A Sweet Ending
We finish our meal by ordering some traditional house mint tea, along with a delicious selection of North-African pastries.
- Mint tea (sweetened green tea with fresh mint) is a ritual in North Africa, and it's all in the preparation. If the sugar quantity is a little off, or the pouring neglected, you're left with a mediocre result.
At L’homme Bleu, the mint is fresh and the tea sweetened, but unexceptional and expensive at 2.50 Euros (approx. $3.30).
- The waiter follows with a plate filled with traditional North African pastries for us to choose from. These are supplied by La Bague de Kenza, the world-famous Parisian North-African patisserie on nearby rue St Maur.
These pastries are reserved for those with a true sweet tooth: they are a heady, sticky mix of honey, crushed nuts, and almond paste.
The Bottom Line
As a relative newcomer to the North African culinary scene, I found dining at L'homme Bleu stimulating. The restaurant has the original, authentic quality I was looking for, and thankfully does not have to resort to belly dancers and Fez-wearing waiters to draw the crowds.
If you are no stranger to spicy food and are willing to give most things a try, then L'homme Bleu is a good place to sample classic North African cuisine.
