When I used to think of France, particularly of Paris, I thought of French food: butter, cheese, cream, roast chicken, etcetera. However, Paris is multicultural, always has been, and the food reflects that. My culinary tour of Paris was unexpected, wonderful, and diverse. I sampled so many cuisines on one block in one arrondissement (the 10th), and it would take me weeks to finish sampling all that block had to offer, that my mind was blown. I want to go back and make an actual practice of just covering the restaurants, brasseries, and cafes in each arrondissement in Paris then hit the rest of France. It would be a life’s work, but what a glorious career that would be. I’m working on it.
Anyway, I’m rambling as I usually do when I am overwhelmed by great food memories, the tastes, and scents that niggle at my memory like Proust’s linden tea and madeleine combo, but for my first night in the city, after much wandering in and out of the famous Paris passages, checking out various places in the passages, taking photos of memorial walls and graffiti, and wondering where to get dinner, we ended up at a Turkish restaurant called Marmara on the Rue des Petites Écuries, not far from the Gare du Nord and just off the Rue de Faubourg St. Denis. Basically, it’s an eleven-minute walk from Gare du Nord, which is a quick walk in Paris.
Marmara is a charming little place with azure walls, which were calming and lovely after a wild day of trains and hotel check-outs and ins, not to mention dragging luggage from the train station to the hotel. The server set the trend for which was to be my tour of Parisienne mustaches. His was very black, very large, dominated his face, and it was almost animated. He wouldn’t pose for a photo but his mustache provided a lot to the ambiance. I had chicken with olives while my colleague had kofta and chips. I tasted her kofta and it was gorgeous, but for me, the star of the night was the chicken with olives. The chicken was spiced but not overly so and just melted in my mouth. The olives added just the right acidic note and, combined with the frites, and salad, just perfection. The food is budget-friendly, plentiful, and delicious. Do stop there if you’re near the Gare du Nord and want a hearty meal, great service, servers with character and huge mustaches, and delicious, well-prepared food. The gallery below will give you an idea of a passage, the restaurant, our mustached waiter, the memorial wall, graffiti, a little taste of Paris at night, and the chicken with olives.
