Afaria arrived in Paris long before the popular tapas restaurant Dans Les Landes was even a thought. In fact, Julien Duboué is the man behind both restaurants, but it all began with Afaria in 2007.

We were a group of 10 and thus able to reserve the high-top table that takes over most of the front room near the bar. Tables dot the sidewalk outside on a nice day, and a full restaurant sits in back, where you can order from a bistro menu. But the 10 of us were in for the 38-euro tapas menu, which includes a choice of mains and desserts.

The tapas came out at a good pace with nice presentation. There was soft, thinly sliced ham peeking out of a wooden shoe. Next came crispy fried-fish croquettes, which were salty and crunchy and a nice companion to our white sangria. A second wooden shoe brought more fried fun with chipirones, or baby squid, lightly battered and fully delicious. A fluffy Spanish omelet was delivered with a fresh drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of green onions on top. The delicately cooked duck hearts (passed up by a few people too nervous to try) were tender and served in a garlicky persillade that had me fighting for bread to dip in the luscious sauce.

The main dish most people went for was the magret de canard, which is presented as a large rack in a long wooden serving plate, smoke still wafting. I’ve had this duck at Dans Les Landes and it’s well worth it, but the Thai shrimp salad was the other choice and a new addition I was keen on trying. The salad included well dressed greens, carrots and grilled shrimp in a tangy sauce that left me content while my comrades tore at the duck on the table.

My dessert of rice pudding was a sort of do-it-yourself setup, with small saucepans of liquidy pudding served alongside miniature pitchers of supersweet caramel sauce. It was all a bit too much for me. The cheesecake turned out to be the winning dessert. It came in a mason jar with a crumbly crust bottom, nearly airless cheesecake in the middle and a fresh peach layer on top.

15 Rue Desnouettes, 75015

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