Bomaye, amazing African burgers inspired by traditional African dishes

Unusual, exotic and downright amazing street food alert with the opening of Bomaye in the 10th arrondissement, on the aptly-named rue de Paradis. Camille Gozé and Laurent Kalala are at the helm of the place, together in the city as well as on stage, and both passionate about street food and African cultures and cuisines that are still under-represented in Paris.

After taking part in the 'Qui veut ouvrir son resto' competition organized by the Bao Family under the guidance of Céline Chung, and exploring Africa to get a first-hand taste of what they had been dreaming of, the pair naturally decided to open a restaurant that would showcase the best of African street food recipes. And what more emblematic dish than the burger?

From Senegal to the Congo, via the Ivory Coast and Morocco, the two partners returned with suitcases full of traditional recipes: mafé or yassa chicken from Senegal, garba and alloco from the Ivory Coast, mayo chicken from the Congo, and tfaya couscous from Morocco. Get ready to travel!

Named after a term of encouragement chanted by the crowd(Ali boyame!) during the match between Mohammed Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa in 1974, the restaurant is a colourful, noisy little canteen, with walls covered in shimmering paintings by artists Ernesto Novo and Kouka Ntadi.

The same harmony of colors and textures can be found on the menu, where the burger comes in 6 recipes, available à la carte or as part of a truly affordable menu. Count €16.90 for a burger+side+drink:

• Le Champion d'Afrique 2022, a reinterpretation of Senegal's famous mafé (€13.90), with Black Angus beef hamburger, Mafé sauce, melted cheddar and roasted peanuts; a heart-warming burger with a peanut sauce we won't soon forget!

• The Kin la Belle, inspired by the Congo mayo chicken (13.90€), with a generous piece of crispy 10-spice breaded chicken, homemade smoked mayo, red onion, red cabbage and cébette pickles.

• Babi la douce, an adaptation of garba from Côte d'Ivoire, with snacked tuna steak sprinkled with crispy cassava semolina and spiced up with a spicy house mayo, jalapeños and cébette.

• Merci Mima, Moroccan couscous style, with Black Angus beef hamburger, cinnamon raisin tfaya sauce, sweet potato and red cabbage purée.

• Lion de la Teranga, like a Senegalese yassa chicken, with breaded chicken in a house blend of 10 spices, a yassa-style sauce and Penja pepper-infused cheddar.

• The Allocovor, the only vegetarian burger on the menu dedicated toalloco from Côte d'Ivoire, which replaces the traditional meat with a generous plantain fritter, paired with plantain hummus, yoghurt-mint sauce and red cabbage pickles.

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The finest African traditions begin with the appetizers, with excellent klaklos, the little Ivorian fritters made from plantain, onions and spices (8€) to be dipped in a tomato sauce; but also in the glasses, with a refreshing, floral homemade bissap (5€), the famous hibiscus-based drink. For those with a taste for tannin, Bomaye also offers a fine selection of wines from South Africa.

Unfortunately, we had no room for dessert, as the burgers are served generously, but we already know we'll be back to try the rest of the menu! The cookies with peanut paste, chocolate and chouchous (5€) and the vanilla-hibiscus ice cream fried in coconut breadcrumbs (7€) were devilishly appealing... as were the other burgers on the menu. Next time, we'll be heading for the Ivory Coast and Morocco!