Yamt'cha

 As much as I wished to have yamt'cha (literally 'to drink tea', equivalent to what is known as dim sum) in Hong Kong right now, I have yet to find a restaurant that reminds me of home, until I came to 1-star Michelin restaurant Yamt'cha by Adeline Grattard. I wouldn't go as far as to say it is fusion, but it is the first time a restaurant in Paris that I have been to, has A) relied so much on products from China and B) has not mixed and matched European flavors with Asian ones in the means of overpowering one from the other. It is Chinese cuisine, perhaps creative in Paris but in Hong Kong, it would be a glimpse into the daily dinners of locals. Not far from the Louvre, Chef Grattard and her Chinese husband, Chi Wa (who pairs tea with the meal), opened this small dining room of 10 tables with an open kitchen. Adeline Grattard has trained with the best; first with Yannick Alleno when he was in Hotel Scribe, second with Pascal Barbot in L'Astrance before moving to Hong Kong for 3 years and working at Bo's Innovation. 

With the open kitchen in full view, I could smell the flavors that I would smell in one of the dinners at traditional Chinese restaurants I went to back in Hong Kong: the soya sauces, the scallions and ginger even the frying oil. The chef stays close to the Asian factor to the extent that the cooks use giant woks, typical soya sauces you would find in a traditional Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong and chopsticks in the final dressage of the plate. The only French accent that came through was the wine, the cheese and one course of foie gras. The tasting menu was in the hands of the Chef and comprised of an amuse-bouche, 2 entrées, 2 main dishes, cheese and dessert. 


A welcome cup of oolong tea was brought to the table to cleanse the palate and I was immediately brought back to a local dim sum restaurant I would go to with my grandmother. I chose to have wine and tea with the meal and they were very light for the meal we had. We were also given chopsticks but they were much too short for my liking and if I didn't know how to use them, trying to eat with very short ones would be a challenge.

Amuse-Bouche: Sauteed mussels in black bean and chili on a bed of glass noodles au "goût du wok"

Entrée: Marinated scallops with XO sauce (minced abalone sauce - native to Guangdong) and thinly sliced Iberico ham.

Accompanied with steamed bun

Entrée: Steamed foie gras with trompette de la mort mushrooms on black sesame sauce

Poisson: Steamed turbot in soya sauce with sliced squid au "goût du wok"

Viande:  Crispy pork on a bed of aubergines (When we spoke with Adeline Grattard at the end of our meal, she said that when she sees Asians enter her restaurant, she serves them the pork crackling rather than lamb or veal because she believes we would enjoy it more and it would run it more authentic - genius idea; we do love our pork)

Cheese: 

                              

Dessert: Fromage blanc ice-cream, with Compote, Quince and Cranberry covered by a Chocolate crisp

I thoroughly enjoyed the meal as it was simple and reminded me of home. We were lucky enough to chat briefly with the Chef herself, who is very friendly and sociable. It is a very striking restaurant, one that I have not seen in Paris or in Europe. 

Yamt'cha
4 Rue Sauval
75001 Paris, France
Tel: 01 40 26 08 07
Métro: Louvre-Rivoli (Ligne 1)