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Quality Asian Restaurants in
France
Will "Quality Asia" Labels Make
a Difference?
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Silk &
Spice
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The first "Qualité
Asie" or "Quality Asia" labels were given to
Asian restaurants in France in mid-December
2005 by the Union of Asian Cafés, Hotels and
Restaurants (UCHRA). Their idea is to clean up
the image of Asian restaurants, which was
sullied last year by reports on the widespread
use of contaminated products discovered by
health authorities.
This new label will identify those
establishments that satisfy the Union’s
charter, whose mission is to educate consumers
on hygienic conditions, transparency and
traceability of dishes offered by Asian
restaurants in France. The label will be
awarded to those members of the UCHRA that have
successfully passed 142 tests including
reception of customers, products, hygiene and
security. The UCHRA hopes that in time such
measures will lead to the upgrading of at least
a thousand Asian restaurants in France—a
reasonable objective according to the
Union.
Reasonable
it may be, but the initiators of the “Quality
Asia” label will inevitably be confronted with
French regulations that impose certain
conditions such as regular inspections and
ministerial consent. It is therefore not
certain that this initiative will succeed.
Another problem involves the turn-over of Asian
chefs, rarely associated for long periods of
time with the same establishment. Moreover, the
UCHRA charter does not address the important
debate over the use of monosodium glutamate,
otherwise known as MSG, used in Asian cooking
to accentuate flavors but also responsible for
causing neck pains, headaches and sometimes
even heart palpitations.
For quality Asian cuisine in France, the
following suggestions are sure not to
disappoint:
Silk & Spice
6, rue Mandar
75002 Paris
01 44 88 21 91
The trendy dark décor obliges the customer to
concentrate on sophisticated Thai dishes such
as white rice sautéed with vegetables (kao pad
kar) and green papaya salad (som tam), served
with chicken satay and sticky rice. Chef
Siripark Nopporn works hard at making
greaseless shrimp fritters and a delicious
grapefruit salad (yum nai suan). Prix-fixe
menus for 19 euro (lunch only) and 45 euro.
Count on 40 euro à la carte. Open daily.
Chen-Soleil d'Est
15, rue du Théâtre
75015 Paris
01 45 79 34 34
The cooking of Fung-ching Chen, the modest yet
gifted late chef from the Chinese region of
Wenzhou, continues to be brilliantly executed
by his kitchen brigade under the direction of
his widow. The five fundamental flavors of
Taoist equilibrium are represented here by five
exotic spices such as star anis, fennel,
Szechuan pepper, Chinese cinnamon and ground
cloves. Exceptional Peking duck. Truly
professional service. Prix-fixe menus for 40
euro (lunch) or 75 euro. A la carte around 80
to 100 euro. Closed Sunday.
Du Côté de Chez Xane
26, quai Saint-Antoine, passage Mercière
69002 Lyon
04 78 37 93 51
The
modesty of this restaurant, originally a
"bouchon Lyonnais," with its open kitchen and
distinctive bar, doesn’t stop Xane and Florence
from proposing well-spiced authentic Thai
cooking such as stuffed chicken wings and
shrimp sautéed with basil. A la carte around 30
euro. Closed Sunday.
Le Siam
25, promenade du Grand-Large
13008 Marseille
04 91 73 91 08
During
the time when Marseille was the gateway to the
Orient, Siam wasn’t yet Thailand. While
nostalgia is not on the menu here, this
loveable restaurant located near the Ponte
Rouge offers subtly flavored dishes including
crab fritters and authentic shrimp curry. Count
on 25 to 30 euro à la carte. Closed
Monday.
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Over the years, we have been electing restaurants to be on GAYOT's Yearly Restaurant Awards.
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