Where can you enjoy some original African cuisine in Paris? At Mi Kwabo (which means “welcome” in the Beninese dialect), this tiny 10-seater restaurant with clay-toned walls, zero traditional décor or yassa for toubabs! Formerly of Moulin des Ruats (in Avallon), chef Elis Bond shows off his personal creations. The other night the €40 menu featured: to kick things off, a punchy dried shrimp butter and freshly fried samosa filled with sweet potato and duck confit; incredible plakali (a gelatinous cassava paste) surrounded by okra and topped with smoked fish; really good dja (a fried spiced tomato reduction) served with mussels deglazed in white wine, filo pastry chips and yam fries; a lemony half-cod cooked slowly in butter, then smoked on the BBQ and served with rice, red beans and a ginger-garlic broth; before the drinkable pre-dessert, cacao and star anise infused milk with baobab seeds, then a hibiscus ice cream paired with rose syrup! // G.D.
FEELING THIRSTY? Wines that know no borders, selected by the chef’s partner Vanessa: an organic Hérault red from the Domaine de la Dourbie (€7 a glass), a New Zealand white from Marlborough (€27), a South African red from Hartenberg (€32 a bottle), etc.
PRICE: Menu €50.
