Buzkashi

Finally some good news for people looking to eat well around the Place de Clichy, when most good restaurants in the north cluster around Abbesses in the 18th or Batignolles in the 17th. Buzkashi – the name comes from the Afghan sport, a little like polo but played with a headless goat carcass – is one of those restaurants you stumble across by accident, but which then holds your attention. The Afghan cooking is a rarity in Paris, which makes it all the more welcome.

Here, you get a relaxed, smiling welcome and quick and attentive service, even if the staff can get overloaded by large parties. But couples and groups of friends are equally well catered for by the food and the décor, seated on low cushions or at tables with choice of three set menus (from €14 to €25) from a simple but appealing selection that brings enormous dishes full of colour and flavour (careful not to over-order!).

Look out for ravioli filled with beef (mantoo) or vegetables (aushak), Persian-style stuffed spinach with beef or chicken kebabs, or kabuli veal with spiced basmati rice, carrots, raisins and almonds. The tender, slow-cooked meat is an absolute treat, and the influences on Afghan coking extends as far as India (in the naan bread with cheese, the use of cardamom and coriander, the masala chicken). Don’t try and save room for dessert – the oriental pastries are nothing special – but do have a soothing glass of dohr fermented yoghurt with cucumber, lemon and mint to aid digestion. You'll want to make room for more.