Cover image: Au Paradis Tropical façade
© Entrée to Black Paris

After our stimulating visit to Little Africa Village, we made our way to Au Paradis Tropical.

This is one of the few places in Paris that serves goat, and I always order a dish made with this meat when I come here.

We were the first customers to arrive at the restaurant, so we had our pick of tables.  We chose to sit at the rear of the main dining room, near the entrance to the smaller dining room and bar.

Au Paradis Tropical - main dining room
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Au Paradis Tropical - view of bar and rear dining room
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We settled in quickly and perused the menu.  Though we normally order ti punch to begin a Créole meal, today we were distracted by the listing of a Haïtian rum called Boukman. 

When I saw the name, I was immediately transported to the 2023 Panthéon exhibition called We Could Be Heroes that featured the works of Raphaël Barontini. Dutty Boukman of Saint Domingue (now Haïti) was one of eleven figures in Barontini's "imaginary pantheon" who fought for freedom in France's former slave colonies. 

We asked our server about the rum.  He told us that Boukman was produced in Haïti by an Irishman and said that it is commonly found in Irish pubs.  He then told us that Haïti's Barbancourt rums (aged 4, 8, and 15 years) were extraordinary.

Tom ordered a Boukman and I ordered a Barbancourt 3 étoiles (3-stars), which had been aged for 4 years.

We continued to consult the menu while our server prepared our drinks.

When they were served (along with a ramekin of peanuts), we each took sips of both spirits.  We agreed that the Barbancourt 3 étoiles was richer, smoother, and more flavorful.

Haïtian rums - Boukman (left) and Barbancourt 3 étoiles (right)
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For our first course, Tom ordered Acras de malanga (fritters made with taro root) and I ordered samoussas aux légumes végétarien.

Acras de malanga
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Samoussas aux légumes végétarien
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Tom's entrée was accompanied by a lovely serving of pikliz (carrot and cabbage slaw), and I received a small ramekin of pepper sauce with mine.

We shared our dishes and found both of them to be delectable! 

This was my introduction to taro root fritters, and I liked them so much that I have decided to sample them whenever I see them on other restaurant menus to see how they compare with Au Paradis Tropical's excellent rendition of them.

For the main course, Tom ordered poisson grillé, and I ordered fritaille cabri.

Each dish came with a choice of bananes pésées (savory plantains) or aloko (ripe plantains) and a choice of white rice, white rice cooked with red beans and coconut milk, or riz djon djon (a traditional Haïtian rice dish made with black mushrooms).

We both ordered aloko, but we elected to order different rice side dishes.  Tom chose rice and beans, while I chose riz djon djon.

Poisson grillé
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Fritaille cabri
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The grilled fish was daurade (sea bream) and the fritaille cabri was the fried goat that I had anticipated eating.

Soft lettuce and pikliz added color to our plates.  We both appreciated the generous serving of créole sauce that we could use to add additional flavor and moisture to our rice and meat or fish as desired.

Tom was able to finish all of his fish but only half of his rice, and I couldn't finish even half of what I was served.  Our waiter boxed everything left on our plates, and we happily took it home.

Au Paradis Tropical
6 Rue Custine
75018 Paris
Metro: Château Rouge (Line 4)
Internet: https://auparadistropical.com/en