I would describe spring in Paris as…full. Full of flowers, food, music, people, allergies, and more food. Coming back to Paris after 3 months in Taiwan & 2 weeks in Japan was a bit of a culture shock on its own (I’ve had a few of those this year). Everything about the language, climate, culture, and cuisine changed drastically around me again, and although Taiwan wasn’t “home”, it was a setting that I was infinitely more familiar with because of my family there. My intense desire to feel at home in Paris drove me to start cooking more, based on dishes that my grandma taught me while living with her in Taipei, and also some handwritten recipes that my mom mailed to me from California last year.
I also connected with two kindred souls in the form of fellow Asian-American foodies + Paris expats Melissa & Diana, who I’ve started the food blog ChopChicks in Paris with. We bonded over our love for authentic Asian food and decided to embark on a culinary mission with each other: trying a new restaurant every week to find the best Asian restaurants in Paris! A bold mission for sure, and the fun part is we invite 3 strangers to join us on our dining adventures every week because we love getting to know new people and connecting over delicious food!
Homemade brunch with friends on rainy Sunday afternoon in Boulogne-Billancourt.
Mini cacti chilling on the counter in AMAMI café near Bastille. They sell matcha + black sesame pie!
Ooh lala, the French humor…
Parisian life: casual workday lunch on the bistro terrace in République.
Biked to the Jardin d’Acclimatation and walked past Foundation Louis Vuitton, but haven’t gone inside to visit yet. Architecture is impressive!
Saturday mornings are spent lounging in bed and soaking in the sun at home.☕️☀️
Found Rapunzel’s Tower in the background…just kidding, it was actually a super old pigeon tower aka dovecote (where they used to keep messenger birds).
Walked through a French garden and fell in love with these mint-green tinged doors.
April showers in Paris…
…bring les fleurs in May! The gardeners in Paris are seriously talented though. Nearly all the public gardens I’ve visited have impeccably beautiful flowers.
The setting of La Gare bar + restaurant in the 16th arrondissement of Paris is beautiful with its art-deco designs.
I never really had much French food in my life before moving to Paris–must say I have not been disappointed. The fusion of French and Italian cuisines is delicious, especially with my favorite food: seafood!
Walking along the newly renovated Parc Rives de Seine (aka Shores of the Seine) and exploring Paris on a typical Saturday afternoon with my favorite person.
The interior dining room of La Gare, the site of this building used to be an old train station and the tracks used to go straight through this room.
The upstairs bar/drinking area of La Gare. So classy, I love this place!
Wheeee, spring flowers everywhere💐
The ChopChicks explore a new restaurant together every Wednesday night in Paris: the cocktails at Korean bar + restaurant Hero were delicious, but the Korean fried chicken left something to be desired. My favorite Korean restaurant is Akasaka in the 15th arrondissement!
Taiwanese food in Paris has been pretty great! Although bentos are 5x more expensive than in Taiwan, the ones at Le 37m2 on rue Saint Anne are yummy + satisfy my frequent cravings! I recommend the stewed pork or fried chicken.
The poke bowl from Natives Paris are super fresh + they serve it with hot rice! At 14 euros a bowl, it’s not a cheap lunch, but worth the occasional splurge :)
Tried “cold udon” (top right) from Sanukiya with the ChopChicks and it was a mouthful of flavors + textures. This place is super popular with local Parisians and Asians alike, so expect a waiting line when you visit!
I love coloring, doodling, and writing in my drawing pad + journal at home. My brother bought me this set of watercolor color pencils from Taiwan, inspired by my grandpa’s set. <3
One of my favorite French desserts is macarons…but I was surprised to find ice cream macarons as well! (Totally thought they were an Americanized thing lol.) Amorino makes amazing desserts + beautiful gelato flowers, and Will loves their crêpes (covered in whipped cream, ice cream, nutella, and choco powder in this photo).
I had no idea there was so much good Asian food in Paris, and I freakin’ live here; I’ve been missing out! I’m sooo excited to try out all these recommendations now ugh.
Yes!! There are definitely gems out there, you just need to dig a little further to find them hehe. If you live in Paris and are interested, you should join us at one of our ChopChick dinner adventures!! You can see where our upcoming events are on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chopchicksinparis
Just RSVP to the individual event that you want to attend! :) Hope to see you around! xoxo
Looks like such a fantastic and amazing trip!