Baan Boran

PARIS FRANCE — Located at 43, rue Montpensier
Baan Boran serves the best Thai cuisine (yes, cuisine… not food) I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy — and I’ve enjoyed a LOT of Thai food.
The green curry sublime. The red curry sparkles, then fades. The shrimp with sweet and spicy sauce was so good I used a spoon to consume every last bit of sauce. Finally the Pad Thai — the basic test for all Thai restaurants also qualifies as the best I’ve tried — perfect moisture content, not too sweet and sticky and not too much vinegar — just right.
I ate there two nights in a row which may seem like a bit of a shame, but now I know the first time was some sort of a «I got lucky» oddity.
They open at 7:15 for dinner. Make reservations or arrive between open and 8PM whereupon you may be asked to please finish by 9PM to accommodate their reserved guests. Best of all — this place is just 100 meters down the street from Au Caveau Montpensier — the best bar in the world. Their menu caters to vegans and non-​vegans alike.
PS — insiders tell me that there are three Thai restaurants in this area (one right next door to Baan Boran that serves a set menu actually shares a kitchen). They are all owned by the same family and I am told, this really is the best Thai cuisine in Paris. I’ve eaten at the Blue Elephant — not even close.
I travel outside the US occasionally. Some cities I visit with a certain regularity. I will continue to do reviews of the things I really like when I find them but I will never again write about anything outside the US that I consider less than 5-​stars (unless its a cool story I guess). Why you ask… well, I’ll tell you. It’s because, what are the odds that you (yeah, you) would end up in anyplace I’ve gone when you go to these cities anyway? I mean there are thousands of places in any big city that are cool and fun and unique. The only way you might go is if you actually sought them out because they were highly recommended by someone you trust — namely me. Well that may be a bit of a stretch, I mean who trusts anyone really? How about someone who’s opinion seems credible? OK — Deal.