Jambo (CLOSED)

The Rue Sainte-Marthe – located roughly where Belleville and the Hôpital Saint-Louis area meet – is full of lively bars and restaurants with a Caribbean or African accent. Among them, the most striking may well be Jambo (‘hello’ in Swahili), with its garish yellow façade, orange logo and the various decorative masks and shields inside. With no physical menu to speak of, the staff will recite the day’s offerings on the spot, starting with entrees like a fresh and lemony dish of Zanzibar-style samosas, accompanied by little chunks of mango, grapefruit and a tomato and shallot salad. Mains include things like calamari in coconut milk (€18) and Cameroonian chicken (grilled chicken with a curry sauce, lime, mustard and onions), and all come served with sides of rice and a mix of red and yellow vegetables such as cassava root chips, Ivorian alloco (fried plantain), sweet potato puree and kidney beans. To soak it all up, we recommend a Moroccan Flag beer or a house cocktail of rhum with either ginger or hibiscus.

TRANSLATION: HUW OLIVER