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Gems that slot together rock forever

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This is what comes to my mind when I get together with my groupie nowadays in Paris, France. We see each other almost every day, searching and pursuing adventures in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. As anonymous or as gregarious we want to be, no one cares! It’s très ordinaire… 

This week, we ventured into the latest restaurant that’s making waves in Paris. It’s called REYNA and the restaurant’s reigning queen is Filipina! Erica Paredes was born in the Philippines to Jim Paredes of the Apo Hiking Society, he who revealed himself in a sex video! 

Appearing in most foodie blogs, the place is quite discreet with only a little pink box of a sign that juts out to the 41 rue de Montreuil address. Queen chef Erica has worked through Australia (I LUV eating in Sydney) and the US of A until she spent 6 years in Paris learning culinary arts in Le Cordon Bleu. She apprenticed at Mokoloco resto, where young global chefs pass through before creating Reyna, her first restaurant last April. 

Reyna’s chef Erica Paredes; middle, I order octopus everywhere I go; right, vegan kare-kare*
Pål Larsen, Ria Augousti, Melissa Lopez and ELG (l-r)*
From left, the cabbage in umami sweet and sour; fried chicken adobo in yoghurt; rice with curcuma and turmeric with crispy garlic topping; spicy chicken adobo wings; and crispy pork belly*

Well, she’s the talk of the foodies nowadays with two seatings in the evening and a lunch special on Sundays where she disposes of her week’s supply, coming up with original dishes that also speaks a thousand words of food recycling. 

Our groupie consisting of gorgeous vavavoom Melissa Lopez, chic furniture diva Ria Augousti, Pål Larsen and your favorite socialite, ELG! Starving from a long walk, the menu brought us back to the islands and further into Asia with some reference to French cuisine. We immediately jumped on two orders of crispy pork belly which we kinda got over with after the second order.

There was umami-packed pointy cabbage grilled with miso butter and pimped out with trout roe which was my fav, to-die-for fried chicken wings topped with the sauce of your choice, adobo-style (yogurt with roasted garlic and cilantro) or patis, a fish sauce topped with fried shallots, kaffir, chili and mint here.

Of course, we really went there for the kare-kare which was novel and vegan. I liked the crystal fine rice crackers as toppings on octopus. So full, we had to skip dessert.

Ambience was super camp that ranged from bare cement to boudoir pink framing the open kitchen. Bravo to this former beauty editor who now takes cooking to another level, forever evolving and most of all sustainable. May Erica’s reign be long as one can only say, “Viva la Reyna!” 

MY PRAYER

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:9–12, NIV*

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