I’ll admit I rarely venture far from Belleville to scratch the itch for Asian food, seeing as this multicultural neighborhood is just a 20-minutes’ walk from me and offers such a wide range of excellent choices. But Bang Bang Belleville (which, despite its name, is located steps from the Ménilmontat métro stop) is offering a contemporary approach to Thai food worth heading a bit further east for.
When I visited Bang Bang, it was surprisingly not during a heat wave, so we were very happy sit at an outdoor table for our meal. Diners at Bang Bang have two options when it comes to ordering: a 45-euro, six-plate flight of the restaurant’s star dishes and a few seasonal additions or an à la carte selection of shareable plates, with two plates recommended per person. (Finally, a normal amount!)
We ordered four, panicked and added a fifth, and then realized we’d been counseled right all along.
On my visit, I adored this slight play on a green papaya salad (15) with crispy pork belly and crunchy rolls of thin, almost brik-esque pastry. The bright, balanced dressing was laced with chili (though perhaps a bit less than I might have expected, given the two-chili alarm bells indicated on the menu), and I loved the brightness of the herbs and the sweet slices of mango.
I was equally astounded by this beautiful place of crying tiger duck (18) covered with a shimmering layer of chili oil. The balance between sweet and savory was once more on-point, and the toasted sticky rice topping was a surprising textural addition that added a slight crunch and a warm, roasty note.
The courgettes (14) were a bit more mild-mannered, and yet they allowed Chef Carlos Peñarredonda’s technical prowess to shine. A trio of yellow summer squash, classic zucchini, and globe zucchini were sautéed until tender but still toothsome in chili-infused butter and topped with loads of Thai basil, slightly sweet pickles, a pile of deeply caramelized shallots, and a generous sprinkling of pine nuts. It was perfect in its simplicity, and we devoured every last chunk of toothsome summer squash.
Technique was showcased once more with these bites of red curry pork sausage (13) studded with deeply caramelized peanuts.
They were wrapped in tofu skin before being fried and served with a bright, slightly sweet yuzu sauce with loads of sesame.
This would have been more than enough, but when our server asked if we wanted rice, we panicked and said yes. This green jasmine and togarashi rice (5) was indeed delicious, but we ultimately barely made a dent in it, given the wealth of other offerings on the table.
Other options on the day of our visit included tofu croquetas with fermented tofu emulsion (9) and rice noodles with green curry and crunchy octopus head (26), both of which featured on the flight alongside the papaya, courgettes, and duck. A few weeks later, the current menu features tofu croquetas with fermented tofu emulsion and jalapeño mayo (9) and liang fen with mung beans (11). Several of the dishes are vegetarian, while others can be made vegetarian on request. And as an added bonus, this often incurs a discount, something that isn’t always the case and often makes my veg girlfriend grumble.
While the vibes here are very casual (and the inside space is pretty pocket-sized), there’s a lot of serious cooking going on here. And that holds, as well, for the service, which is attentive and knowledgeable. Our server notably appeared – without asking – with plentiful refills on water and even a stool on which to balance our fifth plate when table real estate had gotten scant. Definitely one for the back pocket!
Bang Bang Belleville – 9, Rue du Liban 75020