Café de la Paix
Photograph by Discover Paris!
“Glamorous” and “opulent” are words that will come to mind when you enter this famous restaurant located across the street from the equally famous Garnier Opera House.
Click here to read our review: http://www.parisinsights.com/restaurant.php?pid=424
Finding True Love in the City of Light
Photograph by Discover Paris!
With the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, a couple finds an ideal spot to pose for a photograph.
Sunday Morning Rue Mouffetard
Photograph by Discover Paris!
Seemingly oblivious to passersby on the busy rue Mouffetard market street, a man enjoys reading a book at the sidewalk terrace of a café.
Samantha John’s #ThisIs40Paris Crew
Photograph by Discover Paris!
Our own Monique Y. Wells (kneeling) poses with Samantha John’s #ThisIs40Paris Crew in front of the #ArcDeTriomphe. The group, hailing from Washington DC, Maryland, Philadelphia, and New York, took our #JosephineBaker in Le Vésinet tour today just after this photo was taken. Samantha (third from right) is celebrating her 40th birthday in the #CityOfLight. Last night, the group dined at Les Ombres, a restaurant on the roof of the Quai Branly Museum with a fabulous view of the #EiffelTower.
A good time was had by all!
Traveling to #Paris soon? To learn more about our Entrée to #BlackParis walks, click here: http://discoverparis.net/entree-to-black-paris.
Our Book – Dining Out in Paris
Photograph by Discover Paris!
Our book Dining Out in Paris – What You Need to Know before You Get to the City of Light will give first- and even second-time travelers the knowledge and confidence that they need to enter into a Parisian restaurant to enjoy a fine meal. Dining Out in Paris helps prepare the traveler for a wonderful French dining experience.
Click here to learn more or to order! http://amzn.to/219LraJ
The French Like to Read
Photograph by Discover Paris!
A man reads a book while waiting in line at the bakery.
Right when I thought I’d never find decent Chinese food in Paris (after having visited countless épiceries where they kindly microwave plastic-wrapped Chinese food…), I discovered: Tang Frères and the treasures of the 13th arrondissement.
I was in heaven when I stepped out of the Porte d’Ivry metro stop. The plethora of authentic Chinese restaurants, grocery stores, and boulangeries chinoises, enticed me to eat and buy all afternoon.
However, one grocer I took particular liking for was Tang Frères. This Asian market has been around since 1981, when two brothers moved to Paris from Laos and decided to open up the first of their supermarkets on avenue d’Ivry (wiki).
Thirty six years later, the market is still running, providing authentic imported ingredients to hungry, customers, both foreign and French.
When I arrived at Tang Frères, with the help of iPhone Maps, I entered into the first of two grocery stores that are right next to one another.
Tang Frères N° 1
Photograph by Samantha Gilliams
After walking the aisles and observing the products of Tang Frères n° 1, I was slightly disappointed. Yes, they had ingredients for Asian cuisine, but it was not truly what I expected. Especially because I am familiar with Paris Store, another Asian market just next door to Tang Frères, which had a much larger selection of goods.
As I was leaving Tang Frères n° 1, I made a slight right and walked a bit down the street, past the produce vendors, where I discovered Tang Frères n° 2.
Produce Vendors
Photograph by Samantha Gilliams
Tang Frères N° 2
Photograph by Samantha Gilliams
When I entered this Tang Frères emporium that was endowed with a larger market, a food stand called “Tang Gourmet,” a refreshments stand, and a flower shop, I finally understood what people had been raving about.
The smell of the roasted Peking duck at Tang Gourmet alone instantly intrigued me and made me want to explore the rest of the market.
Tom left: Refreshment stand, Top right: Flower stand, Bottom: Roasted Peking duck
Photograph by Samantha Gilliams
Top: Main aisle, Bottom left: Frozen section, Bottom right: Vegetable aisle
Photograph by Samantha Gilliams
I was happy to see some of my Chinese food favorites, like frozen xao long baos (soup dumplings), fresh Chinese noodles, and pork buns that I hadn’t found since I’ve been abroad in Paris the last three years!
I was also pleased to see the variety of people who were shopping for, and are therefore fond of, Asian foodstuffs. I heard many languages being spoken in the market by people of all ages.
I would recommend Tang Frères, and more generally the 13th arrondissement, to anyone who is a fan of Chinese culture and Asian cuisine. A visit to this part of Paris will reveal a culture that travelers are initially unaware of in what sometimes seems, at first glance, to be a very homogeneous city.
Works Cited
Wiki: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Fr%C3%A8res
About the author: Samantha Gilliams is a Wells International Foundation summer intern.
 | Tom Reeves - author of Paris Insights - An Anthology and Dining Out in Paris - What You Need to Know before You Get to the City of Light. |