Asian Eateries
in Paris
More Confusion Than Fusion
What’s cooking
in Chinese restaurants? Some wonder if the
arrival of the year of the Pig on February 18
will shed some light on the confusion over the
so-called “Asian” tables in France. For
instance, will we know how many “Japanese”
restaurants are really Japanese? Rumor has it
that ninety percent of the “Japanese” tables
are actually Chinese-owned.
Recently,
French Health Services determined that some soy
sauces used in restaurants contained the
cancer-causing toxic propyl chloride. They also
found a stock of genetically modified rice that
had been banned from the European Union.
There’s a long list of investigations in
progress related to Asian food products. How
safe are they, is the worrisome question that
has kept many diners away from their occasional
indulgences in fried rice and spring
rolls.
The
stunning discovery of a clandestine dim sum
factory that used less-than-fresh ingredients
was a devastating blow to the 6,000 Asian
establishments of the greater Paris area,
causing the loss of a large chunk of their
clientele. A timid response came from the Asian
Union of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers (UCHRA).
They would bestow, they proclaimed, a
certificate of quality only to restaurants that
would adhere to the mandatory principles of
hygiene and authenticity of Asian products. So
far, so good. About fifteen Chinese restaurants
got the “Qualité Asie” label supposedly paving
the way for hundreds or thousands more to come.
Problem is: there has not been a single
addition to the short list since. So should we
stay clear of this very limited certified
field?
If the
Chinese kept a low profile on the subject, the
Japanese did not take it lightly. The Japan
External Trade Organization, JETRO, dispatched
inspectors not only to France but also to the
rest of the world to put a cap on the
extravagant blossoming of pseudo “Japanese”
restaurants that was threatening—or so they
thought—the image of the gastronomy of the
Empire of the Rising Sun. They weren’t too
happy to discover a Korean barbecue place
serving sushi in the States. Also, because of
tense Sino-Japanese relations, they were
appalled when news came from South West China
that the hip and expensive thing to do there
was “Nyotaimori”—the old but almost vanished
Japanese tradition of savoring shellfish, sushi
and sashimi over the naked body of young girls
lying as a table. Also a tad unusual was the
“meal served over the breast” in the Changsha
area in the Hunan province. Japanese hated the
sushi au foie gras served at Nobu in
London.
Separating
the ersatz eateries from the authentic ones,
JETRO has selected 50 genuine Japanese
restaurants in France.
Among
these we like:
Japanese
Isse, 45, rue Richelieu, 75001 Paris.
Telephone 01 42 96 26 60
Kinugawa, 9, rue du Mont Thabor,
75001 Paris. Telephone 01 42 60 64
07
Isami, 4, quai d’Orléans, 75004
Paris. Telephone 01 40 46 06 97
Azabu, 3, rue André Mazet, 75006
Paris. Telephone 01 46 33 72 05
Yen, 22, rue Saint Benoît, 75006
Paris. Telephone 01 45 44 11 18
Wada, 18, rue de l’Arc de
Triomphe, 75017 Paris. Telephone 01 44 09 79
19
This modest place is our favorite.
Chinese
Make no
mistake; Paris has a host of good—and
safe—Chinese restaurants. Here are a
few:
Chen-Soleil d’Est, 15, rue du
Théatre, 75015 Paris. Telephone 01 45 79 34
34
Chez Vong, 10, rue de la
Grande-Truanderie, 75001 Paris. Telephone 01 40
26 09 36
Zen Garden, 15, rue Marboeuf,
75008 Paris. Telephone 01 53 23 82
82
Vietnamese
Kim Anh, 51, av. Emile
Zola, 75015 Paris. Telephone 01 45 79 40
96
This one is our favorite.
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