With no K-town in Paris (though there’s Chinatown in the 13th and Japantown in the 2nd), finding a Korean restaurant with really good food hasn’t been easy. So far, I think I’ve tried about 10 of the 50 or so here in the City of Lights.
Can you believe there are actually 50? I couldn’t, but then I picked up the “Guide to Authentic Korean Restaurants” and sure enough, Korean food has definitely made an impression on this town.
Anyway, Dman’s back from his latest trip and we were both craving Korean. I had heard about this place Han Lim in the 5th which specializes in Korean fried chicken (but slightly different from Bon Chon in NYC). We went there for lunch last week and WOW!
It was empty except for us, but everything from the pajun (scallion pancake) to the banchan (side dishes) and the kimchi was impeccably executed. To be honest, it’s the closest I’ve gotten to my mom’s cooking in a long time and is better than a lot of the K-town places I’ve been to in Manhattan.
I got the lunchtime menu (reasonably priced at 12,50 euros), which came with a choice of three starter soups and three main dishes. I picked the fried chicken special, of course. What surprised me was the sheer quantity of chicken they gave me; usually lunchtime menus have smaller portions, but whether it’s because I’m Korean and/or pregnant, they gave me a huge, generous serving. And thank God they did because Dman obviously devoured half my plate.
Here’s a look at the chicken, my seaweed soup and some banchan:
Yummy Korean!
A close-up of the ridiculously good garlic, sesame and scallion fried chicken that Dman is shamelessly making a grab for (stealing the food right out of his wife and baby’s mouths!) Seriously, it’s been a long time since we’ve had something this good:
Chicken!
For simple, delicious Korean food while you’re in Paris—not to mention, some out of this world fried chicken—you must try this place. We’re heading back there this week, we loved it so much!
I’m still going to try every place in my guide, but so far Han Lim is my #1. (It’s got the best kimchi so far in Paris, too.)
Address:
Han Lim
6, rue Blainville
75005 Paris
Metro: Place Monge
Tel: 01.43.54.62.74
Closed Mondays and Tuesday lunch
5 Comments
Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 10:01 am
Oh god, I’d travel to Paris just to eat that.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Definitely worth it!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 1:47 am
Yum! I was surprised by how good the Korean restaurants in Paris were when I was there a while ago
My favourite I think was Samiin on 74 Ave, their portions are small but the food is so well prepared!
Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 11:51 pm
I have been to Ham Lim with my Parisian brother-in-law and his family. They swear by it — and it was great. Fantastic tofu. I tried to find something as good in Manhattan and I’m still looking….
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 12:48 pm
In Manhattan, I was partial to Seoul Garden for its homemade tofu and its many kinds of soontofu chigae. Also Shilla, where I had my bday party last year is yummy. For veggie options, try Han Gawi, which is delicious and beautiful. And I am *addicted* to Han Lim!!