After the street-food stall Kuna Naan in Pigalle, then the establishment dedicated to chai and kathi roll Kuna Masala, it's now a large Indian brasserie that the - decidedly very active - group The Kuna Family has just unveiled. Each of the addresses signed by the duo Charley Moreau and Candice Franc is a way of understanding, discovering and tasting the pluralism of India.
This time we're heading for Paris's Bourse de Commerce district to discover Kuna Bada, a 200m2 restaurant with a discreet façade that actually spans two floors.
Open 24 hours a day, from breakfast to late dinner, this address, worthy of a contemporary Indian brasserie , unveils a colorful decor that avoids folklore and instead resonates with the flavors, colors and smells of its spicy and colorful dishes.
From 9am, the first room welcomes early-morning guests to share a savory breakfast, as is customary in India. For lunch and dinner, the festivities continue upstairs or in the back room on the first floor, which can be fully privatized for more intimate moments.
India's cuisine is as diverse as its regions, cities and neighborhoods. And since to restrict a country as vast and varied as India would be to overlook an entire section of this age-old culture, The Kuna Family has chosen to bring together its favorite regional specialties, from the North, South, East and West of India, to showcase its vision of the generosity and richness of this country.
Likewise, Kuna Bada is an invitation to conviviality and discovery, with aplate formatfor sharing between guests that allows you to sample a multitude of specialties, by tapping into the plates of friends - and allowing them to tap into yours, of course.
The menu is divided into several main areas. First and foremost, street food, with finger food such as shrimp polichattu (10€) in a coconut sauce, flavored with aromatic herbs and curry leaves; beef pantaras (8€), melt-in-your-mouth beef croquettes simmered for 5 hours and dipped in homemade chutneys; or aloo tikki chaat (7€), crispy potato pancakes served with yoghurt, chutneys and spicy garnishes.
Then there are the kebabs and tikkas cooked in the tandoor oven, like the malai chicken tikka (8€), a spice-marinated and grilled chicken served with 3 homemade chutneys and lime; and of course the curries, which find their finest expression here, like the tender and creamy butter chicken (13€) and the shrimps with curry, coconut milk and green mango (13€).
We happily dip in sabzis, these legume, rice or potato-based side dishes: from bombay aloo (5€), potatoes marinated in spices and grilled in the tandoor, to veggie pulao (5€) with delicately scented basmati rice, and of course naan (4€) in cheese, garlic or mixed versions.
And for dessert, even if we didn't have any room left (!), the Paris-Brest with chai sauce, the lemon and cardamom tart and the mango ice cream already seem to be must-haves for sweet tooths!
This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know.
Location
Kuna Bada
42 Rue d'Argout
75002 Paris 2
Official website
www.instagram.com
