Le Céleste Gourmand

Had it not been for a local friend from China dragging me here, it would have been easy to dismiss Le Celeste Gourmand as a faux-Chinese restaurant in a trendy district meant for non-Chinese tastebuds, let alone Parisian ones. My friend, a Parisian in his own right of nearly a decade, hails from the Hunan province in China where topics of Mao Zedong, tall mountains, and supposedly the spiciest regional cuisine in the country exist. His claims of Le Celeste Gourmand's ability to replicate the Hunan spice was questionable in my mind, but I soon learned to his palate was a far better judge than I.

And just like all things life - one should never judge a book by it's cover, as the place was packed with virtually all Chinese clientele. Some might be tourists, but I gathered a majority of them were Chinese locals living in Paris, all with a hankering for something that reminded them of home and while enjoying regional flavor in a city not known for it's distinct choices in Chinese cuisine.

The restaurant feels like a small cafe, with little space and simple decor. Just like all small restaurants in Europe, they manage to deceivingly fit large groups of people with creative uses of combining tables and maximizing round tables. My group of 18 was able to fit semi-comfortably in the space, which is never easy at any establishment.

And in the end, my friend was right. The food was of high caliber and the spiciness from the culmination of it all had many of my dining companions panting after every bite. Hunan specialties of Kou Shui Ji (Mouthwatering Chicken), Mapo Tofu, Xian Chao La Zhu Mo (Fresh Spicy Ground Pork), Sauteed Bok Choy, and Qie Sha Zhu Ruo (Eggplant and Pork) were sensational, with plenty of spice to boot. Non-spiceheads beware, be sure to ask the wait staff for their recommendations.

Though the final tally of the bill felt a bit pricey for Chinese food, I'm quickly reminded that there aren't too many restaurants like this in these parts and I'm in Paris after all. The Euro's ability to trump the US dollar and the Chinese RenMinBi was somewhat painfully felt when all was said and done. Each dish was hovering somewhere between 9-16 Euros, which for European standards, I imagine is reasonable.

But the question begs, is this place worth trying again? Oui and Oui.

Le Celeste Gourmand is further proof quality Asian food doesn't have be had in the Quarter Chinois, but more importantly represents a side of China that is often overlooked and under appreciated. I am willing to bet Mao himself would've given this place a thumbs up.

I was here 2 years ago when I visited Paris with my granddaughter. It was good then and decided to check it out again. The place is colorful and very nicely appointed. We were attended to immediately upon entering.
We ordered the steamed vegetarian dumplings, chicken with pineapple, pig's feet in sauce and white rice. Yes, Yes, Yes. Pig's feet! They had pig's feet! The dumplings came first and were delicious--fresh vegetables with a delicate outer coating. The chicken with pineapple was served in a pineapple half. The portion was good and so was the taste. The pig's feet came in a deep dish because there was so many of them. They were served in a spicy sauce with a stick of cinnamon. I make these in a tomato base without cinnamon so I would have preferred them without the cinnamon taste. But still they were really good. They were fall off the bone good.
Lovely dinner, lovely servers, nice place. What could be better than an evening out in Paris?
Nothing.

I will base this review solely on the food, for I was rather unhappy with a payment mishap that made our meal much more stressful. Just a note, they don't accept any type of credit...

The food was great and out before us within 5 minutes if ordering it. I have forgotten the names of the dishes, but there was one of mushrooms, of tofu, of tripe, and of frog legs.
The dish with mushrooms was delightful and brought out in a pot that was over a small fire (frog legs were brought out in the same manner). The tofu was tasty and soothingly smooth compared to the frog legs and tripe. The frog legs were a bit on the spicy and pretty tasty. The tripe, however, was made with painful spice. I could barely eat it although it was well cooked and seasoned.

A warning about the spice:
THE OTHER REVIEWS WEREN'T JOKING!
The tripe was insanely spicy. In some respects it was almost as spicy as eating a raw thai pepper, or at least the spice of a raw jalapeño x 1.5. After the first bite I drank two glasses of water before cooling down.

Overall, the meal was enjoyable, but one dish was a bit too spicy. I recommend as long as you have a good method of pay, especially if you're a tourist!

We live in the neighborhood and decided to try by chance. The exterior does not lend to delicious but don't be fooled. They are so consistent with their dishes in flavor, speed (which is not a French pace), and temperatures are true to dish. We eat here once a week and always find the same kind staff and wonderful service. Bill is always 50 euro for two.

Chaux vert, szechuan chicken, sticky rice, pork/leek dumplings, pigment vert et oeuf, champignon nior, peking soup, and on and on

Food is expensive in Paris, however, Chinese food offers the better value. La Celeste food was spicy and the chicken dish was excellent. Stick with the chicken. Atmosphere is quiet and pleasant. Service is responsive and pleasant. Be sure to understand what forms of payment are accepted.

Came to eat here with our family the food is great. The staff and us had a difficult time communicating we do not speak French. We asked for boxes to go and instead she brought us our whole order over again. When we made them aware that we did not want that food that what we wanted was boxes to go she told us it's to late and charged us for the whole order again. That has never happened to us anywhere we have been. I believe that customer service is an important part of the experience of a restaurant. Bad staff they don't bring you free water they pretend not to know what is going on and bring you bottled water and after they bring you free water. If you want good food but horrible customer service and you want to get screwed as a tourist this is your place.

Tried based on other reviews but this visitor to Paris found this to be barely Mediocre taste. Small portions. food too salty and oily.
Ordered Spicy eggplant thinking it was vegetarian - was too salty and had ground chicken. Menu didn't have chicken listed so it was a surprise to find it in the dish. Would be an issue for a vegetarian.
Spicy and crunchy Chicken wasn't spicy at all.
Vegetable noodles was better selection among the three dishes ordered. We walked out still hungry not wanting to order anything more even though we weren't full yet.
Wouldn't recommend.

Wow, the food is excellent, exceeded our expectation. Very authentic and flavorful. We are so glad we have found this restaurant thru yelp. We had fried shrimp egg rolls, steamed shrimp dumplings, light fried eggplants with garlic flavor (the best I ever had), and other variety dishes of chicken, salt and peppered spare ribs and fish.

We are visiting Paris from USA and we all agreed that this restaurant beats ones at home.

Came here because of other good reviews. Was highly disappointed. Chicken had small bones and skin still on and the pork was chewy. One of the worst meals I've had in Paris.