Mabrouk: Tunisian Jewish cuisine at Arts et Métiers

Mabrouk is a little piece of Tunisia in the Haut-Marais district. It's as if someone had cut out a piece of La Goulette and put it there, on the corner of Rue Réaumur and Rue Saint-Martin, opposite the church of the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers, a stone's throw from the eponymous metro station.

Although originally from Paris, Alexis Memmi and Alexandre David, the founders of Mabrouk, met in the Tunisian village of Sousse, where their grandmothers were neighbors. Both attached to their roots, and more than a little nostalgic for the cuisine of their grandmothers, it was only natural that they decided to open Mabrouk, this lively embassy of Tunisian street-food with a Judeo-Arab twist.

As for the decor, Pierre-Alexis Guinet, the artistic director of the house, didn't make the mistake of falling into the trap of folkloric cliché and excessive caricature, like "La vérité si je mens". On the contrary, the restaurant's south-facing terrace and blinds have been colored in a pretty blue reminiscent of Sidi Bou Saïd, a small Tunisian village also known as"little white and blue paradise".

The water-green "zellige" tiled bar topped by a large zinc bar, the large scratchy fabric banquettes, the oriental rugs hanging on the walls, and the ceramic or terracotta pots garnished with bunches of fresh mint, placed here and there on the outrageously vintage (and wobbly!) folding camping tables, are also well thought out.

All the codes of the"café-Tune-comme-là-bas" have thus been respected, and you don't have to stay long at Mabrouk to feel transported to the other side of the Mediterranean. To ensure the same change of scenery on the plate, the owners have recruited Franco-Israeli chef Daniel Renaudie, whom we discovered at the opening of the Else restaurant, and who trained in Jerusalem with the famous Israeli chef Rafi Cohen, before leaving to work at the starred "La Rive" restaurant in Amsterdam.

Good luck with the tuna and egg "bricks " (€8), the mechouia with poached egg (€8), or the homemade merguez sa usages just grilled (€8), to be enjoyed in kémia mode, with a chilled anisette. For the main course, try the pkaïla (€20), the traditional beef and spinach stew often prepared for the holidays.

Not bad either was the fish couscous, with a perfectly cooked fillet, but the couscous seed was unfortunately drowned in the broth (but we were assured that this is how they eat it in Tunisia, so so be it!)

And of course, you can't finish your meal without ordering a "bambalouni", those fried doughnuts - true icons of Tunisian street-food - which are served here with a delicate orange marmalade. The house also offers a lovely Sunday brunch (€35), with a kemia buffet and a hot dish to be ordered from the charming service team.

Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.

Mabrouk: Tunisian Jewish cuisine at Arts et Métiers

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