For 3 years now, the New Soul Food truck has been delighting cinema-goers and residents of the 13th arrondissement on the forecourt of the BNF, as well as workers in the La Défense district.
Andtoday, big news! Rudy and Joël Lainé, the two brothers behind the concept, are setting up shop on Quai de Valmy, a stone's throw from the Canal Saint-Martin, this time in a "real" spot: New Soul Food - Le Maquis. And while their foodtruck has already won a number of awards, including Best Foodtruck of the Year 2017, we're betting that this new address will quickly delight gourmets in the 10th arrondissement and beyond.
Drawing on their past experience in the restaurant business - one of the brothers, a pastry chef and head chef, has worked at Fauchon, Restaurant Laurent and Le Grand Véfour, while the other brother is also a pastry chef - the New Soul Food team, ofGuadeloupean and Cameroonian origin, offers traditional yet contemporary cuisine in this new Afro-cantine, drawing inspiration from the West Indies, Africa and Europe.
The result, on the plates, is some of the most original Afro street-food dishes to be discovered on the spot or to take away.
For our part, we chose to live the discovery to the full and eat there, the place being absolutely charming: bay windows open onto the Canal Saint-Martin, large fresco on the wall, pretty wax cushions and soulful playlists to sing and dance at the table.
To cool off on a day when it's over 35 degrees, we start with a white hibiscus, ginger and passion juice and take a look at the menu. From this point on, you have two choices: either opt for the New Soul Food classics, or choose to create your own dish with a meat, side and sauce of your choice.
To give you a taste of everything, we've decided to go for theAfropéenne : braised chicken with Mediterranean herbs, served withattiéké and Afropéenne yassa sauce. For those of you new to attiéké, it's an uuultra-light cassava-based semolina, not at all filling, and reworked here with a maximum of herbs and candied tomatoes.
Oh yes, what we haven't told you yet is that at New Soul Food, charcoal braisingis THE technique of choice, and we'd say they've mastered it to perfection. Here, the braised chicken is coated in a crispy, herb-scented rub, and inside ,tenderness is the order of the day. It's simple: it melts, it's generous and it's tasty - a real treat!
For other discoveries, you may prefer the Afro-Caribbean version with West Indian curry-braised chicken, the Afro-Sub-Saharan version with Penja pepper-braised chicken, or the Afro-Georgian version with braised okra in place of the chicken. Prices are €12 for takeaway and €14 for eat-in; €15/€17 with a drink; €19/€21 with a drink and dessert.
On the other side of the table, we prefer to compose a dish. On the à la carte menu, you can choose from 4 options: Afrobassa M'Bongo Tchobi shrimp skewers; Afrokankan Lamb chops with Kankan spices, Afrocreole Fish of the moment with dog sauce, and Afrohaoussa Soy skewers, otherwise known as marinated beef.
It's this last meat we're particularly keen on, and which we accompany with attiéké once again. But if you prefer basmati rice with plantains or Afro-Caribbean sweet potatoes, it's up to you!
Did you think you'd reached the end? Well, you've still got to choose your sauce, and here again there's plenty to discover: peanut sauce with spices from Cameroon, coconut-vanilla sauce with spices, Creole dog sauce or Afro-Caribbean Yassa sauce with onions, lime and old-fashioned mustard (!) for the European touch.
In three words, we loved our lunch at New Soul Food. The flavors are unprecedented, the spices take us on a journey, the meat is cooked to perfection, the music transports us and theteam is attentive to our every need.
Before you leave, don't forget to try the ice cream, which is turbinated on the spot. On this particular day, it was coconut-verbena with tonka caramel - a real treat, as well as the cocktails - pineapple, hibiscus and rum.
In short, if you want to discover new flavors and take your taste buds on a journey without even leaving Paris, New Soul Food - Le Maquis is the place to be!
Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.
Location
New Soul Food - Le Maquis
177 Quai de Valmy
75010 Paris 10
Official website
www.newsoulfood.fr
