Chez Ajia, the traditional yet modern Taiwanese restaurant in Paris

Chez Ajia, it’s the brand-new French-Taiwanese restaurant that opened within walking distance from Saint Paul metro station. A restaurant that is authentic in its cuisine yet modern when it comes to its welcoming decoration and the beauty of the plates. How about eating Taiwanese? Here’s the address you’ve always wanted to know.

Let’s go to the Marais neighborhood to discover Chez Ajia, a discreet and cozy restaurant where we only want to have a seat. Cozy bench seat, stone wall, climbing plants, library-lounge and lovely lights create a young and modern decoration, very fashionable at the moment. We’re far from the average Chinese restaurant and closer to a cozy coffee shop where we want to hang out all day long.

At Chez Ajia, the bet is to serve you, not a Taiwanese dish of feast, but typical and everyday dishes. These dishes we find at home or at the corner of the street. This cuisine that doesn’t cost you a limb but that everyone likes in Taiwan.

Indeed, assuming that a simple baguette can be a quality dish for Taiwanese people, Kay Wang decided to offer in his eatery dishes that couldn’t be more classic for Taiwanese but much more exotic for us.

So, you can enjoy Gua Boa, these typical steamed brioche, delicious Taiwanese sausages, ultra-smooth taro fritters and even sesame tofu.

In terms of flavors, everything is here, except, maybe, the too spicy aspect for the occidental mouth. If you want something authentic, it’s the place to be. We love the pan-fried French horn mushrooms, the beautiful and complete plate of the Lo Bih (soft-boiled egg, tofu, pork intestine, beef and sliced pork ears) that is accompanied by rice if you want to and the pan-fried clams with basil.

Close your eyes and let yourself be carried away, as if you were eating by the locals. We love the bench seats in which we can put our belonging, the small button to call for the service to order or get the bill. We say good riddance to endless waiting time for the waiter or waitress who will not notice you.

The menu, to stick to the arty area, is said to change. So, it will be displayed by lovely drawings on the table. It’s up to you to pick up what you’re craving. It’s perfect to have an idea of what to expect.

To end the meal as it should, I advise you the tea or coffee with gourmet and typical desserts based on soy paste among others.

The hesitating ones can go for the excellent chocolate tart that reveals a hint of Kavalan whiskey (an exceptional Taiwanese whiskey).

Are you a gambler? Geoffrey, the mater of the place, invites you to guess how many beer caps there are in his jar to win a bottle of champagne, or you can play the roulette to win a drink for €1 (initial bet).