Shirvan, a road trip along the Silk Road with Akrame Benallal

Michelin-starred chef Akrame Benallal takes us on a journey along the Silk Road, from Morocco to India, via Azerbaijan and its Azeri cuisine, at his Shirvan Café Métisse restaurant on Place de l'Alma. Here, we discover a multitude of refined dishes filled with flavors from elsewhere, to delight the taste buds of lovers of the Orient.

Well-hidden behind dense vegetation, the terrace is isolated from the hustle and bustle of this ultra-frequented crossroads. Inside, the open kitchen allows us to take a peek at the tasty dishes being prepared. A mouth-watering experience from the moment you enter Shirvan.

• To be read
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• Tips for the week of December 16 - 22, 2024 in Paris: free or cheap outings

In the style of Levantine mezzés, starters are shared among guests as they please: charcoal hummus, celery and walnuts (12€) for a good start; spinach and mozzarella tikki (17€), amazing croquettes to dip in a spinach coulis; and of course the unmissable naan, kneaded and baked on site in a tandoor oven, which comes in plain, cheddar or halloumi-mozzarella versions (7€).

For the rest of the journey, we continue with the lamb chops marinated with homemade harissa (35€), with tender, golden meat, and the lobster pastilla (42€), well-made but not as tasty as our other discoveries. We accompany all this with a Tedec crispy rice (14€), a recipe straight from Iran that takes the form of a crispy rice cake topped with almonds, followed by a spice experiment (11€) like we'd already experienced at Jugaad.

We then cross the border intoAzerbaijan to encounter the traditional Azeri cuisine that appealed so much to Chef Akrame during his trip to Baku, the country's capital. We opted for the azeri crepe grilled with lamb, onions and sumac (21€), which we found particularly naughty, and we'll be back with pleasure to try other specialties from the country, which are rarely featured in Paris restaurants, such as these cabbage leaves garnished with rice and vegetables, or this sea bass grilled in the Tandoor oven, which really caught our eye.

While we waited to return, we indulged in the airy Lamona brioche (13€) for dessert, unable in any case to swallow anything else as our lunch was so copious. Shirvan, which also offers an attractive menu of creative cocktails in the evenings, is sure to please those with a wanderlust.