March 12, 2007
Japanese in Paris
"Eating a variety of foods, for the French," says Sandra, "is like learning to read." Half-Argentinian, half French, she's part owner of a tour company that takes visitors to out-of-the-way places. So, being both literate and hungry, we walk through the Japanese quarter of Paris, behind the Palais Royal, between Louvre and Opera. Elegant, minimalist sushi joints everywhere.
It's just after noon, and already there's a line outside Higuma, a non-descript spot on the rue Sainte Anne that's often called the neighborhood's lunchroom; it's the most authentic lamen-ya--noodle parlor--in Paris. Businessmen, salarymen, Japanese regulars, local bargain-hunters hunch over steaming bowls of ramen dished up by terse, fast-moving waitresses. Huge, filling portions of noodles, vegetables, calamari, pork and broth. Delicious! And the tab is under $10, a heck of a deal in any language.