New Balal — Restaurant in Paris

I went to this restaurant on August 11 with my family for dinner. The drinks menu is split in two sections, alcoholic on one side and non alcoholic on the other side. When ordering my mojito, I clearly pointed to the alcoholic mojito, and said I will have a mojito. The man who was serving us said to me 'non alcoholic?'. I said 'no, alcoholic', still pointing at the alcoholic mojito. And then he literally exclaimed in disbelief and judgement 'alcoholic??!!' and I said 'yes'. UNBELIEVABLE. The nerve this server had to speak to me this way. He wasn't even part of the regular wait staff. He was wearing different clothing from them, he must have the manager. I am a grown woman, and to have someone speak to me that way, was ridiculous and very surprising. He didn't speak to my father that way when he ordered a drink. I am a paying customer, if you don't want to serve alcohol to me, don't sell it on the menu.

Food - Half of my family members liked the food the other half didn't. I thought the food was good. However, it was very pricey and the quantities were small. This was the most expensive meal on our entire Europe trip, and we went to really good places like Dishoom and Pink Mama. It was not worth the cost. At the end of the meal, they did give us one dessert on the house and offered my dad a liquor.

Atmosphere - The restaurant is very quiet. It does not have a fun lively vibe. It is reminiscent of a traditional 1980's Indian restaurant, which we did not like. The wait staff were very nice.

I would not recommend this restaurant nor would I ever go back here. Pricing, food portions and atmosphere are subjective, however, the way I was treated as an Indian woman for ordering an alcoholic drink is just wrong, so I would love a response from the owner of this restaurant...

We visited New Balal after reading several positive reviews about the food and, unfortunately, we left feeling quite disappointed.

Upon arrival, we were swiftly seated (we had a reservation) and given our menus. Within realistically 30 seconds, a waiter came and asked us if we were ready to order. We’d barely just sat down! The same thing happened twice more within the next few minutes, which made us feel quite rushed. However, once we had ordered, the service was really fast, which was a benefit.

The tandoori chicken starter was okay but the naans we ordered were a little on the crispy side - I would have liked to have been served those on the softer side.

The real disappointment was the main course though. My lamb curry was nice enough, though heavily lacking in spice, but my fiancé’s butter chicken just tasted like chicken in tomato soup. It even had somewhat of a cheesy taste - there was absolutely zero spicing or authentic Indian flavours in that dish as it had been completely transformed for a European palate.

At the end, after we had paid, the owner wouldn’t let us leave without trying a glass of their fresh lassi each, made in house, for free. This was a truly nice touch and the lassi was absolutely delicious.

Overall, despite the kindness of the owner and the fact that there were a few positives throughout the experience, I can’t say that I would recommend New Balal if you’re someone who’s used to/is looking to sample authentic Indian flavours. It was not what we were expecting based on the reviews. If, however, you’re not sure on what sort of spice levels you can handle or if Indian cuisine is for you, this version could serve as a good starting...

The staff here were absolutely amazing – extremely pleasant, welcoming, and attentive from start to finish. It really made the whole experience feel warm and friendly.

Our food arrived fairly quickly, which was impressive considering we were a group of 14! The atmosphere was also really nice: comfortable seating, a relaxed vibe, and a setting that made it easy to enjoy a meal together.

As for the food itself, I personally found it a little more westernized than I expected. Coming from an Indian background, I’m not as used to that style, but I could see that many of the others – especially those from France and elsewhere – really enjoyed it. That said, the quality was still good, and everything was well-presented.

Another pleasant surprise was the pricing. Even with starters, mains, and desserts for such a large group, the total worked out to around €35 per person, which I felt was very reasonable given the overall experience.

Overall, a lovely place with fantastic service, a nice atmosphere, and good value for money. If your palate leans more toward international or western flavors, you’ll probably enjoy the food even...