New Paris Food Court Introduction
New Paris was originally the first Western-style bakery in Xindian District, which was a very fashionable and popular shop during the era when Western pastries were not widespread. The private recipe braised dishes gained a good reputation, transitioning from trendy pastries to traditional braised dishes, which was actually serendipitous. The current owner’s father, Li Zhengchao, not only made bread but was also skilled in cooking, often preparing braised dishes for his children as snacks. By coincidence, regular customers of the bakery tasted Li Zhengchao's private braised dishes and were greatly impressed, leading to the novelty of customers coming to the bakery specifically for the braised dishes. Thus, the delicious braised dishes of New Paris gained a reputation and the bakery transitioned into selling braised dishes. With the addition of herbal spice, the braised dishes became even more flavorful. After the second generation took over, the Li brothers were responsible for making bread while the braised dishes were handled by sister-in-law Huang Suli, who learned from her father-in-law Li Zhengchao for over a year before officially taking over the kitchen. Recognizing that traditional braised dishes often contained too much star anise and other spices, and inspired by the popularity of herbal cuisine at the time, Huang Suli experimented with adding lemongrass and verbena to the braised dishes, unexpectedly discovering a sweet aftertaste. She later added Thai bird's eye chili to enhance the spicy flavor. Initially, her father-in-law doubted the acceptance of spicy braised dishes, but customers responded enthusiastically, and the herbal and spicy braised dishes became the signature of New Paris.
