Ciao Roue: a gourmet wheel cake concept in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris

For several years now, the world of street food has been invading the streets of Paris, each time with an invitation to travel. From the Japanese sando to the Italian schiacciate , from the smash burger to the fluffy pancake... the choice is sometimes difficult. And it's likely to be even more so, as new culinary specialities are arriving in the four corners of the capital. Among them? Wheel cake. An emblematic dessert of Taiwanese street food, it is enjoyed by many schoolchildren at snack time in Taiwan.

In Paris, a number of places - still too few and far between for our taste - offer this specialty. The latest? Ciao Roue, opened in March 2022 by Ciao. Originally from Taiwan, Ciao is one of those people who have had the courage to make a career change in order to live their dream. After studying at Audencia in Nantes and gaining experience as a headhunter, Ciao decided to leave this financially comfortable sector. While a return to her homeland crossed her mind for a while, Ciao finally decided to bring Taiwanese culture to France, and more specifically to Paris, by opening this small and very friendly shop on rue de Montmorency, in the 3rd arrondissement, not far from Laïzé, another Taiwanese address in the capital.

It's here that Ciao introduces the curious to her native culture through a specialty that's still little known in France: wheel cake, a Taiwanese dessert that originated in Japan, namely imagawayaki. For, as Ciao reminds us, Taiwan was for a long time under Japanese rule, so Japanese culture is very much present here.

The wheel cake is a round dessert with a dough similar to that of a pancake. Each wheel cake is filled with one or more flavors of your choice, mostly sweet but also savory.

In her store, Ciao has thought of everything from A to Z: from the pretty decor (wooden furniture with the help of a carpenter friend, calligraphy by her cousin, children's objects from her family) to the menu, and of course the making of the famous wheel cake, whose dough is prepared that very morning. Ciao Roue currently offers no fewer than 8 sweet and 4 savory recipes.

While the azuki wheel cake (sweetened red bean paste) is a must, the azuki matcha wheel cake is also very popular, as is the black sesame wheel cake, which we highly recommend! Generously filled, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, the cake is devoured in just a few bites, leaving us with a big smile of satisfaction on our faces. A real treat!

Available to eat in or take away, these tasty wheel cakes are also available with custard, taro paste, marinated turnip or ham and cheese. For the future, Ciao plans to offer a surprise flavor according to the season, with a yuzu and custard wheel cake in the near future, for example.

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While we wait to taste these wheel cakes (which take around 7 minutes to bake in a special mold), we can watch Ciao make the famous wheel cake markings, a technique that enables him to differentiate each flavor once the cake is assembled on the baking tray.

These delicious sweet or savoury desserts are accompanied by a Japanese or Taiwanese tea from Kancha Tea, to extend the taste experience.

And it's a great success! Many customers now want to try Ciao Roue's wheel cakes, with the curious and the novice on the one hand, and on the other, those in search of a taste that reminds them of their stay or childhood in Taiwan. An invitation to travel that's not to be refused, and which we warmly recommend!