TRÂM 130: Where French Bistro Culture Meets Southeast Asian Flavors In Paris

In Paris’ 11th arrondissement, chef Priscilla Trâm brings together French bistro traditions, Vietnamese roots and Southeast Asian flavors at her first permanent restaurant.

On Rue Saint-Maur, arguably 11th arrondissement’s most popular street where numerous outstanding restaurants call home, a small green-tiled dining room has been drawing attention for a cuisine refusing to fit neatly into one category.

This is TRÂM 130, the first permanent restaurant from chef Priscilla Trâm, a French-Vietnamese chef whose career has taken her through kitchens and culinary residencies in Paris, Ibiza, Madrid, and New York. After years of moving from one residency to another, she finally put down roots at 130 Rue Saint-Maur in 2024.

The restaurant’s name is pronounced “Tiam 130,” and the concept is less about recreating traditional Vietnamese food than about exploring what happens when Southeast Asian flavors meet the foundations of French bistro cooking. The result is a menu which feels unmistakably Parisian while constantly looking beyond France.

 

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A French Bistro With Southeast Asian Roots

TRÂM 130 occupies a relatively intimate space designed by architect Pablo Goury. Green vertical tiles, a deep red ceiling, industrial-style chairs and neon lighting give the restaurant a contemporary bistro atmosphere without overwhelming the food.

But the most interesting design element is arguably the menu. Rather than separating French and Asian dishes into distinct categories, Trâm 130 allows the two traditions to overlap. French techniques and ingredients appear alongside Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese and other Southeast Asian influences.

A signature ultra-flavorful beef tartare arrives on a roasted marrow bone. Cold tom yum broth is dazzled with candied datterino, razor clams and mussels. Meanwhile, pearled monkfish in banana leaf, crab and whiskey lobster sauce deserves its top spot on the main menu. It is this sense of freedom that makes TRÂM 130 more interesting than simply calling it a “fusion” restaurant.

The word fusion can sometimes suggest that two cuisines have been deliberately mashed together. At TRÂM 130, Priscilla would like to think otherwise:

“I don’t really like it when people call it fusion, because it can be a stereotype and it’s reducing. The style that I embody here is more like bistro-style, with sommelier service in an upscale setting that is quite pretty.” 

Meet Priscilla Trâm: From Culinary Residencies to Her First Restaurant in Paris

Before opening TRÂM 130, Priscilla spent years working as a lawyer, all the while pursuing her passion of cooking through temporary kitchens and residencies rather than establishing a conventional restaurant career.

That itinerant period took her across several cities and allowed her to develop a cooking style without being confined to one culinary tradition, as she noted:

“It’s a very competitive world, I met some talented chefs that went to culinary schools. It took me some time to gain confidence in myself. But I was so tired because I was working in the daytime, then working in the kitchen during night shifts. So I said, 15 years was enough as a lawyer. I didn’t hate it, but I don’t miss it today. When I was ready to open a restaurant, I chose one close to my home!”

What to Order at TRÂM 130

The menu changes, but several dishes have become particularly associated with the restaurant. Priscilla’s famous Beef Tartare served over a roasted marrow bone is one of the restaurant’s signatures, combining the richness of bone marrow with herbs and Vietnamese seasoning.

“The beef tartare is a really tender cut, seasoned with a lot of freshness: lime, cilantro, mint, toasted rice powder so it gives an Asian vibe. But the tartare is so classically French, and bone marrow is also on every French bistro’s menu. So it’s reflective of my cuisine, and it really shows how these tastes are combined together. You have fat, heat, acidity.”

Another outstanding dish is the Pearled Monkfish in Banana Leaf, Crab & Whiskey Lobster Sauce where the monkfish is firm and meaty, with a delicate sweetness beautifully infused with the fragrant banana leaf as it cooks. In addition, the crab and whiskey lobster sauce is rich and deeply savory, layered with a slightly smoky note from the whiskey.

“We slow cook cold monkfish in banana leaves, which is an interesting fish because it’s kind of like lobster substitute with more firmness. The vegetables are buttered with seaweed, it’s a very interesting dish,” Priscilla described. 

An Emphasis on Clean Wines

The wine program at Trâm 130 isn’t exclusive by solely focusing on natural or biodynamic wines, however, the restaurant places more value on clean wines, and vineyards that are respectful toward soil. Hence, 70% of its wine list are considered natural. Priscilla explained:

“We need wines that pair well with both Asian and French foods. So I think the variety of wines that we have allows us to really play with what we do. We’re looking for mineral, salty notes. Or like wines from the Alsace region.” 

Gender Roles in Kitchen Culture

For generations, professional kitchens have been shaped by a culture traditionally associated with masculinity. Often, it’s been equated to toughness, hierarchy, and long hours. Women working in kitchens have had to navigate these expectations while challenging assumptions about who belongs behind the pass and who gets to lead it. Today, that culture is gradually evolving, with more women stepping into positions as chefs, sommeliers, pastry chefs and restaurateurs. As Priscilla recalled,

“In my job as a lawyer, it was already a challenge to be an Asian woman. When I came to the kitchen – a masculine industry – women were under-represented, even more so for Asian women. This is a line that I take even more seriously, to prove that we can do it.”

In the beginning, when Priscilla was hosting pop-ups, she was always her own chef, never having to work under anyone. At times, it might have felt lonely but it allowed her to own her decisions. Today, she remains proud and encourages female staff to garner a sense of confidence.

A Different Kind of Asian Restaurant in Paris

Paris has no shortage of excellent Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Korean and Japanese restaurants. What makes TRÂM 130 different is that it does not seem interested in choosing between Asian and French identities.

Instead, Priscilla reflects the reality of contemporary Paris itself: cultures overlap, ingredients travel and culinary traditions evolve. An approach which has already earned recognition since TRÂM 130 was named Best Fusion Restaurant at the 2025 Time Out Paris Food & Drink Awards.

The restaurant has also developed a loyal following for its lively atmosphere and highly personal cooking. Perhaps that is the most compelling reason to visit. TRÂM 130 isn’t trying to convince diners that French cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine belong together. It simply cooks as though that question was never necessary to ask.