Chez Leon

With its large number of North African immigrants, Paris is a great place to find Moroccan food, and the French population seems to have readily embraced this cuisine. Couscous, the North African staple, although easy to prepare at home, is so much better when prepared the traditional way, steamed over simmering broth until light, fluffy and fragrant. Seeking a great couscous meal we headed for Chez Leon on Boulevard Beaumarchais, a busy street between the Bastille and the Marais. As soon as we were seated, several small plates of complementary nibbles were placed on our table. Marinated carrots, olives, tuna spread, artichokes amongst other things. All delicious and nicely washed down with a kir. We both chose a couscous dish as our main course - me a couscous royal and Stu a lamb couscous. Couscous royal is "the" couscous dish - a combination of chicken, lamb, merguez sausages simmered with vegetables and chickpeas. First up, we received a large plate of couscous, as fluffy and light as we could have hoped for. No matter what you do at home it's impossible to achieve the same result, which is always our main reason for eating at a restaurant. Next up, we received a large oval platter full of meat and vegetables (Stu and my mains had been put on the same plate). There was a chicken drumstick, a lamb shank, a lamb kebab, a lamb chop, two lamb patties, and a merguez, as well as courgettes, carrots and parsnips. If this wasn't enough for two people, we were also given a bowl of broth with chickpeas in it. To spice things up, we also had a jar of harissa, a firey chilli and garlic paste, which you mix into the couscous. There was a lot of food, but we managed to eat at least two-thirds of it. The different pieces of lamb had all been spiced slightly differently, and the chicken had taken on the taste of the vegetables. The vegetables were so soft that they were falling apart, and had soaked up the flavours of the broth that they had been cooked in. To accompany the food, we drank a half bottle of Moroccan red wine. Yes that's right, Moroccan wine. Different tasting from any wine we've tasted before, but it matched the food perfectly. Having no room for dessert, we left the restaurant after our mains feeling full and satisfied. Chez Leon may not be the fanciest or best Moroccan restaurant in Paris, but it's "honest". For around 18€, you get more than you can eat of good, traditional Moroccan food. Add to this the pleasant, attentive wait staff and you have a restaurant that we'd be more than happy to return to.