When you next visit Paris for the day, or for a weekend, pay a visit to Rimal, a Lebanese restaurant slightly off the beaten track (or 10 minutes fast walk uphill from Printemps in the Rue Haussmann or via the Parc Monceau)You can visit the cafe, or buy from the traiteur, but best of all either sit on the sidewalk on a sunny day watching the people – and the cars – go by, or enter the cool modern interior. Either way, what you’ll find is
wonderful Lebanese food and a super-friendly service.I went there for both lunch and dinner on my recent visit to Paris. For lunch you had best choose from the Mezze menu of Tabbouleh, hummus and lentil salad (amongst other things) to eat with their delicious breads – and you will probably find that three such dishes are easily enough for two people for lunch - and for dinner you can add an extra dish or two, and then pick one of the speciality ‘grillades’, although prepare for your waiter to laugh at you as you will have ordered quite a lot of food.
Have a bottle of Lebanese rose to go with your meal if you like rose, as it is excellent. At the end if you’re lucky they will bring you a colourful dish filled with fresh fruits, and if you’re still hungry, which is unlikely but you may be tempted, you can order baklava to go with your coffee, after which you had better walk back rather than take a cab…..
Having visited a couple of Lebanese restaurants in Paris, where Lebanese food is a speciality and not over-priced, I would pick Rimal to go to, not just because the food is delicious and so different from the rich French meals you’re likely to have, but also because it is filled with locals, Lebanese and very few tourists. Go there.
Rimal: 94, Bd Malesherbes
75017 PARIS
Tél : 01 42 27 61 22
