Meat marinated and grilled to perfection, good bread and quality homemade sauces: the trifecta of every successful kebab. And it's precisely on the basis of this false simplicity that Basis has been delightingeastern Paris with its traditional kebabs for a couple of years now.
After Belleville, Basis has opened a second street-food outlet in Strasbourg Saint-Denis, another traditional kebab stronghold in Paris. The aim is to stand out from the other addresses in the area, which are not all on the same footing in terms of quality. With Basis 2, Maxime Gaffory has kept to the same recipe, and the result is as stunning as ever.
With its minimalist, futuristic decor designed by FA Studio, you can eat in at the counter or, for the more adventurous, take away. Because if we're talking about quality here, we're also talking about quantity, with very well-stocked and very, very generous doner kebabs - good luck not getting it all over you, even if, let's face it, that's the joy of street-food, to go with your fingers.
When it comes to quality, Basis swears by carefully sourced products, like this excellent pita bread, made by the Ahmed bakery a few meters away, on the borderline between traditional doner bread and lightly brioche burger bread, a real cloud. The vegetables are fresh, of course, and the sauces all homemade.
There's a us version of white sauce, with mayonnaise, yoghurt, black pepper, tarragon vinegar and truffle oil as an option for connoisseurs; DZ sauce in the style of an Algerian sauce, with mayonnaise, grilled onions, red peppers, Algerian spices and harissa; Belleville sauce, similar to samurai sauce, with mayonnaise, sumac, harissa, white vinegar and tomato paste; and a sauce of the moment, which changes with the seasons.
Then comes the difficult choice of menu, because although the menu is short, it's a dream from start to finish. On its own or as part of a menu, as a sandwich or a plate (14€), as a doner or a dürüm, with or without fries, potato fries or sweet potato fries... So many choices!
A la carte, 3 recipes: the classic (10€) with crunchy vegetables (salad, tomatoes, red cabbage and fresh cucumber); the first class (10€) with melting vegetables (baked, steamed or fried, depending on the time of year); and the good morning Istambul (10€) in dürüm, with salad, tomatoes, sumac onions, white sauce and a spicy ketchup version of tomato sauce seasoned with Pul Biber, and sumac onions.
One last step, choosing the spit, and you're all set. Clearly visible behind the counter, they're both homemade. Juicy, crispy and melt-in-the-mouth, the meat is cooked for a minimum of 45 minutes, then cut with an electric knife for a very fine finish. And that's what Basis is all about: quality halal meat, marinated and seasoned to perfection, grilled on the outside and melt-in-the-mouth on the inside.
One is a spit made exclusively from boneless French chicken thighs from Carré d'As. Immersed for 24 to 48 hours in a marinade of dakatine (peanut paste), Achiote (a colorful, slightly peppery Mexican spice), French and Chinese peppers and ribot milk, the meat is tenderized before cooking.
The other spit is a blend of three meats: lamb, veal and turkey from Europe. This time, the marinade is seasoned with mustard, spicy Turkish spices such as Pul Biber, thyme and oregano, and a Turkish bell pepper concentrate. Inspired by Anatolian cooking methods, the latter is broached, topped with a bed of strainer and then baked with volcanic stone to give it a light smoky taste. Both, like the marinades that lightly soak the soft bread or the Turkish galette, are to die for.
It would also be a shame to miss out on the addictive mozzarella sticks (6€), the Half-Half (4€), a blend of iced tea and homemade lemonade in the style of the classic American Arnold Palmer, and the Greenkie cookies (3.50€) with pistachio, pecan or peanut butter.
A quality kebab as we like them and as they don't make so many anymore, where we go with our eyes closed!
Location
Basis Strasbourg Saint-Denis
85 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis
75010 Paris 10
Prices
Boisson, à partir de: €3
Cookie, à partir de: €3.5
Side, à partir de: €6
Menu sandwich + frites + boisson: €14
Official website
www.basis.paris
