Maison Marais by Emily Monaco
When I was at boarding high school in Andover, Massachusetts, my friends and I spent our afternoons, not at 24-hour diners like many of my New York counterparts, but at a Korean restaurant in the town of Lawrence, gorging ourselves on kimchi and singing karaoke.
When I found out that for this month’s restaurant review, I would be headed to Maison Marais, a Korean restaurant in the 4th arrondissement here in Paris, I was ecstatic to relive my high school experiences: much of the great experience of food is the memories we associate with it. What I found was in no way similar to my memories of endless banchan and Japanese pop music, but it was not a disappointment either.
Maison Marais, a small restaurant near the Saint Paul metro, exudes class as opposed to the fun-loving atmosphere that I was accustomed to at my old after-school haunt: the glossy black tables and minimalist decoration at Maison Marais seem to invite high class dining and the prices that go along with it. However, upon opening the menu, I came across several of my old favorites, all for extremely reasonable prices.
While Korean restaurants are famous for their barbecue, we decided to try some other classics: soon dubu chigai, a stew made from tofu and kimchi, and bibim bap, a rice, pork and egg dish. Each of the main dishes came with rice and three banchan: the night’s offerings were kimchi, pickled zucchini and lotus root.
I often complain that spicy food in Paris is never spicy enough for my tastes, but this restaurant was completely authentic, all the way down to the soju and Korean beer on the menu. The kimchi was spicy and delicious, and the banchan were just like I remembered, even if there wasn’t the plethora of offerings I’m used to. The lotus root especially was quite tasty: in translations of Korean recipes, it is often described as candied, although the one we had was only slightly sweet and seasoned. It was a very nice counterpart to the spicy kimchi.
I suppose the key to a great restaurant is knowing if you would go back: I obviously like Korean food or I wouldn’t have spent my high school career learning how to say several key phrases in Korean and bringing home leftovers for later. However, I think that in this case, I missed the family-style atmosphere that large amounts of banchan and karaoke brought to the table. Perhaps getting some of the delicious food as takeout and hosting a karaoke night at home might bring me a little closer to the Korean food I remember.
Kimchi- spicy pickled Korean staple, usually made with cabbage although versions with other vegetables, like daikon radish, are available
Banchan- Korean side dishes
Soju- a Korean alcoholic beverage made from rice
Maison Marais
3 rue Ferdinand Duval, 4th arr.
Metro: St. Paul
Tel. 01 48 87 28 15
Open everyday for lunch & dinner
Price range 20-25 euros per person
Emily Monaco is an American student/expat from New York who has (hopefully permanently) moved to Paris. She spends her time in Paris seeking out artsy movie theaters, eating in amazing restaurants and trying to figure out how to use the Vélib.
http://travelday.today.com
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
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