Best Vietnamese in Paris?

[marlena spieler]

ps:

in addition to the japanese there are lots of turks.

and an adorable kitten crawled round my feet last visit. i think it will be bigger now, i haven't been there in months.

[Bux]

And, oh, I do understand the passion to taste everything French and Parisian that hits a person when they step onto French terre firma. It happens to me too: the frantic search for and then the supreme pleasure when i bite into the best baguette, best fromage, sip strongest coffee

Oh I don't know about the coffee. One day in Paris and I'm yearning for an Italian or Spanish espresso.

And you're right, its because I am there so much, and when we get a bit richfooded out,  i start yearning for spicy foreign exotic. (by the way, lebanese and turkish  food is good in paris too. and the occasional fondue chinoise and Andalucian tapas etc )

I didn't get a chance to fully explore this development the last time I was in Paris, but there are lots of Spanish influences showing up all over and plenty of Jambon Pata Negra. If you're eating like a hip Parisian, you're probably ordering a plate of bellota ham this week.

[marlena spieler]

the frantic search for and then the supreme pleasure when i bite into the best baguette, best fromage, sip strongest coffee

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Oh I don't know about the coffee. One day in Paris and I'm yearning for an Italian or Spanish espresso.

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I didn't get a chance to fully explore this development the last time I was in Paris, but there are lots of Spanish influences showing up all over and plenty of Jambon Pata Negra. If you're eating like a hip Parisian, you're probably ordering a plate of bellota ham this week. 

well, its hard to get a good caffe in parts of italy, too. and funnily enough, one of the best coffees you can get in paris is from britain( hand roasted by the two finest coffee roasters i know, jeremy torz and stephen macatonia who trained at peets in bay area). in cafes though it is touch and go; when you find one you like, you gotta stick with it. i've had super moroccan coffee with orange flower water sprinkled in it, righ on the rue des rosiers. and also the coffee at cafe bricolage is very nice. cute decor too.

being married to a flaneur, cafe drinking is an important part of our conjugal existence.

Exactly! the cuisine of Paris is ever changing, ever evolving with regional as well as global influences; despite its codification and high standards, it is not a museum piece. it changes.........

[edm]

Exactly! the cuisine of Paris is ever changing, ever evolving with regional as well as global influences; despite its codification and high standards, it is not a museum piece. it changes.........

indeed, it's not only about cream (northern France) and duck fat (south-western)...

That was my point...

i grew up in Paris. I love thai restaurants in Belleville, the vietnamese in the 13th (where i went every we til i was 20). Entotto in the 13th for ethiopian, and i never refuse a good couscous, harira or tajine ! There's pretty good greek, middle-eastern, eastern european restaurants as well in the 5th, 4th and around. It's everywhere !!

[Bux]

I've tried to be as objective as I can be about the fact that what one wants to eat, no matter where one is, is a very subjective thing. Relative to a recent request for restaurant recommendations with some degree of focus on eating where the Parisians eat, I'd say that there are many ethnic restaurants that are far more likely to have nothing but Parisian inhabitants eating there. The tourists are searching out the French restaurants in their quest for authenticity.

[AlexBernardo]

Had dinner there a few weeks ago and found the fresh, light, and uncomplicated dishes (especially the seafood) a needed respite from the heavy, meaty fare prevalent in France's bistros.

The wine list presents an impressive selection of Bordeaux wines, as well as Burgundy and others.

But I wonder if some find the limited selection of dishes somewhat incongrous with the top heavy wine list.

Best,

Alex

[John Talbott]

I have been a few times and while the food is good, the menu as with so many ethnic places in Paris, doesn't vary.

[Felice]

All the talk about the best and worst non-French food in Paris made me want to seek out some of the “best”, so I thought I’d start with Vietnamese. Here’s what I’ve tried so far: Dong Huong and Paris Hanoi in the 11th. The famous one in the 7th, whose name escapes me. A little one in the 5th called La Paillotte d'Or, which I loved but it was always empty for some reason.

I live not far from Belleville, so I’d love to hear about suggestions nearby, but am also very happy to head to the 13th.

I’m hoping to get a group of friends together to go one night next week, so I’ll report back then.

Merci!

[John Talbott]

The famous one in the 7th, whose name escapes me. 

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Could it be Tan Dinh, rue de Verneuil?; quite good, but not like it was "in country."

[Felice]

The famous one in the 7th, whose name escapes me. 

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Could it be Tan Dinh, rue de Verneuil?; quite good, but not like it was "in country."

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Yes, that's it! Merci! And while I enjoyed Tan Dinh, it's not the kind of place I'm looking for. I'd rather find a little hole in the wall with great food, something fun and not stuffy.

[BonVivant]

i was extremely happy with Vietnamese in the 13th since i stayed in the heart of so-called chinatown during my visit [might as well rename it to VNtown].

hmmm......<dribble>...'banh bot loc'......'bun bo hue'......

[SuzySushi]

Hmmmn... I have no idea what the name of the restaurant is, but we enjoyed very good pho (as good as we can get in Honolulu, plus we learned the French word for chopsticks!) a few years ago at a fairly large Vietnamese place on a corner of (I think) Ave. de Choisy. A Parisian friend lives a block or two away, and we stopped off there for dinner after visiting her for lunch! All the other customers were Vietnamese.

[Ptipois]

Hmmmn... I have no idea what the name of the restaurant is, but we enjoyed very good  pho (as good as we can get in Honolulu, plus we learned the French word for chopsticks!) a few years ago at a fairly large Vietnamese place on a corner of (I think) Ave. de Choisy. A Parisian friend lives a block or two away, and we stopped off there for dinner after visiting her for lunch! All the other customers were Vietnamese.

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It's Pho Banh Cuon 14, 129 avenue de Choisy, around the corner from rue de Tolbiac. The second best pho soup in the area and certainly the best-known. Just next door there is the Le Kok, which is very fine too.

[SuzySushi]

Hmmmn... I have no idea what the name of the restaurant is, but we enjoyed very good  pho (as good as we can get in Honolulu, plus we learned the French word for chopsticks!) a few years ago at a fairly large Vietnamese place on a corner of (I think) Ave. de Choisy. A Parisian friend lives a block or two away, and we stopped off there for dinner after visiting her for lunch! All the other customers were Vietnamese.

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It's Pho Banh Cuon 14, 129 avenue de Choisy, around the corner from rue de Tolbiac. The second best pho soup in the area and certainly the best-known. Just next door there is the Le Kok, which is very fine too.

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Glad you know it and have a high opinion of it! We didn't get as far as "next door" -- we were drawn in by the herb-and-broth fragrance and the menu (which we could decipher because the Vietnamese names of the various dishes are the same here as in France!).

[Ptipois]

Glad you know it and have a high opinion of it! We didn't get as far as "next door" -- we were drawn in by the herb-and-broth fragrance and the menu (which we could decipher because the Vietnamese names of the various dishes are the same here as in France!).

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I go there every once in two weeks or so, I live close to the XIIIe. They make decent banh cuon too.

Actually this Choisy-Tolbiac-avenue d'Ivry corner is a goldmine: my favorite Thai-Lao restaurant is there, as well as a very fine Lao restaurant and pastry shop (Rouam Mit), plus a lovely Chinese tea import shop, further along avenue d'Ivry. Still further on there's a great Thai fruit and food market, Big Store (a branch of Exo-Store). Down on avenue de Choisy there is the great Kawa shop for cookware, bulk teas and Yixing teapots. Actually it is less and less true that Vietnamese immigrants predominate in this area. There are plenty of Chinese too, Cambodians of course, Laotians and it seems that we're getting more Thais as time goes by. All this is good news regarding the restaurant situation

[Felice]

It's Pho Banh Cuon 14, 129 avenue de Choisy, around the corner from rue de Tolbiac. The second best pho soup in the area and certainly the best-known. Just next door there is the Le Kok, which is very fine too.

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What's the best pho soup?

[Ptipois]

It's Pho Banh Cuon 14, 129 avenue de Choisy, around the corner from rue de Tolbiac. The second best pho soup in the area and certainly the best-known. Just next door there is the Le Kok, which is very fine too.

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What's the best pho soup?

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Hard to find.

[Felice]

I'm still trying to decide on a place for tomorrow night.

Anyone ever try or heard of: "Sông Huong" 129, avenue de Choisy?

[BonVivant]

i think that's where i had most of VN dishes in Paris. the staff is also pleasant so that's a nice bonus [unlike some ppl in VN]. i also went to other VN restaurants next door but me thinks i like Song Huong best. and they have decent coffee too.

Edited July 19, 2005 by BonVivantNL (log)

[David Lebovitz]

The best Vietnamese in Paris, I think, is at Le Bambou in the 13th, at 70 rue Baudricourt (near Tang Freres.) It's delicious and fresh, plus they have air-conditioning (although don't get too excitied...it ain't all that powerful.)

They are open daily for lunch and dinner except monday. Don't expect attentive service but it's really good and inexpensive. I eat here a lot. Everything I've had here has been excellent.

[Felice]

The best Vietnamese in Paris, I think, is at Le Bambou in the 13th, at 70 rue Baudricourt (near Tang Freres.) It's delicious and fresh, plus they have air-conditioning (although don't get too excitied...it ain't all that powerful.)

They are open daily for lunch and dinner except monday. Don't expect attentive service but it's really good and inexpensive. I eat here a lot. Everything I've had here has been excellent.

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Okay, you’ve convinced me, we are going to try Le Bambou. I'll just have to make a second trip for Sông Huong, which I found accidentally, while Googling. I came across it in a Vietnamese forum but seeing that I don’t know a word of Vietnamese I had no idea what they we're saying about it.

Many thanks for the suggestions!

[chefzadi]

The best Vietnamese in Paris, I think, is at Le Bambou in the 13th, at 70 rue Baudricourt (near Tang Freres.) It's delicious and fresh, plus they have air-conditioning (although don't get too excitied...it ain't all that powerful.)

They are open daily for lunch and dinner except monday. Don't expect attentive service but it's really good and inexpensive. I eat here a lot. Everything I've had here has been excellent.

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Okay, you’ve convinced me, we are going to try Le Bambou. I'll just have to make a second trip for Sông Huong, which I found accidentally, while Googling. I came across it in a Vietnamese forum but seeing that I don’t know a word of Vietnamese I had no idea what they we're saying about it.

Many thanks for the suggestions!

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I'm sure there are some French language forums for Vietnamese French. I know there is one for French of Asian descent.

[viva]

Just did Coba Saigon in the 8th. Great rolls (Nems?), barbeque spare ribs were okay but a bit dry.

[Felice]

Thanks to David’s suggestion, we went to Le Bambou the other night and loved it. It was a very lively place and the food was well prepared and very fresh. We especially liked the raw beef salad and shrimp and green papaya salad. Unfortunately it was a hot summer night, so no one tried the Pho. The bill came to 25 € each for drinks (several) appetizers, main course, dessert, and coffee, so it was pretty much a bargin as well. Merci beaucoup!

[John Talbott]

Thanks to David’s suggestion, we went to Le Bambou the other night and loved it. 

Felice - A bit late for this week, but maybe useful info for the future is Thursday-Friday's Le Monde, in which Jean-Claude Ribaut, wrote a long article - “Kim Anh, Vietnam in Paris,” about this 30 year old resto, chef’d for 20 of those years by Caroline Kim Anh. It’s at 51, avenue Emile-Zola in the 15th, 01.45.79.40.96, open every night except Monday, gastronomic menu = 34, a la carte about 40 E.