Mokoloco — Restaurant in Paris

Service here was truly outrageously bad and I am saying this a Canadian who spends several months of the year visiting family in Paris, I am not Emily nor someone easily ruffled by a more hands-off Parisian server style - in fact, I drastically prefer it to the in-your-face, insincere, high-pitch high-key I receive in Toronto. This was different. My server was American, I am assuming from his accent and vibe also an actor in LA, and my God this is exactly what I do NOT come to an international restaurant across the world for …? Even the chefs and bartenders behind the counter, all of whom were quite lovely and fascinating to watch work in the hour that would go by before my wine arrived, continually apologized on his behalf. No need - wherever we come from, whatever it is that we do, we have all worked with a guy like that before. Unfortunately this soured the experience to the extent that I hardly remember my meal, just that it took nearly four hours, so much later than anticipated I ended up also paying for a cab to get home to the 18eme. They refunded a glass of wine since it quite literally took 75 minutes to receive one while guests to the left and right of me received their food. It is unfortunate that some white cowboy was chosen as the face of this resto which represents such a diversity of flavours, cultures, and better manners than this really.

To quote Beyonce, “This ain’t Texas.”

Response to the owner: I am certain this is the correct business as I have the reso in my email and bookmark on maps. This review is not the most current as I am only permitted a six month stay in the country, I am simply updating my Maps in anticipation of my next one. If my verbiage is not perfect, neither of my country’s official languages always translate seamlessly and I chose to write in English after being spoken to that way upon arrival - thank you for your correction, a bar would not fit in your open-concept kitchen. One of your staff helped me with the wine list, although as evident from my review my experience was somewhat chaotic and I am not certain this was this person’s intended role that evening so I was not sure how to refer to them 😊

I am genuinely pleased to hear that the front of house staff has since changed - I never want to personally name an individual in a critical review, although I do have that noted as well - and would be keen to give you a second chance as I have heard nothing but the best about you. Once again, I send my best regards to the kitchen staff. Even the very best have “off” nights occasionally, and I suspect this was simply one of them. Kindly, I would suggest a less dismissive approach if you too are keen on customer retention and the improvement of average reviews upon future visits. This is a completely honest account of my time there. While I appreciate this may be difficult feedback to receive, this was also quite an unusual experience for me. For visitors less acclimated to the city, I could see this same experience feeling hurtful rather than mildly amusing. As a young person who is rich in palate but not in wallet, I hope you can also appreciate this was simply not the experience I had so eagerly looked forward to. I sincerely hope someday to be proven how wrong...

🔷 The main idea is a gastronomic sandwich shop opening only from noon till afternoon, Tuesday to Saturday. My 1st advice: getting a seat at the bar to contemplate the whole scene of the product chain 🤩Second is bringing enough company to try the entire menu, but not much because there aren’t enough spaces 😏(We were 3)

🔷 I got today’s special: octopus sandwich with tahini & lemon confit 🐙. I don’t have much appreciation for this ingredient other than its great appeal on Instagram, but… it was perfectly cooked 👏!! I find it smart that they tried to show a Japanese sandwich by using soft bread, with little touches of Lebanese seasoning. The chicken parm with a slice of scarmoza makes a “trompe d’oeil” effect relating to a bowl of katsudon. Sides dishes are excellent as well (salad and soup, so simple so good)

💸Price: Around 20€ for sandwich + side + drink (same range as Five Guys for wayyy...

Very good.

We were sat at the counter and watching the chefs cook in front of you brings something special to the table.

The savoury dishes were great. The highlights were the spicy fish main with a nice kick and a delicious broth that paired beautifully with the tofu, as well as the skate wing appetizer with a very interesting combination of textures and flavours.

Only negative was the dessert called “dark chocolate”. We were surprised when we discovered it was just a slightly melted piece of chocolate, with some spices sprinkled on top and some olive oil poured on the side. A bit underwhelming.

Overall a nice experience with a bold Korean twist: the appetizers and main are definitely worth it, just pass on...