Paris Insights - The Restaurant Review

Chantira

posted January 20, 2025

45, rue Daubenton

75005 Paris

Phone: 06.06.92.92.89

Metro Station: Censier-Daubenton (Line 7)

Type of cuisine: Thai

Days & hours of operation: Thurs to Monday 12:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Credit card: MasterCard, Visa

Chantira recently opened for business on a side street near the popular Mouffetard market street in the 5^th arrondissement. 

We stopped in for lunch on a recent Saturday.

In studying the carte, we saw that Chantira operates both as a restaurant and as a salon de thé.  For example, as a salon de thé it offers coffees and teas (listed at the top of the carte) and, in the afternoon, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., toasted Thai snacks. 

As a restaurant, its carte lists Petits plats (small dishes of chicken, beef, tofu, or prawns), ranging in price from 10€ to 15€, Accompagnements (side dishes consisting of rice or noodles) from 3.50€ to 8.00€, and two Desserts at 7€ and 9€.

There is also a chalkboard that listed the lunchtime specials, called Bol[s] du Midi, ranging in price from 13€ to 20€.

I ordered the Bol crevettes grilles & sauce seafood from the chalkboard and received a large, wide bowl containing five giant prawns posed on a generous mound of Jasmin rice.  The prawns had been dressed in a spicy “seafood” sauce and were accompanied by sliced pickled cucumber and radish, as well as sautéed whole scallions.  A soft-boiled egg was nestled between the prawns and scallions.  This was an appetizing dish, and I tucked into it with gusto.

My partner opted for a dish called Tom Zap Champignon, which she ordered à la carte.  It consisted of four large mushroom-stuffed ravioli floating in a bouillon flavored with lemon juice, grilled chili peppers, galanga, lemongrass, and finely-sliced oyster mushrooms.  The ravioli, known as “potstickers” in the United States, contained grilled mushrooms.  Apart from the presence of the lemongrass, she enjoyed this dish.  (She took the time to separate the lemongrass, which tasted a bit like raw green onion to her, from the soup before she began eating.)

The beverage
For the beverage accompaniment, we each ordered the same wine, called “0.72.”  Produced in the Loire Valley, it had a turbid straw color and tasted dry with slight citrus flavor.  We both enjoyed the wine on its own, but did not think that it harmonized with the dishes that we ordered.

The dessert
My partner forwent dessert.

I ordered a dessert called Mango to the Moon and Back and received a plate containing a flattened mound of black sticky rice topped with tiny yellow beans and coconut milk flavored with pandan.  Alongside were six slices of mango and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  I enjoyed all three elements of this dessert:  the black sticky rice tasted sweet and salty all at the same time; the ripe mango was tender and flavorful; and the vanilla ice cream was smooth and refreshing.

The bill
The bill for two, including two glasses of wine, two dishes, and one dessert, came to 49€.

The service
The service was friendly and helpful. 

The ambience
The restaurant is small and starkly decorated.  Spotlighting and small trumpet-shaped lamps hanging from the ceiling illuminate the room.  Four tall French windows admit natural light.

To the left, upon entry, are composite dark-brown tables with wooden chairs next to a wooden wall bench.  On the right are marble-topped tables with wooden chairs.  In the back is an open kitchen.

While we dined, the music of Alina Baraz & Galimatias from the album “Urban Flora” played over the sound system.

The dining room is rather noisy with the conversation of other diners.  There are no curtains or carpets to absorb ambient sounds.

The menu is in French with some English.  English is spoken.

The waitress told us that with advance notice the restaurant can accommodate a diner in a wheelchair.  Access to the WC by wheelchair, however, would be impossible. 

Travelers to Paris who appreciate Thai food will enjoy coming to Chantira for lunch or dinner.