Tuesday afternoon at the Grande Mosquée in the 5th arrondissement.It's the largest mosque in all of France...and the third biggest in the Europe. Impressive, no? Well, Monsieur P and I didn't actually go into the mosque. Instead we visited the attached tea salon, Café Maure. You enter through the courtyard, a picture perfect sight of people chatting away at low tables with teas and sweets. We went further, opting for indoor seating in a colorful room, North African in design, complete with tiled ceilings and tables and plush cushions. Transporting to say the least.
Waiters cross the room pouring hot glasses of Sweet Mint Tea from high above, a show in itself. The glasses are small and it is far too easy to drink away the steamy, spicy concoction. They are 2 euros a glass, which seems like a good deal at first. But pay attention or you may find yourself sipping away more than planned!
With the tea, you will undoubtedly crave sweet, so head for the glass counter to oogle and pick from a variety of Arabic desserts. Point to as many as you wish and the gentleman behind the case piles them onto a plate, piece by piece, 2 euros each. There is Baklava, Kunafa and Basbousa, and at least a dozen others, all kissed (or soaked!) with honey or wrapped in layers and layers of phyllo. Semolina and nuts! Lot of nuts. Almonds, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, you name it. Spun, crisp, and soft. Not easy to decide when everything looks the same and different all at once. My eyes settled on a corner piece of Pistachio-Semolina Cake, honey-soaked, and dusted in coconut flakes. A dessert fork, one more cup of mint tea, and we may deem the afternoon a success.La Mosquée
38 Rue Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
75005 Paris, France
01 43 31 38 20
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