Chinese restaurant revolution in Paris: chefs look to raise the bar, from high-end to humble
- Authentic Chinese food in Paris is hard to find, as it’s difficult to get work visas for Chinese chefs and many restaurants go for quantity over quality
- But thanks to Michelin-starred dining and hip bistros, more Parisians are being introduced to real Chinese cuisine
Behind the kitchen doors of France’s only Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant, it would be easy to forget it is in the centre of Paris. Chefs converse in Cantonese; woks hiss; and dumplings are pleated perfectly by hand.
This is Shang Palace, helmed by Samuel Lee, who grew up on a farm in Hong Kong’s rural New Territories.
Along with French-born restaurateurs Adeline Grattard and Céline Chung, Lee has been on a mission to improve the image of Chinese cuisine in France, using the country’s finest produce to create high-quality dishes. As a result of Lee’s hard work, Shang Palace has become extremely popular with well-travelled Parisians.
Despite some panicked reports about a downturn in trade at some of the French capital’s Chinese restaurants as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Lee, Grattard and Chung say it’s business as usual.
“Most of my guests are French,” says Lee. “Only about 20 per cent are Chinese. But most of my French guests have visited China and they appreciate that what we are doing here is very high-end.”
Lee is fortunate to have a brigade of Chinese-speaking chefs, because immigration laws are extremely tough in France; it is difficult to get the paperwork to bring in trained Chinese kitchen personnel.