Esu Lee has been weaving through Paris’s culinary landscape since 2018, bouncing between pop-ups, residencies and arrondissements, leaving behind a trail of highly memorable dishes. His punky Franco-Asian fare lit up the now-closed C.A.M Import Export, then drew crowds to Mokoloko, Au Passage and Passerini. After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu Sydney and honing his craft cooking for military brass during mandatory service in South Korea, Lee has finally put down roots in Paris’s 11ème.
JIP isn’t built for crowds. The space is intimate – just a handful of tables and bar seats – with a rhythm all its own. With The Smiths playing at low volume, couples focus on their plates, the room humming with muted conversation. During our visit, the counter saw a mix of industry faces, including the head chef of Dilia (the 20ème’s beloved Italian spot), locals and in-the-know tourists, all trading stories with Lee as he moved between tables, explaining each dish’s composition.
JIP feels special – crafted with love and attention to detail, without pretension, showcasing the mouth-wateringly bold flavours for which Lee is loved
The menu keeps things simple with two options: vegetarian or non-vegetarian, both featuring three savoury courses at 35 euros. We chose one of each, starting with Lee’s house-made tofu. Who knew tofu could be thrilling? Served warm with a delicate quiver, its creamy texture and light earthiness paired beautifully with slivers of confit aubergine, each bite balancing salt, sweetness and depth. The corresponding sashimi course married sweet, fruity romesco with delicate pink radicchio, finished with black pepper and verjus – an opener that awakened the palate while satisfying it in equal measure.
The next round dialled up the decadence. Mme Butterfly, a dish some might remember from Lee’s Mokoloko days, featured tender prawns draped in a gently spiced Sichuan aioli, served atop a savoury cannelé-like base – toasty, complex and topped with a bitter bite of fennel. The vegetarian duxelle mandoo arrived as a trio of delicate dumplings resting in a pool of lightly buttery béarnaise, their paper-thin wrappers barely containing a filling rich with deep, earthy umami – leaving us tempted to order another round.
Sashimi with romesco, radicchio, black pepper and verjus
Tteokbokki
Mandarin sorbet with clementines, tapioca and mint
As we watched final-course bowls of noodles being whisked past to neighbouring tables, any thought of additional orders vanished. The vegetarian ‘Tteokbokki,’ Lee’s take on the popular Korean street food, emerged as a stunning vision: fat, chewy noodles bathed in a creamy, Parmesan-heavy cheese sauce, crowned with blushing red radish shavings. The heat from the peppery sauce built gradually, cutting through lots of the intensity. The black pepper chicken dish offered a lighter counterpoint – tender, peppery noodles swimming in a deep, aromatic broth finished with caramelised onions. It was, however, the only dish of the evening that could have benefited from a bit more seasoning.
The off-menu dessert felt tempting — an interesting salade de fruits that was, thankfully, the perfect palate-cleansing foil to avoid being rolled onto the metro. This was mandarin sorbet with seasonal clementines and pools of tapioca, each spoonful bursting with freshness and lifted by teeny sprigs of mint.
The wine list was exactly what you’d expect from a spot in the 11ème – natural wines a go-go, not without a hefty price tag. If you were truly looking to splurge, a Domaine Philippe Valette Chardonnay at 81 euros or a Beaune Pinot Noir at 98 euros would fit the bill. Alternatively, the 28 euro Joe Chandelier Grenache/Carignan blend from Languedoc is a good bet. The by-the-glass selections ranged from crisp, chalky Savoie whites to lively Austrian orange wines, while the alcohol-free Antidote and Antilope sparkling infusions, with their herbaceous notes, offered attractive alternatives to their boozy counterparts.
JIP feels special – crafted with love and attention to detail, without pretension, showcasing the mouth-wateringly bold flavours for which Lee is loved. At 35 euros for three courses, the menu offers exceptional value for Paris and I’m already excited to see what’s in store at JIP as the seasons change.
112 Rue de la Roquette
75011
Paris
France
March 2025
