Ozlem – Paris (75010) en

The ultimate donair, open since 1987, how did I miss it? It’s a mystery.
Be that as it may be, I’m happy to know that I can still discover places like these in Paris.
A huge thank you to the person that gave me the address.
A street food place in the Faubourg Poissonniere for the 30 year olds on the web.
Turkish food rules.

A place run by a masterful hand. The manager of the place admitted to us that he tried the meat raw after his coffee in the morning, because he was so serious about the quality he put out.  You can’t invent this kind of thing.
The boss had a restaurant in Turkey and it was working really well, and then he opened several  in France : They didn’t all work, but Olzem always did, and they haven’t changed the menu since  it opened 26 years ago. People suggested they expand, but they didn’t want to scare off their regular customers. The young manager therefore serves clients whose parents used to come and eat at Ozlem.
At least, there’s no chance it’ll end up like an As du Falafel, who became a caricature of the restaurant in Mont Saint-Michel.
They don’t open at night because 1) they need time for their mise en place 2) the manager hasn’t found someone he could trust 100%.
Here, quality trumps short term profit.
Same for the sign, it could be changed so that we could see it better, but they didn’t want something that was too flashy.

It’s the story of a family from the Hatay region, from a small village near the « Antioche » city, so, close to Syria. The manager told me they were a bit stuck between Turkey, Syria and France. They’re Syrians for the Turks, Turks for the Syrians, and they stay Turks for the French. Not more than 4 people make up the staff in this small restaurant that only has a few seats, but that’s the price to pay for quality. The staff has the “Turquish spirit”: available, nice, good worker, quick, and with no worries.
Needless to say that it’s perfectly clean.

There are sandwich menus ( 6.50 with a drink) and other menus as well with dishes ( 9 with a drink).
There is homemade Ayran to drink, and it’s served nicely, which is golden.
Be careful, lots of people at lunch, you have to be patient, we waited close to 20 minutes for our sandwich, you have a number, and you’re called when it’s ready.
The seats free up fast though, so don’t worry if you get there and it’s full.

Ayran

Donair kebab
What is there to say ?
First, the bread is excellent, I didn’t ask if they made it there, but clearly, I think so.
The meat is perfect as well.
The veggies with it are very fresh.
Finally, the harissa seems to be homemade as well, and is the perfect last touch.
Obviously the sauces and fries are all made in house.
I liked what I was eating so much that I couldn’t even talk.

The manager suggested we take a Kunefe,  a dessert made with a melting Turkish cheese with angel hair pasta which is then flambeed with a syrup. Good.
It’s better than at Urfa Dürüm I think.
The Brazillian person that was with me couldn’t believe it, it was that good:)
There’s no tea, simply because it’s so busy at lunch it would get in the way.

2 sandwiches, 3 Ayrans, 1 kunefe : around 15 euros
Paris, you’ll always surprise me, discovering this kind of place was a joy after so many years walking the streets of Paris looking for the best deals out there.