The meal took place early April. We were busy and could have time for lunch around 4pm. Yam’tcha had been in my mind in the recent weeks, why not…
We waited for 10-15 minutes before the shop before we got our seats in a big commun tables with benches. The room was very small, people were sat next to each other. Not very convenient, if you want to have serious discussion. Some people were just having tea, but most people ordered some food.
We both ordered the famous assortment of bao.
The 5 baus were:
- Comté with onion and a point of curry (my favourite)
- French blood sausage
- Stilton with Amarena cherries,
- Vegetables with smoked tofu and pepper
- Chicken
The bun used is not the usual brioche we accustomed with the char siu bao. Instead, it is the sweet bao that used in Chinese dessert (like the steamed bao with lotus seed paste) which is more firm and elastic. For me, it’s a rather unusual choice as the convention brioche is softer, more airy and can absorb more sauces. The dessert bao is more appealing aesthetically but much smaller in size and hold less fillings.
We shared a basket of sui mai, pork and shrimp.
Personally, I liked it, the taste reminded me of the siu mai I had in Hong Kong. Husband thought the dough might be a bit too thick.
55 € for 2 including 2 Kung Fu tea. Husband’s baos wasn’t steamed enough, and was just luke warm. But he was especially upset with the place packed with bobos, he thinks the whole concept of this place isn’t about gourmandise or food and was pretentious. Taste was ok to him. I never saw him has such harsh criticism and was quite surprised. For me, the decoration or the people didn’t bother me eating…rather, the service was slow. Like H, I feel that food was alright, though I’m slightly disappointed with the rave reviews, the price is too expensive for this light snack.
Yam’tcha Boutique
4 rue Sauval
75001 Paris
(no reservation needed)
