't hesitate to return to dine at Caffé Créole!
Caffé Créole
62, boulevard Beaumarchais
75011 Paris
Tel: 01 55 28 50 76
Métro: Chemin Vert (Line 8) or Bréguet-Sabin (Line 5)
Entrée to Black Paris!™ is a Discover Paris! blog.
If you like this posting, share it with your friends by using one of the social media links below!
No comments:
Post a Comment