Where Paris Meets Matcha

Rue Sainte-Anne is a street I make a point of visiting whenever I am in Paris — a place for a little Asian food fix after, or in between, a slew of French feasts which, though equally delightful, are inherently inadequate as a cure for homesickness. This area is known as Little Tokyo, near the Paris Opéra, where you can also find a fair number of Korean eateries and supermarkets.

Lucky for me, aside from North African communities, there is no shortage of Japanese presence in the City of Light. Since the 1870s, there has been a steady influx of Japanese nationals to France for cultural, intellectual and, more recently, culinary pursuits. The reasons can be traced back to the Meiji period, when Japanese leaders regarded France as a symbol of modern civilisation and a cultural capital. Many of these expatriates speak fluent French but live within their own communities. They are known as “zai furansu nihonjin” (meaning Japanese people in France), and a well-known example would be Kenzo Takada.

Aki Boulanger is one of the shops along Rue Sainte-Anne. Located next to a Korean supermarket, it is a French-Japanese bakery offering a variety of pastries infused with green tea.

This isn’t my first visit to Aki. Before leaving for London last Monday, I insisted on making a quick trip there in the morning to pick up some bread and pastries for lunch on the train.

We were there a little too early, so there wasn’t a full selection of cakes and pastries to choose from. Aside from coffee and canned drinks, Aki also offers a deliciously sweet and foamy green tea milkshake (“matcha au lait”).

We picked up melon bread, both yuzu and matcha éclairs, a matcha opera cake (“Kabuki”), an onigiri with bonito flakes, and a soba sandwich — yes, a soba noodle sandwich! Much to my amusement, there’s also another version that comes with gyoza. This time round, however, we didn’t give the latter a try.

The pink shreds are pickled ginger. The bun was so soft that having noodles in a sandwich didn’t feel too odd after all. I enjoyed the taste, but I wouldn’t recommend the onigiri — it was rather stingy with the flakes, and the rice was a little bland. The rest of the bread and pastries, however, are well worth trying. Next time, I’m getting my hands on the green tea Mont Blanc.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to make a rather scrumptious Chinese dinner and enjoy it in front of American Gigolo. Ah… Richard Gere.

Have a great week ahead!

With love x