A Chinese entrepreneur from Shandong province has successfully launched a restaurant chain in Paris, selling traditional Chinese noodles that started as a food truck two years ago. Guo Zhanglong, who studied in France as an exchange student in 2011, initially worked in the Sino-France trade industry before becoming a full-time influencer. During this time, Guo catered to friends and neighbors with traditional Chinese dishes prepared by his mother-in-law in their Paris home. Encouraged by a friend’s suggestion, he decided to open a restaurant.
With limited funds, Guo began with a food truck in the summer of 2022, traveling to fairs across Paris. His mother-in-law, with over two decades of restaurant experience in China, handled the cooking. They served knife-pare noodles, a traditional dish from China’s Shanxi province with a 1,000-year history. These noodles are made by slicing dough directly into boiling water, then serving them in a soup mixed with chili oil, and sometimes adding vegetables, beef, or lamb.
Initially, Guo worried that the oily and spicy noodles might not appeal to local tastes, as many Chinese restaurants in Paris adjust their recipes for local customers. However, the food truck quickly became a hit, with diners queuing for two hours to try the noodles. Buoyed by this success, Guo opened his first Kung Fu Pate Restaurant in downtown Paris in October last year, followed by three more under the same brand.
French customers were fascinated by the noodle-making process, likening it to Chinese kung fu. They were amazed to learn about the dish’s 1,000-year history, comparing it to the age of Notre Dame. While Guo found it relatively easy to find cooks in Paris who could prepare knife-cut noodles, hiring servers and dishwashers proved challenging due to high wage expectations.
Guo remains committed to maintaining the authentic taste of knife-cut noodles. His mother-in-law insisted on preserving the traditional recipe, and Guo agrees. “The taste of knife-cut noodles has been like this for hundreds of years, and we should make the most authentic version,” he said. “Maybe some people won’t like it, but I am sure others will, which is normal.”
Guo Zhanglong’s journey from a food truck to a flourishing restaurant chain in Paris highlights the power of traditional cuisine and cultural heritage in creating a unique dining experience that resonates with a global audience.
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