Sétopa

Hallyu-lujah! After bringing a taste of the Land of the Morning Calm to the French capital with bento boxes inspired by the Korean Peninsula (On the Bab) and thoughtfully-rolled kimbaps (Mari Mari), Linda Lee is pursuing her thrilling culinary adventures by introducing Parisians to fermented sauces known as jangs. And to infuse a little Saint-Germain-des-Prés energy to the space that’s ready for some K-cuisine, she didn’t skimp on either the decor (brown marble, dim lighting, cream-colored zellige tiles) or the duo supervising these feasts… namely Shin Chang-ho (the chef at Joon Ok) and Mingoo Kang (Mingles), two New York Seoul food idols who have crafted the pan-Asian menu here. Just take our personal feast the night we went, which kicked off with some squidgy gool mandu, i.e. oyster and tofu dumplings moistened by lemony soy sauce; followed by a jeon that was out of this world, or in other words a perfectly fried chive and shrimp pancake; then, devoured with a pair of chopsticks as a group, a whole chicken glazed in soybean paste (doenjang) and ganjang sauce, topped with an array of seeds over a crispy bed of garlic rice that clung to the bottom of the pot; before an insanely good fermented yellow soybean crème brûlée for dessert. // Scotty Lard

FEELING THIRSTY? : Some well-made Asian-inspired drinks with a twist, like the Gimlet made with sparkling plum liqueur (€11), or something non-alcoholic, like a Virgin Bloody Mary with gochujang (€11), along with bottles of soju (Hwayo 25° at €9 a glass) and wine (Les Escures, a Cahors from Fabien Jouves at €32 a bottle).
PRICE: : Set menus €25-30 (weekday lunch), à la carte €49-72 (dinner and Saturday lunch).