Sensation

When the gong strikes seven, Samuel Lee will unveil his new hotspot on Rue Saint-Maur – a space where intentionally distressed patchwork tile floors, speckled marble and paintings inspired by various Chinese dynasties set the scene for the sumptuous feasts he orchestrated for a decade at Shang Palace. The night we went, the chef proved that China’s finest fare doesn’t need the gilded splendor of the swanky Chaillot neighborhood to be breathtaking, with a dazzling series of dishes served up by his partner Romain Forest (who also used to work at Shang Palace): sizzling shrimp croquettes wrapped in rice paper and fried to perfection, topped with Sichuan pepper mayonnaise; jewel-like siu mai, aka steamed pork dim sum crowned with juicy pieces of shrimp; a sublime three-act Peking duck experience (dried with herbs and jujube; roasted; and scalded in hot oil) served two ways (sliced into squares with extremely crispy skin, to be wrapped up in thin wheat pancakes spread with hoisin sauce; then minced and tucked into dumplings floating in a delicate duck broth); before a not-often-seen dessert, yang zhi ganlu, a creamy mango pudding topped with pomelo pulp and sago pearls – a starchy treat made from the sago palm. // Scotty Lard

FEELING THIRSTY? A myriad of tantalizing bottles including XB, an Hérault syrah from La Terrasse d’Élise (€10 a glass), an Alsatian gewürztraminer by Pierre Frick (€84 a bottle) and the very pricey Clos Du Rois 2019 from the Domaine de Montille (€632). Not in the mood for alcohol? There’s pu’er fermented tea with mandarin peel so you can feel like you’re dining in Hong Kong (€6 for a teapot).
PRICE: : Prix-fixe menu €58 (five courses), à la carte €30-57, Peking duck €68 for a half duck) or €130 (for a whole duck).