New Paris Food Court Introduction
New Paris originally started as the first Western-style bakery in Xindian District, and during a time when Western pastries were not widely popular, it was a trendy and fashionable shop. The private recipe for braised snacks, which gained a good reputation, transitioned from trendy pastries to traditional braised dishes quite by chance. The current owner’s father, Li Zhengchao, not only made bread but was also skilled at cooking, often preparing braised dishes for his children as snacks. By coincidence, regular customers at the bakery got to taste Li Zhengchao's private braised snacks and were quite impressed, leading to the novel situation of “people coming to the bakery specifically to buy braised snacks.” This is how the delicious braised dishes of New Paris became well-known, and the establishment transformed from a bakery to a dedicated braised food shop. With a herbal and spicy twist, the braised dishes became even more flavorful. After the second generation took over, the Li brothers were in charge of making bread, while the braised dishes were handled by their sister-in-law, Huang Suli. She learned from her father-in-law Li Zhengchao for over a year before officially taking over the kitchen. Feeling that traditional braised dishes used too much star anise and other spicy seasonings, and with herbal cooking becoming popular at the time, Huang Suli experimented by adding lemongrass and verbena to the braised dishes, unexpectedly discovering a sweetness. Later, she added Thai bird’s eye chili to enhance the spicy flavor. Initially, her father-in-law questioned the acceptance of the spicy braised dishes, but customers were very supportive, and the herbal and spicy braised dishes became the signature of New Paris.
