On a recent visit to Paris, I sought out what was on offer in Chinatown, which radiates a little from its main artery of Avenue d'Ivry, in the 13th arrondissement.
Menus were as bleak as the area itself. Although there is no shortage of restaurants advertising Chinese food, those menus also commonly list Thai and Vietnamese dishes and sometimes Singaporean, Indonesian and Korean ones.
Most display this Asian melange on shop-front menus with photographic illustrations that made the Hong Kong-born Chinese companion who had joined me on this mission shudder. She declared that she would never consider eating in Paris Chinatown. More than half the dishes depicted seemed to be deep-fried, especially ubiquitous variations on spring rolls. Fried rice noodles, fried rice and noodle soups feature in many listings but did not look appealing.
In half an hour or more of strolling through the area, I saw only one restaurant with tablecloths that served predominantly Chinese fare - Le Mandarin de Choisy. But its menu also contained a number of 'spicy Thai sweet and sour' dishes, 'frog's legs with citronella and coconut milk' and other non-Chinese dishes.
One or two authentic restaurants cater to better-off Parisian Chinese in the Belleville neighbourhood, once quite a Jewish and Muslim area. Newly rich immigrants, notably from Wenzhou, have created a demand for familiar cuisine here, but most come with no frills. Salon de The Wenzhou, in the heart of Belleville in the 20th arrondissement is certainly popular and its dishes are authentic. The atmosphere and service, though, are brusque.
Two city centre restaurants promise more. Chen Soleil d'Est, offers a more refined take on traditional Chinese dishes. Lily Wang, with its contemporary interior and Chinese-Western fusion, reflects a public interest but neither has menus that would please a purist.