With a bottle of wine and some cheese to nibble, I sat on the sidewalk cafe. Champs Elysees, cobbled roads and cozy museums… ahhhh the romance of Paris…

Ptui! A Chinese gentleman sitting next to me just spat out a fish bone. So much for my reminiscing. I am actually in the middle of crowded Paris, PJ.

The popular restaurant moved from a wobbly shack to the current spacious premises not too long ago. As always, the place is packed with customers in the evenings. Its food is not spectacular, and not so cheap anymore. Yet, you won’t be able to find an unoccupied table on most weekends. Why is that so?

Signature Dishes: Steamed Talapia In Peanut & Lard Sauce, Claypot Sea Cucumber With Seafood

Because, at Paris the food is served within 10 to 15 minutes, no matter how crowded they get. An army of cooks dish out your orders fast and furious. OK. So most of their signature dishes can be pre-cooked, you say. But there’s no place that can beat them when it comes to speed. Not even our so-called fast food restaurants.

Private Army

What about ambience? What ambience? I think it was Paris who pioneered the fast turnround of tables by scooping everything off — plates, bowls, cutlery, leftovers — into the soiled plastic table cloth, right under your nose.

The service is mechanical and their operations military-like. While the food is only slightly above average, it remains consistent. There are no surprises, not even in the bill. When the check (eh, sorry; bill) arrives, the waiter even arms himself with exact change for whatever denomination you may spring out. It is all about speed and efficiency at Paris.

Paris Oh Paris…

For directions, see: MyCen Map of Restoran New Paris