Photos: Mao dumpling bar
We could be on Bund Boulevard in Shanghai or in a small street in New York's Chinatown, but we are simply in Paris, in the Marais, rue de Saintonge, near rue de Bretagne.
Opened at the end of 2019 (just before confinement: no luck…), the Mao Dumpling Bar is a bit of “the address of the moment”, with its hip-hop influence and its cool and diverse fauna.
As its name suggests (dumpling), we eat ravioli here, but not only that. There are seven kinds, served by eight, priced at €10 to €11: OG Jiaozi (pork with chives), Cheezy Jiaozi (same thing but with cheddar and Emmental), Veggie, Chicken, Sichuan Shuijoa, Mixed and Dumpling of the moment.
Added to this are the other house dishes: Taiwanese fried chicken (€10), tofu with spicy soy sauce and minced pork on a bowl of rice (€8), Chinese eggplant stir-fried Hongshao style (€8). The draft beer is Chinese (Tsingtao) or Japanese (Asahi). There are also cocktails and two desserts to choose from.
In short, it’s festive. And the rap music, just loud enough to bring energy but without preventing conversation, helps to boost the positive energy of this postmodern eatery with red neon lights and a Supreme bamboo curtain.
Before leaving, we take a last look at the maneki neko, this lucky cat who waves hello with his paw. We take a milk candy from the jar on the counter. And we tip our hat to Adrien Zheng, a child from the neighborhood, where, let's remember, the historic Chinatown of Paris is located, on the Arts-et-Métiers side. That certainly explains that.
Mao dumping Bar
(No reservation)
28 rue de Saintonge, Paris 75003
Tuesday to Friday from 12 p.m. to 15:30 p.m. and from 19 p.m. to 22:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday from 12 a.m. to 22:30 p.m.
01 45 35 27 98
Mao dumpling bar
Text: Katia Barillot
04.02.22
