As discussed last season, Olivia Kim is a lunch person. Today I suggested that I had been with her a time or two when we didn’t quite have time to stop for lunch and both she and SPACE buyer Raul Becerra looked at me like my hair was on fire.
“Oh no, we always stop for lunch,” she insisted, serious as a heart attack.
All images by Jessa Carter
It’s hard to explain just how much of a luxury that actually is. Most days are back-to-back-to-back, stacked with shows and appointments, but Olivia and her team avoid skipping the midday meal by putting lunch on the schedule every day—as if it were as important as meeting with a top designer. Because it is.
Her go-to cuisine in Paris? Not croissants, not sidewalk cafe fare, but Asian. On Thursday we put a spin on it by stopping in at a vegan joint in the Bastille neighborhood. Olivia had vegan sushi and gave us her download on the best spots for Korean, Vietnamese and more in the City of Light.
All-time trusted favorites:
–Takara, which Olivia says was the first real Japanese restaurant in Paris.
–Yen, for the homemade soba noodles.
–Ravioli Nord Est, for dumplings.
Best neighborhoods for…
–Vietnamese: any and all (okay, most) in the area of Rue Sainte-Anne.
–Ramen: explore the Rue Saint-Denis neighborhood; there are all kinds of them there.
Special mention:
–Rose Bakery, which is not Asian, just a favorite lunch spot of Olivia’s. She gets the vegetarian plate and one of their delicious “very nutty soy lattes.”
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