It’s a statement that would probably cause the people of Lyon to take up arms, but Paris is undoubtedly France’s gastronomic capital, thanks to the quality and consistency of the city’s restaurants. From humble roast chicken on market rotisseries to brasseries, bistros and Michelin-starred temples of haute cuisine, it’s a global dining destination with few equals. But compared to iconic food cities such as New York or Hong Kong, the City of Lights historically lacked true global diversity of flavours and cuisines. When I lived in Paris 20 years ago, Chinese food, for example, consisted largely of buffet trays of meats, rice and vegetables, all sweet and slightly cloying. One popular dish wasn’t even particularly Chinese: salad spring rolls. Happily, things have changed remarkably since, and a number of establishments from haute to humble are introducing Parisians to genuine regional Chinese cuisines. Just steps from the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs-Élysées, the elegant Peninsula Paris is home to LiLi, one of the most striking Chinese restaurants anywhere in Europe, let alone France. China’s regional cuisines reimagined from high to low in London Since opening in 2014, it has gained a reputation as one of the French capital’s most glamorous dining rooms, while the Art Nouveau building that houses The Peninsula is one of Paris’ see-and-be-seen spots. LiLi’s theme is based on a fictional woman of the same name who represents the marriage of Chinese and French opera, an idea which makes for a theatrical dining room. At the end of a wide, bright marble corridor there’s a striking work of art featuring Lili, made from fibre-optic strands. The restaurant then opens up before you with its high ceilings, marble pillars, chandeliers, cherubs and shimmering lacquer-red curtains. Overseeing the kitchen is executive chef Dicky To Kwok-kim, born and raised in Hong Kong, with experience crafting fine Cantonese cuisine at The Peninsula’s properties in both Shanghai and Tokyo. He says that diners are sophisticated enough to taste the difference between his cuisine and that of the more common French establishments that mix up Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. “Guests at LiLi are able to recognise that our Cantonese food is a refined version. We are using the best local products, and in the kitchen we also have a fish tank, to offer the best quality fresh seafood, cooked in a traditional Cantonese way,” he says. Dinner here involves an impressive parade of dishes. A bowl of XO sauce – first created by The Peninsula’s Spring Moon restaurant in Hong Kong – accompanied a small selection of dim sum. Yes, this was dinner, but it’s also Paris, and the dim sum was impeccable – notably the lobster, asparagus and caviar dumpling. With those ingredients, how could it not be? Then came double-boiled guinea fowl soup. The aromatic and gamy hum of guinea fowl from Burgundy was enhanced with black truffle, Chinese celery and organic egg, making it decadent and umami-rich. The crispy duck served to adjacent tables looked tempting, but given that I was dining solo, I went with the pyramid of pork belly. It was an extraordinary char siu construction, layered like an Aztec temple, deep mahogany in colour and served on minced mushrooms and spinach. An innovative and brilliant dish. To finish, sago and mango pudding was authentic and familiarly tasty; although, priced at a hefty € 13 (US$14.5), it will give Hong Kong diners a shock. LiLi clearly lives up to its reputation and could easily give fine Cantonese dining restaurants in Hong Kong a run for their money. While Paris’ southern 13th arrondissement is home to the city’s Chinatown and a large number of Chinese restaurants, my next two stops were north of the Seine. First up, the oddly-named Carnet de Bord, meaning “log book”. It would be hard to find a less attractive setting, a few minutes’ walk from the Gare Saint-Lazare railway station. Neighbouring restaurants, named Kung Fu Cuisine and Wrap n Roll, hardly inspired confidence, not to mention the two adult video stores nearby. Carnet de Bord’s humble exterior simply states “ restaurant Asiatique ”, which does little to explain why it’s one of the capital’s top Sichuan restaurants. That’s according to Parisian diners as well as Gong Li. The Chinese actress – star of films such as Red Sorghum , Raise the Red Lantern and Memoirs of a Geisha – is seemingly a regular and named it her favourite spot for Sichuan dishes in the French capital. The interior features black and white photos of vintage aircraft – presumably a link to the “log book” name – as well as shots of the Great Wall, Buddha heads and water buffalo ploughing rice paddies. Chinese tourists in berets and groups of young Parisians alike quickly filled the small space at Sunday lunchtime. Their mapo tofu was excellent and was alone worth the visit. It was a delicious mix of the soft and soothing with the seriously spiced, minced meat providing some bite. In a 2017, I visited China’s Sichuan province on the trail of real hua jiao peppercorns. It was the citrus notes which struck me most when eating them at the source, but here in Paris they had more of the famed numbing quality. Likewise in another classic, deep-fried chicken was hidden in a pile of red chilli, peanuts and the certainly not-traditional addition of green jalapeños. Best of all was mao xue wang, a stew not for the faint-hearted of tripe, duck blood, heart, gizzard and more glorious innards. The smorgasbord of textures were served in a broth studded with chilli and more hua jiao peppercorns. The one underwhelming dish was the recommended yi bin noodles which lacked oomph. Despite this, I could see why Gong Li is a fan of the place. Finally, to Yam’Tcha which won a Michelin star within a year of opening back in 2009. Co-owner and chef Adeline Grattard worked at the then three Michelin-starred l’Astrance in Paris before moving to Hong Kong for two years with her husband, Yam’Tcha’s tea sommelier and manager, Chi Wah-chan, where she worked at Bo Innovation. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Niño Fjordside (@nino_fjordside) on Mar 13, 2019 at 11:05pm PDT <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> Such is the popularity of Yam’Tcha that you must make a reservation one month in advance to get a table. But they also have a cafe and a boutique selling their popular baos such as the one with comté cheese and caramelised onions and the one with chocolate from the Dominican Republic. Her bao with stilton cheese and sweet amarena cherry is one of her signatures in the restaurant, and is the one dish that stays on every menu. The rest of it changes depending on the market and runs € 70 per head for lunch (Wednesday to Friday), or € 150 for the tasting menu. The degustation menu will set you back €150 (Wednesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner). At lunch in the compact space on the elegant Rue Saint-Honoré, dishes marry French and Chinese produce and technique. Octopus with tomatoes were served with their own XO sauce, while Challans duck was paired with Sichuan aubergine. As she said in the Netflix series, Chef’s Table , Yam’Tcha reflects her and her husband in a way that transcends food. “It’s really about giving something from the heart and from your personality. And so what came out is us. It’s a love story between France and Hong Kong. It’s the story of our lives. That’s Yam’Tcha,” she said. Restaurant details LiLi Paris, The Peninsula Paris, 19 Avenue Kléber, 75116, tel: +331 58 12 67 50, peninsula.com/en/paris/hotel-fine-dining/lili-cantonese-chinese Carnet de Bord, 11 Rue de Budapest, 75009, tel: +331 83 56 47 34 Yam’Tcha, 121 rue St. Honoré, 75001, tel: +331 40 26 08 07, yamtcha.com