Baan Boran

43 rue Montpensier 75001

Metro: Louvre Rivoli

Baan Boran is a quaint Thai restaurant nestled away from the touristy streets of Paris. Located behind a large historical building, rue Montpensier is littered with small Thai restos (well, at least two).

The ambiance feels classy. Dark painted walls, dim lighting, tinkling fountains, cream colored tablecloths and fancy origami napkins. The service is not as friendly - upon entering the restaurant, we were given stares of amazement (we weren't sure whether it was because they've never seen customers before, or they just didn't know what to do with us). We were seated by the window, given our menus, without any fancy talk (or any talking at all for that matter).

I ordered Pad Thai, under the Thai classics portion, and my bf, who I will call Totoro (because I feel like it) ordered a spicy chicken curry. The pad thai was decent. The plate is well laid out, with a crispy fresh purple flower on the side, and the noodles not greasy, yet a bit dry. I think I expected something more peanuty. Or maybe just more saucy. it was definitely more dry than I expected, but still tasty and satisfying, despite the not-so-big portion. I appreciated the less grease.

Totoro's curry was not spicy, although it was spicy enough for him. The rice came in this small bamboo basket, tall and skinny with a cover on top. It wasn't exactly "handy" and so Totoro ended up just dumping the rice onto his plate. The curry was good, but nothing special.

The highlight of the evening was the bathroom. That probably sounds weird to you, but I was impressed with the real towels provided. Nicely folded, fresh, white...it added class to the already classy atmosphere. But then you wonder if they really are saving tress by doing a load of laundry for white hand towels every night. Go fig.

Price-wise it wasn't too bad. Thai food in Paris is normally expensive, which is astounding to most Americans who find it a cheaper alternative. The pad thai was about 10-11 euros while the curry was 13-14 euros with 2 euros for the rice. We didn't order dessert as they didn't look very tempting. Most of it was fruit based, fresh fruits, and sorbets. It also didn't seem very Thai.

Overall, we probably wouldn't go again specifically for that restaurant. If we happen to be in the area and are hungry and we know we want good food, we would most likely stop by. The same recommendation goes for all of you. If you happen to be in the area, don't want expensive and touristy food, go and try it. It's not poisonous, I wouldn't say it's the best (although it is the first Thai restaurant I have tried), and you'll be happy in the end, although not ecstatic. But I wouldn't recommend you go jump on the metro and invite all your friends for an amazing Thai experience.