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Chinese food is booming in Paris, the land of cheese and croissants. Here are 8 restaurants that are bowling over the Parisians

Who needs Emily when there’s mala hot pot in Paris?

Chinese food is booming in Paris, the land of cheese and croissants. Here are 8 restaurants that are bowling over the Parisians

Many more Chinese restaurants are emerging in Paris, serving different types of cuisine. (Photo: Bao Family)

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When Celine Chung opened Petit Bao, a small restaurant specialising in xiao long baos in Paris back in 2019, the launch campaign’s tagline read: “No dogs, no rats, no cats, just Chinese food”.

It was splashed all over social media and surgically engineered to strike the stigma around Chinese food in France with a lightning bolt.

Such was the reputation of Chinese cuisine that the 34-year-old entrepreneur grappled with. Born in Paris to parents from Wenzhou, China, Chung grew up in an environment that was hostile to foreign food cultures.

In that era, Chinese restaurants were mostly relegated to the periphery as cheap takeout places. Indeed, despite its international calling card, Paris has for so long resisted absorbing foreign cultures as part of the cityscape.

“I really suffered when I was a child from all these comments from other people,” she explained. “That's why I came up with this tagline — I wanted to provoke people.”

Her attention-grabbing slogan worked. Soon, queues were forming in front of her restaurant as Parisians clamoured to savour what a good quality freshly steamed xiao long bao should taste like.

Celine Chung and her business partner Billy Pham. (Photo: Bao Family)

Years later, the city has changed, in no part, thanks to a breed of entrepreneurs like Chung and her business partner Billy Pham. Their restaurant group, Bao Family, went on to open four more restaurants.

Today, Paris’ iconic streets are lined with hip new spots that span the gamut of the Chinese gastronomic universe. There are Sichuan hot pot specialists, bubble tea kiosks and window-facing eateries where dexterous cooks knead, stretch and pull noodles a la minute. Look hard enough and you can even find egg tarts and milk tea reminiscent of Hong Kong’s cha chaan tengs.

It’s a remarkable development for a culinarily conservative city known more for baguettes and macarons.

“Asian food has become trendy,” explained Davina Chang, founder of Hong Kong cafe Bingsutt on Rue Beranger in the third arrondissement. “That’s a broad category but it started with Japanese food which has always had a presence here. Then the Korean wave came and that helped — people have become more open to try new things.”

Davina Chang, founder of Hong Kong cafe Bingsutt. (Photo: Davina Chang)

Agreeing, Chung said: “We have so much variety now and many more Chinese restaurants are emerging. French people can now see so many specialties and they now welcome it.”

In fact, she strongly believes that France beyond just Paris is now ready to embrace well-executed Chinese dishes — so much so that her group has opened its first outpost in Marseille, France’s second largest city located in the coastal south.

The goal? To expand in major European capitals in response to a growing demand.

As Chinese cuisine spreads across the continent, here are eight hip restaurants changing the game, bowling over Parisian diners with its authenticity, sleek branding and food delicious enough to come back again and again.

GROS BAO

Petit Bao has a bigger cousin, and one that serves Chinese food with natural wines. This restaurant is located along Canal Saint Martin in the 10th arrondissement with a few types of baos: The classic char siu (roast pork) as well as the chicken with spring onions. Those with an appetite for something off kilter can order the Cheesy Bao where gouda cheese, roasted shiitake mushrooms and caramelised onions are stuffed into a fluffy bao and then deep fried till golden brown. Up for something heavier? Order the beef hor fun or a range of main plates like the wok fried beef with onions or mapo tofu to enjoy with a warm bowl of rice.

Address: 72 Quai de Jemmapes, 75010 Paris

BINGSUTT PARIS

(Photo: Bingsutt Paris)
(Photo: Bingsutt Paris)

Hong Kong’s unique identity comes to the forefront at Bingsutt, where founder Davina Chang shares her love and nostalgia for some of Hong Kong’s most iconic treats. The cafe is tucked away in a quiet street just opposite Place de La Republique in the third arrondissement. Those hankering for egg tarts and bolo buns will do well to arrive in the afternoon before they sell out and savour it over milk tea or the range of specialty coffees. Come lunch time, dig into char siew rice and wash it all down with milk tea.

Address: 22 Rue Béranger, 75003 Paris

NOUILLES CEINTURES

(Photo: Nouilles Ceintures)

Xi’an’s biang biang noodles — which earned its moniker after the sound the noodle makers make as they knead, slam and slap the dough into shape — has its fair share of aficionados. If you’re one of them, head over to Nouilles Ceintures, a humble restaurant that seats just 15 diners and is run by chefs from Shanxi. Choose the width of your noodles, from the XL (4.5cm wide) to a fine 2mm and your level of spiciness from one to three. There’s a generous selection of versions like the beef, pork or vegetarian but all come with a heaping of scallions and coriander. If you’re in Paris on a boiling hot summer’s day, go for the cold dishes for a meal that’s as cooling as it is satiating.

Address: 17 rue du Faubourg, 75009 Paris.

SUZIE WONG

(Photo: Suzie Wong)

Dim sum is the order of the day at Suzie Wong, opened by Panda Panda Group which owns a collective of modern Chinese restaurants. Order well-loved dishes like the har gow, wontons and shui jiao or have your dumplings in the jiaozi noodle soup. For desserts, the Bao choco noisette is a pleasure to tear into while warm, as the Giandjua chocolate that it’s stuffed with is still at its decadent molten texture.  While the food is decent, don’t leave without ordering a tipple or two. The Sichuan negroni sees gin infused with Sichuan peppercorns but adventurous wine lovers can enjoy from a selection of orange wines.

Address: 24 Rue des Taillandiers, 75011 Paris.

MALA BOOM

Who would’ve thought that the spicy mouth-tingling sensation of mala could take root in a country so accustomed to cheese and dairy? Mala Boom claims to be the first Sichuan restaurant in the City of Lights and serves up a no-holds barred menu of small plates to accompany the large bowl of mala xiangguo composed of the ingredients of your choice (there’s 18 — all of which are proudly grown or raised in France). Can the French handle the heat? Well, the restaurant lets you choose the spicy levels between zero and five, but locals often joke about having the fire brigade hotline on standby.

Address: 42 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris.

LA TAVERNE DE ZHAO

La Taverne de Zhao has several locations across Paris but they all serve similar menus. For light bites, order one of the three renditions of roujiamo (a round meat-filled sandwich) in your choice of pork, chicken or vegetarian. Diners with an appetite will be well-rewarded with a selection of rice and noodle dishes. We especially loved the tomato and beef biang biang noodles though the rice bowl with sauteed squid deserves equal mention. Wash these down with a selection of teas from Yunnan, Hangzhou or Fujian and pick up a jar or two of its chilli oil so you can enjoy.

Address: Multiple locations.

TAIPEI GOURMET

(Photo: Taipei Gourmet)

Blink and you’ll miss it. Taipei Gourmet is a small eatery off Boulevard Saint Marcel whose generous menu belies its size. The family-run eatery boasts an authentic Taiwanese menu, including the essential gua bao and a selection of well-loved appetisers and mains. The slow-cooked pork is a Taiwanese signature or slurp up an authentic bowl of beef noodles. The eatery also has an online store so homesick Taiwanese expats can order a pack of Taiwan Beer or even chou tofu (smelly tofu) to fix the craving for a taste of home.

Address: 5 Bd Saint-Marcel, 75013 Paris.

AUCIEL

(Photo: Auciel)

Nothing quite beats the feeling of sitting around a hot pot on a cold winter’s day and gently poaching the ingredients of your choice. Auciel at the 11th arrondissement has all your favourite broths from tomato to sauerkraut and a silky chicken soup as well as a formidable ala carte menu with all the familiar meat and vegetables. The restaurant also has a selection of signature dishes ranging from the classic steamed fish to crispy pork and spicy stir fried squid served while sizzling on a hot plate.

Address: 19 Bd Saint-Martin, 75003 Paris.

Source: CNA/bt

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