Tawlet

Lebanon has arrived to the Folie-Méricourt neighborhood in a major way! And it’s all thanks to chef Kamal Mouzawak, owner of the Souk el Tayeb farmers’ market and the shared-plates restaurant Tawlet in Beirut, who has finally brought his family-style cuisine to Paris. Where exactly can you find him? A warm and colorful café/épicerie centered around a ginormous buffet that pays homage to flavors from all four corners of his home country. The night we visited Tawlet (pronounced “Tow-lay”), we refilled our plates several times upon encouragement by our host: delicious man’ouché – flatbread sprinkled with za’atar; classic tabbouleh with plenty of herbs; exquisite moutabal – a purée of grilled eggplant and tahini; graceful chicken-sumac rolls; delicious halloumi from La Laiterie de Paris, served uncooked with tomato jam; a piping hot mloukhiya, which is stewed jute mallow leaves served with rice and shredded chicken, all with plenty of lemon; garlicky, lemony beef tongue that was achingly tender; traditional freekeh with grilled vegetables; all before a stunning knafeh, a Levantine cake made with semolina and cheese. Mabrouk! // Zinnia

FEELING THIRSTY? 100% Lebanese libations, including wine (a white from the Domaine des Tourelles for €5 a glass, a red from Ixsir for €35 a bottle…), an Almaza beer (€5 for 330 ml), arak (a grape and aniseed spirit, €11 for a small jug), orange blossom lemonade (€6.50) and white coffee (€3).
PRICE: Dish of the day €14, buffet €29 (lunch), €39 (dinner) and €42 (weekends).