Local entrepreneur Pearlyn Lee’s store has fed one of Paris’ trendiest neighbourhoods for three years.
SINGAPORE – Home-grown entrepreneur Pearlyn Lee’s peach-coloured banh mi store has fed one of Paris’ trendiest neighbourhoods for three years, and counts celebrities like Singaporean actress Sharon Au and the cast of hit Netflix series Emily In Paris among its clientele.
Ms Lee may also experiment with a beef rendang banh mi, introduce a vegan option and collaborate with urban farms. Her ethos revolves around sustainable sourcing and prices will range from $10 to $12.“When I was working for a French bank in Singapore about 15 years ago, I loved to grab a sandwich for lunch and sit by Boat Quay. It was so nice to get away from the air-conditioning and enjoy some time in the sun,” says the 41-year-old Singaporean, who has been based in Paris since 2016.
“As a minority, I couldn’t sit back and do nothing,” says Ms Lee, who was feeling the prick of cultural prejudice for the first time in her life. “They would ask us, is this matcha or pistachio? Pandan was so unknown as an ingredient in Paris. It was only used in cocktails, but not really in desserts.”Gradually, The Hood’s client base grew, and the restaurant started filling up.
Ms Lee and her team were by no means the first people to introduce the Vietnamese dish to France, but set themselves apart from the rest of the competition through housemade ingredients. Their charcuterie is made in-house, as is their sriracha sauce.They also rolled out unusual flavours like duck and turkey pastrami. Instead of mayonnaise, each banh mi is smeared with a layer of butter and pate made from chicken liver, shallots, chicken fat and soya sauce.
And so Nonette was born in July 2021, across the street from The Hood. It borrows its name from the musical term that refers to a composition made up of nine instruments or voices.
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