Nana Bistro Thaï, the Franco-Thai restaurant at MK2 Quai de Loire

A small Thai bistro with a large covered and heated terrace facing the Bassin de la Villette, Nana is the brand-new restaurant at the MK2 Quai de Loire, offering French-Thai influenced cuisine from 9am to 12:30am, 7 days a week.

Nathalie and Yin, who already ran Koko, a small Japanese bistro a stone's throw away, chose to open this charming spot in place of the MK2's former burger restaurant. With its exotic decor by Janreji Studio, Nana transports us thousands of miles from Paris into an exotic atmosphere, with rattan hanging baskets, vegetation that would make green-thumbed Parisians swoon, and vases in the shape of animal busts that caught our eye.

Before or after a movie at MK2 Quai de Loire, or across the street at its sister venue MK2 Quai de Seine, Nana delights palates with simple yet masterful Thai cuisine that warms the body and taste buds in this wintry season.

For even more conviviality, Nana offers an attractive tapas menu to share with guests on the large table d'hôtes: a generous bowl ofedamame in a classic version (4€) or a spicy version (4.5€), nems with chicken, vegetables or shrimps, light and crispy to perfection (6€), papaya salad (10€), Thai sausage with lemongrass (7€) or sea bream ceviche (11€), an appetizer filled with freshness and a thousand flavors, topped with mango, lots of coriander, lime, chili and spring onion.

To accompany all this, a dozen cocktails, created by the 3rd World Cocktail Champion Nido, can be found on the Nana menu, and they hold their own, like the Nana cocktail (gin, apricot, lemon juice, coriander, lemongrass, roasted sesame oil; 12€) or the Tha Pae Market cocktail (Bourbon, spiced red wine, chai, lemon, egg white; 10€), available all day long alongside other beverages such as Maison Nana beer!

We continue with a weekly dish which, as its name suggests, changes every week, and with an à la carte dish: on the one hand, a very generous Nana burger (16€) with flavors from elsewhere, with ground beef with Thai spices, pickles, matured cheddar, grilled bacon, coriander, red curry mayo and served with satay fries; on the other hand, a delicious chicken with green curry sauce, coconut milk, basil and lemongrass (14€) accompanied by stir-fried vegetables and rice, a dish that warms the taste buds!

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On the chef's advice - and despite our already full tummy - we fall for one of the Thai-style desserts on the menu. Instead of the tempting hibiscus panna cotta (7€) and matcha French toast (10€), we prefer the delicate rice pudding with pandan and coconut (7€), ideal for ending on a sweet note!