France, as everyone is aware, has one of the finest culinary traditions in the world. In terms of finding authentic ethnic foods, even in Paris, the task can be exceedingly difficult however. So despite the Michelin and Gault-Millau reviews, which plot the landscape of restaurants throughout the country, the French framework for critiquing food doesn't translate easily into ethnic cuisines. Further, when you walk into one of these ethnic restaurants around Paris, you will realize that all of the clientele is not of the same ethnic background as the people running the establishment. In the case of L'Orchidée, which bills itself as a Thai restaurant specializing in Asian foods, the staff is entirely Chinese and there is nothing especially Thai about the place. The food was a big step down even from the "ethnic" restaurants in the US which cater to Americans. I was surprised to see Papaya Salad on the menu, perhaps my favorite Thai dish. At the Thai restaurants in Jackson Heights, Queens, where there is a sizable enclave of Thai people, this salad smacks of freshness. The salad at L'Orchidée was a bit smelly, the papaya was not fresh, and there was a general sogginess to it. We ordered normal white rice to go along with our curry but were served a reddish rice with cashews, green raisins, tomatoes, and ham, similar to the kind of fried rice I've been served in Chinese restaurants here. The Panang Curry with Shrimp was incredibly sweet and peanuty, with no spice at all. Further, it was watery and lacked the creaminess it usually has. When we received the check, we noticed that the bill was much too high. Somehow they had managed to combine the orders of our table and the table next to us, running up the tab an extra 40 Euro. We notified the waitstaff and they changed our bill. All in all a disappointment to me. But perhaps the French clientele who dine here like it? read more

L'Orchidée - French Near Me - Chelles, 77