Gumbo Yaya

For a moreish dish of fried chicken, this eccentric ‘soul kitchen’ should be next on your hit list. With its bright red frontage, wooden furnishing and all manner of retro features, ‘Gumbo Yaya’ is a colourful and trendy anomaly in this rather gloomy part of the 10th arrondissement. Specialising in southern African-American cooking, the chefs offer various filling and inventive fried chicken-themed dishes. The most indulgent main is the chicken and waffles, featuring two slabs of chicken placed on a home made waffle and topped with maple syrup, while also tempting are the eponymous Gumbo Yaya dish from New Orleans (fried chicken with rice, chili and okra) and the chicken burger – which is quite possibly the greasiest you’ll get in the capital. Service here can be a little bit hectic, so avoid peak lunch and dinner times.

TRANSLATION: HUW OLIVER