Boucherie Hamdane Tej

my first paris review, huzzah!
i passed by this boucherie on my way home from grocery shopping at the barbès-​rochechouart market. actually, more like throwing down MMA-​style at the barbès-​rochechouart market, but maybe i’ll write about that another time.
anyway, i couldn’t help but notice a half-​dozen men standing around on the sidewalk in front of the rack of rotisserie chickens. not just standing — they were *waiting,* as the skin hadn’t browned yet on the latest skewer of birds. i saw that a demi-​poulet was only 3E, figured i’d give it a try & settled into my own waiting spot.
one of the men started talking to me, & through a little french, a little english & a lot of gesturing, i learned that some of them had been waiting almost 20 minutes & that the chicken was bio, natural & the most delicious in all of paris. as we talked, i kept an eye on the birds, twirling & browning & dripping fat onto the potatoes gathered at the bottom of the rotisserie.
so, cutting to the chase, it was the best poulet roti i’ve ever had. it had been rubbed inside & out with some curry mix. the skin was perfectly browned, the meat tender, juicy & flavorful. my favorite part, the wing tip, was crispy & a joy to gnaw on.
as for the rest of the shop, the meat cases had a good variety of stuff that all looked fresh, including a whole rabbit with head & bulging eyes intact. eesh.
the guys running the boucherie were friendly, & the one handling my poulet stuffed some potatoes into my bag free of charge (an order of the chicken-​fat potatoes was 2E).
definitely worth braving the long metro ride & market gauntlet. i’ll be back!