On our last day in Paris, we started the day by heading to our favorite cafe for people watching on Rue Montorgueil to start things out.
We love sitting here and watching the world go by.
Once we had completed our "Montorgueil ritual" we headed off to the 2nd and did some shopping. On the way we stopped by Galerie Vivienne, which I think is one of the most beautiful of the existing Covered Passages in Paris.
We did a bunch of shopping in the 2nd, but my credit card came out unscathed!
While heading back to the apartment on Rue des Petits Champs, the area I've heard folks call "Paris's Little Tokyo", the Missus was feeling like some ramen. I'm not sure what it is about Paris, but we enjoy grabbing a bowl of here once in a while. I'd heard about a newish shop that made their own noodles called Menkicchi nearby, so we headed down Rue Sainte-Anne and found the rather discreet shop.
This tiny shop would not be out of place in Japan. Oh, and the fragrances wafting in the air; it all seemed so right.
As we often do when getting ramen; we ordered a bowl, in this case the Shio Tonkotsu and a rice bowl, the Shisen Don.
The noodles were really good, doughy and chewy. The tamago was cold, but nicely cooked and marinated. The chashu was on the tough side and needed more flavor.
Speaking of needing more flavor; the tonkotsu broth was quite thin and not rich enough and the flavor very weak....another soup made with the "wave method" it seems.
The pork rice bowl was quite tasty and the rice was decently cooked as well.
The pork was nicely marinated and fairly tender. Good soy-sweetness.
I'm guessing the ramen here is all about the noodles. Speaking of all about the noodles. While we were eating, a younger, dapper Japanese gentleman entered the restaurant, he took the table next to us and fairly soon we knew he was a Japanese national. First, he ordered ramen along with a bowl of rice on the side. Second, when he started on his ramen...oohhhh the slurping! Such great memories of Japan. Then it must have suddenly struck him. No one else in the place was slurping. After all, this is Paris! You could just tell by how he raised his head that this was his "Toto, we're not in Kansas Kansai anymore moment!" I felt kinda bad for him. So, I decided to go for it and started slurping away. And he smiled and tucked in! The brotherhood of ramen, right? And all was good on Rue Sainte-Anne on this day!
Menkicchi
41 Rue Sainte-Anne
75001 Paris, France
Thanks for stopping by!
How well we remember that cafe too! If you look to the one behind the guy with the headphones, that's where we saw an elegant French woman nab a teenage who was trying to steal tip money off the table. She drug him back to the cafe and the waiter made him cough the money and everyone gave a big cheer! A fun snapshot of life in Paris. Of course, in the USA she would have pulled out a gun....
Posted by: Kenneth | Saturday, 26 November 2022 at 04:22 PM
nice!
Posted by: kat | Saturday, 26 November 2022 at 08:15 PM
And the young man might have as well Kenneth! It's fun just watching life pass you by in Paris!
We had a fun time Kat!
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 27 November 2022 at 01:29 AM
Funny slurping story
Posted by: Som Tommy | Monday, 28 November 2022 at 05:35 AM
I loved it ST!
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 28 November 2022 at 11:43 AM