MG Road Indian restaurant

Eating Indian and gluten free in Paris!

This week I discovered a restaurant with gluten free options that is different from those that I usually go to: so today I bring you with me to eat Indian food with a modern twist at MG Road.

I particularly care to thank my dear friend Marine de la Bretèche, co-founder of the beautiful food project Opn Kitchen I told you about in a previous post: she has recently made me try delicious restaurants in Paris and as per the Italian that I am, I do love eating great tasting food!

MG Road is half a restaurant, half a bistrot, the menu is short, and dishes change regularly according to the season and the fresh products available at the market. All the recipes are concocted by renowned chef Manoj Sharma who previously worked in London.

That day I met with Stephanie de Saint Simon, founder. Stephanie told me that she started her adventure in India, a country that she is fondly passionate about, almost 13 years ago.

She was making design furniture when she got the idea that in France, and in Paris in particular, there weren’t any Indian restaurants proposing quality food.

Because of her past work experiences in the catering business, Stephanie made up her mind that she could succeed in opening up an Indian spot in Paris, proposing a more contemporary cuisine that was colourful, fresh, using only top quality ingredients.

She came back to France and she was proposed a beautiful space in rue Saint Martin, close to the Centre Pompidou Museum.

She fall in love with it and decided to launch herself in this new, exciting adventure!

MG Road design is inspired by the coffee shops in Bombay called « Irani » : they were places opened by Persian immigrants during the XIX century.

They were a kind of popular bistrot where businessmen sat close to taxi drivers or families with children.

They offered all kind of traditional foods that were simple, good, and could be eaten fast if necessary.

I can tell you that I got completely mesmerised by the beautiful design of MG Road: Stephanie took care at selecting each detail and it shows, from the beautiful lamps, to the dark wooden chairs and marble tables, from the books and the small spices boxes, everything invites you to travel faraway while you are enjoying your meal in the heart of Paris.

The menu offers a nice variety of dishes and because Indian cuisine uses a lot of rice, several of them are naturally gluten free.

I was there for lunch and opted for a vegetarian Biriyani served with Raita sauce made of yoghurt, fennel and red raisins.

I also had a Pancharangi Dal with 5 lentils, and drank hot green tea.

This was one of the best meals of my life!

I think I have never, ever enjoyed Indian food this much, everything was delicious and I took a deep pleasure at savouring each bite.

Besides, as Stephanie reminds me, Indian cuisine –except for the sugary, pastry side – is a healthy one and based on the traditional Ayurveda medicine.

Most of the dishes use spices for example in a savant way to boost our good energy and create balance in our body, the basis of good health according to Ayurveda practicians.

Before leaving I asked Stephanie one last question: what it means the name MG Road.

She said Mahatma Gandhi Road: it is a bit like the avenue Jean Jaurès in France, there is one in each city in India.

I would like to end this post with one sentence of Gandhi that I particularly cherish:

“The future depends on what we do today.”