ZubzzTakesParis: Kenkey in France, Lunch inside the Eiffel Tower & Tea Time in Shangri-La!
3 Restaurants to check out in the City Of Love:
1. Madame Brasserie
📍 Eiffel Tower, 1er, 75007 Paris, France
www.restaurants-toureiffel.com/fr/madame-brasserie
💸 €69 / ¢860
I had lunch at Madame Brasserie on the 1st floor of the Eiffel Tower! There are 2 seating options here:
Eiffel Tower View - faces the centre & opposite sides of the tower &
Paris View - overlooks the Seine river & has a beautiful view of Paris.
Request a window seat when booking.
They have set menus for lunch & dinner which cost between €49-€69, with a choice of 2 or 3 courses. For an extra €20-€25, you can add a drink pairing but drinks here cost €10-€28 so i would advise you get the drinks package - you’ll spend the same anyway.
I picked a 3 course meal for €69 and I had the
Butternut squash velouté, smoked duck breast & chestnuts
Free-range corn-fed chicken breast,celery mousseline w/ truffle & orange juice &
Rich dark chocolate mousse, chocolate fondant sponge & cocoa streuse.
The velouté, a “savoury sauce that is made from a roux & a light stock” was creamy & light, with strips of PERFECTLY cured (dried and salted) duck breast. Absolutely delicious!
My problem with ordering chicken breasts is they’re always served so dry but what I had had retained all of its moisture! So soft too! The only noticeable flavour for was salt though but the cottage cheese was fantastic.
I like chocolate, but not too much so my expectations but this was really smooth and not the usual sugar overdose chocolate turns out to be. (The chocolate bits on top? If I didn’t know better I’d say someone was sneaking chocomilo into Paris because same taste)
It was a busy Saturday but I still got my food in a timely manner (side eye Accra) and my waiter didn’t drop the ball once - good service all around. You dont NEED to reserve to dine here, but its strongly advised because it gets pretty busy. Reservations can be made online or at the ground floor of the Eiffel Tower.
2. La Bauhinia
📍Shangri-La Paris, 8 Av. d'Iéna
💸 €46 / ¢575
It doesn’t get any fancier in Paris than the Shangri-La Hotel and their restaurant La Bauhinia is clear proof. High glass ceilings, beautiful chandeliers, great food and the service is amazing.
La Bauhinia has both an indoor and outdoor space (a garden) and they serve Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner everyday and Tea-Time/Afternoon Tea on Saturdays and Sundays from 3:00pm to 6:00pm and Brunch on Sundays from 12:00pm to 3:00pm.
I tried their Tea-Time/Afternoon Tea menu and as a tea-heart I had a herbal tea for €14 and Croque-Monsieur, which is sandwich made with brioche bread filled with ham or turkey filet and cheese. It was served with a mixed salad and french fries and cost me €32 .
You may be able to dine without a reservation but I would strongly advise you make one via the website.
3. Frame
📍28 Rue Jean Rey 75015 Paris France
💸 €50/ ¢620
Frame Restaurant & Bar is roughly a 6 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower. It’s casual in a dressy way and the food here is great. The service here was the best out of all 3 restaurants simply because the hostess and the mixologist (I think) were extremely friendly.
There is a bar area, a terrace and a lovely lovely indoor dining space.
I had the Cod fillet with seasonal vegetables flavoured with vegetable thyme and veal juice and a glass of champagne, which cost about €50 in all.
Reservations aren’t required, but because its such a tourist hotspot I would recommend it.
Bonus!
4. Ahenfie
📍7 Rue Ernestine, 75018 Paris, France
💸 €15 / ¢185
I found Kenkey in Paris!
Ahenfie, which means Palace in Twi, is a Ghanaian restaurant about 30 minutes from the Eiffel Tower. It’s owned by a Ghanaian aunty, so it’s authentically Ghanaian!
You have the option of picking kenkey or Waakye with red fish, tilapia, grouper or sardine, and you can eat there or take it home.
Kenkey prices range between €7-€15, and it’s cash only, no card (I found this out the hard way. I had to walk 10 minutes to find an atm). They have a lot of local Ghanaian spirits too, plus the conversations took me straight back to Accra! The aunties present were aunty-ing, from advising me to hide my laptop properly to discussing politics in twi with a ghana uncle who came in a little later.
I’ll be honest, it’s in the less glamorous part of Paris, but the crowd that came through was a mix of people from all classes and that’s most likely because their kenkey is delicious! The kenkey was a little whiter than we see in Accra but oh my days. I didn’t intend to eat it all but I did! The shito was absolutely delicious, if I could I would have carried some back to Germany.
Anyway! The place is really easy to find! You should definitely add it to your Paris bucket list!
