La Cantine Chinoise, Belleville's excellent Chinese restaurant

You may have walked past it dozens of times without ever stopping. Yet for 20 years, the Cantine Chinoise has been delighting regulars in the Belleville district. We recommend a visit to discover all the specialties of Wenzhou. Ravioli, nems, tempura, woks, kaifans, tanmians... a real treat.

With its unmistakable storefront, La Cantine Chinoise is a Belleville institution. What's more, the restaurant has been run by the same family for over 20 years! Never dared take the plunge? Come on, we'll take you with us to discover what the Cantine Chinoise has in store for you!

La Cantine Chinoise is divided into three departments: on the one hand, a small bakery area with freshly baked brioches, breads and doughnuts. Secondly, a catering service, so you can take home a multitude of tasty dishes (and treat the whole family). And last but not least, there's a real canteen where you can sit on your hungry butt.

Here, the culinary specialtiesare those of Wenzhou, a city in south-eastern China. But you can also find dishes from other regions of the Middle Kingdom. And of course, everything is homemade!

When it comes to drinks, originality reigns supreme with beverages you won't find anywhere else: sparkling lychee juice, iced café-bing, traditional drink made with azuki and coconut milk, traditional drink infused with smoked plums... Original!

And when it comes to food, there's no shortage of goodies. If you don't know what to choose, let the bosses guide you: they always know how to find that little something that will tantalize your taste buds. Ravioli, egg rolls, tempura, woks, kaifans, tanmians... There's plenty to discover!

For our part, we start our dinner with the unmissable jiaozi (3.5€), grilled ravioli with pork, mushrooms and chives, in a generous, plump format, and a good handful ofedamame (4.5€). We also fall for the steamed wonton ravioli with shrimp (8.5€) coated in a delicious chili sauce, peanuts and coriander. A real treat! We're also tempted by the delicious pork or vegetarian baos.

Next, a liangpi (9€), wide rice noodles eaten cold, with cucumber, tofu fritters, lots of peanuts and coriander, and a spicy sauce (but not too spicy either, we reassure sensitive palates). And then, because of the bad weather, we couldn't imagine not tasting the soups at the Cantine Chinoise. So we opt for the soumi bacon (9.5€), a traditional soup of fine vermicelli with Chinese wine (yes, yes), vegetables, Chinese bacon and two flat eggs on top. A real treat.

And since we're off to a good start, we'll also try La Cantine Chinoise's divinely-prepared vegetable dishes: enoki mushrooms sautéed with garlic and soy sauce (8.5€), and what's proving to be La Cantine Chinoise's cult dish - and now we understand why, we've been re-gagging: Chinese eggplant (10€) simmered Hongshao style with garlic, on a bed of fragrant rice. Don't skip this dish, it's excellent. Those brave enough not to be afraid of spice will be tempted by the delicious Sis Huan fish or the Banmian Bœuf, noodles sautéed with spicy beef.

In short, with dishes accessible to all budgets, generous quantities and flavors that truly take us on a journey, we can't recommend a visit to La Cantine Chinoise enough!

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please mention it in the comments.