The Smallest Restaurant In Paris

by Rachel Khoo

‘Next time you wonder if you'll ever reach your goals, grab this book. Rachel Khoo is just like her inspiring, intrepid, and bold.’—Bonnie Garmus, international bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry The Smallest Restaurant in Paris combines Rachel Khoo’s unique story with her delicious recipes. Each one chosen to bring the chapter to life. Where better to follow your dreams than to beautiful Paris? Especially if you dream of food—Paris is the place where fine dining was born, it’s the city of the butteriest croissant and bitterest chocolat, where the markets tumble with produce, the streets buzz with café life and every plat du jour has the chance to be extraordinary. For Rachel Khoo, a young woman from a suburban corner of south London, studying at Le Cordon Bleu was her chosen adventure. But when she took a chance and threw herself into Paris life without a Euro to her name, even she couldn’t have dreamed that it would lead to her opening what the press would crown The Smallest Restaurant in Paris. Rachel’s Paris life in her adorable (and minuscule) apartment has already been captured in her cookbook and TV show, The Little Paris Kitchen. However, until now Rachel’s books have focused on bringing French-style cooking to her audiences (even if you only have a two-ring cooker). This memoir is an account of Rachel’s high-street-to-Boulevard an inspiring story of how you can reach for your dreams and achieve them through determination and hard work, deciding to love the journey as much as the destination.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

Hardcover

About the author

Rachel’s unconventional food background has helped formulate her unique culinary touch. She graduated with a Bachelors degree in Art & Design from the renowned Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. Thereafter she worked for a luxury fashion brand, doing PR and e-marketing. Ultimately, her passion for pâtisserie lured her to Paris, where she studied at Le Cordon Bleu and obtained a pastry diploma.

She put her skills to excellent use at the delightful Paris culinary bookstore and tea salon, La Cocotte. There Rachel concocted delicious sweet treats, regularly providing catering for culinary book launches and hosting cookery classes on site. Following the success of her edible endeavours at La Cocotte, she now works on culinary projects throughout the world. Her role as an international food creative has spanned six-course dinners and workshops in places as far-flung as London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Melbourne, Sydney and Buenos Aires.

She is also a food writer with books “Barres à céréales, Granola et Muesli faites maison” and “Pâtes à tartiner” published by Marabout. “Barres à céréales, Granola et Muesli faites maison” has also been published in Dutch, Italian and most recently in English – “Pâtes à tartiner” has also been published in English. Her third cookbook (her first English book) “The Little Paris Kitchen” was published by Penguin on March the 15th 2012. This book has also been translated into Dutch, French, Italian, German, Danish, Japanese, Latvian, Russian, Portuguese, Polish, Taiwanese, Korean and Norwegian. The book has also been published in the USA, by Chronicle Books.

Her first cookery show “The Little Paris Kitchen” was aired on BBC 2 from the 19th March 2012 for six weeks and has since been shown around the world. The show has aired all over the world, from Australia to Brazil, Canada to Finland, the USA to Hong Kong and many more.

Rachel’s fourth book “My Little French Kitchen” was published by Michael Joseph in Autumn 2013. Foreign editions have been published in the following territories: Germany, Holland, Taiwan, US, Japan and Poland.

Rachel’s TV show for BBC World Wide, ‘Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: London’ and ‘Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: Cosmopolitan Cook’ aired around the globe in 2013. Rachel’s fifth book “Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook”, featuring all the recipes from the show plus many more was published by Michael Joseph in February 2015 in the UK – it’s been published in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Netherlands and the United States too. It is available to order from Amazon now.

A six-part series ‘A Cook Abroad’ was aired on BBC2 and BBC2 HD in the UK in February 2015 – Rachel is one of the featured cooks in this fun series which sees cooks journey to places which inspire them. In her episode, Rachel journeys to Malaysia to explore part of her culinary heritage. Watch the trailer here.

Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: Melbourne aired in Australia on SBS in July 2015 and is currently airing around the world. In February 2016, Rachel appeared as a guest judge on the popular Australian competitive cooking show, My Kitchen Rules. She co-hosted Zumbo’s Just Desserts show on Channel 7 in Australia which aired in the Summer 2016. And is currently airing on Netflix and around the world.

She has regularly written recipes for the London Evening Standard, The Times, The Guardian and various other media outlets. Aswell as consulting for hotels, restaurants and blue chip clients, most recently for the launch of the Soho house x Sydell group hotel in London, The Ned.

In 2015 Rachel launched, Khoollect. Khoollect is a creative studio based in London aswell as an online community celebrating inspiration found in unlikely places.

Reviews

[Craig and Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big thanks to Ultimo Press for sending us a copy to read and review.
Now I am not a cook except for toast and chocolate truffles but can truly say I am inspired to make a few recipes I found in this delightful book.
A Parisian setting, a dream and a passion lighten the pages and sweeten the interest in Rachel’s journey.
An opportunity to study in a renowned French cooking school paved the way for new skills, new tastes and opportunities.
Delicious signature french foods inspire in the place where fine dining originated for Rachel.
Having a mixed heritage and hailing from South London she swiftly learnt some of the language and the recipes.
With a new confidence she opened up her small apartment and it became the smallest restaurant in Paris with its one table.
An intimate and delightful experience for those wanting to enjoy a unique French meal.
Word spread and she was inundated with waiting lists and very happy customers.
This memoir is proof that dreams can be followed and realised.
The recipes contained within are mouth watering and the readers taste buds are awoken.
Rachel seems so nice and very cool.

[Cindy Spear · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes a talented person to turn a 1.5 square metre kitchen with a tiny toaster oven, two gas ring hob and two seats with a little table into a restaurant. This became The Smallest Restaurant in Paris. In a tiny confined space, Rachel Khoo created her food masterpieces. She turned her dreams into scrumptious delights.

It has been ten years since that experience when she left London and went to Paris to cultivate her dream. And her memoir is an honest and compelling read of what she encountered and how she overcame her obstacles. It includes the people she met and the unique experiences she had during this passage of time. She tells us this book is not a ‘highlight reel’ but ‘the actual thing’ – everything that happened. The ups and downs and what living in Paris was like and what it has done for her.

Since her Paris experience, she has released a number of cookbooks and hosted many international TV series. She even was guest judge on Australia’s Bake Off. I probably am one of the few people who had not seen her television series before but after reading her memoir, I was so impressed I watched her Little Paris Kitchen show. Her passion for preparing simple yet elegant food dishes was evident. I was mesmerised by her down-to-earth cooking demonstrations and creative spins on French food. The tv series is a wonderful companion to the book so I highly recommend watching it. Other resources on the internet (her Insta, YouTube, Facebook and website) contain a wealth of information, too. These led me to have an immense amount of respect for this lady, her talent and all her well-deserved accomplishments.

Each chapter of the book ends with a recipe that will make your mouth water and urge you to try them. There are also some lovely lines in the book such as: “Sometimes a small gesture of kindness softened the harsh reality of being an outsider in a city often celebrated for its love.” This tender truth kisses the heart with understanding. We all know how hard it is to move to a place where you do not have the support of family or friends—and language barriers can make it even harder. Her dream for French cooking, took her far from home. And although she had many exciting moments, loneliness crept in, too. A feeling many immigrants know. But it was a blip on the road to success. For eventually she found people who helped and inspired her. And they fuelled her dream even more.

But during that challenging journey, she took on many roles to support herself. And although it was hard juggling time and energy, she found later the experiences taught her some valuable lessons. These prepared her for the cooking world success she eventually harvested. In one of her heart to heart passages, she speaks of a chef’s vulnerability. It reminded me so much of being a writer. She explains chefs like to stay in the safety of their kitchens. (Like authors in their writing space.) Why? When you have spent hours trying to perfect your special dishes and then must send them out for people to judge, there’s a vulnerability in that action. She says ‘watching someone react to your food can feel like offering up your beating heart on a plate.’ What if the plate comes back with food barely touched? It would feel like a rejection. This is similar to being an author where you have spent months and years creating and editing your story. Pouring your heart and soul onto every page. Then the day comes and you must send it out into the world. It is scary because you do not know what the response will be. Rachel nails this feeling in her description about her food preparation, finished product and its delivery to guests or customers. In her case, thankfully the response has been positive. People love her food! This gives her immense joy to know that friends, family members and others are responding with a gleam in their eyes, a cleaned off plate and praise from their lips.

London born Rachel Khoo is not only a creative cook but also an inspiring story teller. She delivers her memoir with such natural ease and weaves the magic of food in her text so skillfully, that the end product is a beautiful creation. She provides her own delicious and unique spins on French recipes that inspire us to try them, too, for she makes it look so simple! Fortunately, a number of these recipes are in her latest memoir The Smallest Restaurant in Paris.

This memoir is a literary jewel that shines with its heart-warming stories of innovation and determination. Her story of how she moved to Paris to cook and study is uplifting—especially knowing the results. She had to learn the French language, live and work in a tiny flat and cook in a tiny kitchen. Yet she did it with fervour and success. I loved this book and its naked honesty. Her passionate view of life and food is catching. And as she says: ‘It was indeed a truth that from tiny oats grow great mueslis.’ She had a dream, she sewed those seeds of hope and magnificent things came from small beginnings. A great story from a great heart. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Huge thanks to Ultimo Press for providing the review copy.

[Elle (IG: simply.elle18) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delight this memoir was to read!
Rachel Khoo followed her dreams to Paris, where she started out with an au pair post and ended up with The Smallest Restaurant in Paris.

The book reads as a novel, with a deliciously mouthwatering recipe at the end of every chapter that I can't wait to try! It is a compelling and inspiring story - Rachel tells of the obstacles she overcame, the people she met, and the highs and lows of her challenging journey.

If you need a little help to realise a dream or goal you have, pick up this book.

A big thank you to Ultimo Press for an ARC of the book!

[Squigz is Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a lovely memoir about food, friendship, and following your dreams. It was written in a very personal style, combined with cute little sketches and mouth watering recipes.

Rachel Khoo is known extensively for her passion for food, but also, for her signature red lipstick, a 'look' that is Parisian in its origins.

I loved the honesty of this memoir, from the loneliness of her early years through to the excitement and success of her later ones. It was a joy to read.

[Jane Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Rachel Khoo and her TV series then you will love this….delightful!

[Rachel Letham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book. Captivating from the very first page.

I came to it already a fan — I’d watched The Little Paris Kitchen on BBC Two and owned Rachel’s Paris cookery books, so I thought I knew her world. But this memoir, self-published through her own Maison Khoo, took me somewhere entirely different. It’s a gorgeous, honest account of her Paris years — the highs, the lows, the survival jobs, the culinary school, the self-doubt — and how all of it quietly led to the idea that would become The Little Paris Kitchen.

What struck me most was how wholesome and genuinely inspiring it felt without ever being saccharine. Rachel doesn’t gloss over the hard parts, which makes the moments of joy and creativity land all the more. As Rukmini Iyer put it, “it’s a fascinating insight into finding a niche and building something meaningful” — and that’s exactly what it is.

If you’ve ever wondered whether starting small in a city where nobody knows you can lead somewhere extraordinary, this book is your answer.

[Em dK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've followed Rachel's Instagram and blog for several years. Her recipes are always creative and turn out well. It was nice to understand how she ended up in Paris and eventually created her little restaurant. My only wish is that she included a bit more of the story. For example, her transition to televising her Parisian recipes. It ended a bit abruptly for me, but overall a lovely story about her time in Paris.

[Stephanie Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable rolls through Rachel Khoo’s first years in Paris, sparing none of the heartaches and trials but somehow managing to keep a sense of resilient optimism going despite it all. Beautiful descriptions of food, affectionate mini portraits of the people she met and worked with and the lovely addition of easy to approach recipes bookending each chapter. I’d buy it for the rilette recipe alone. 4.5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read. Rachel Khoo is a terrific story teller and chef. I have to admit this is one of the most clever autobiographies I have ever had the pleasure to read. Her writing is so relatable and is more like a conversation. Her ability to retell her experiences show a great attention to detail and draws you in to the scene she had experienced. Bravo Ms. Khoo on your best book yet.

[Anne Macnamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Rachel’s TV series and was delighted to rediscover her again. The book is a beautiful object and fantastic read, each chapter with a recipe and Rachel’s own drawings.
Passion and hard work drove Rachel to Paris and she takes us with her through her career path to the Little Paris Kitchen. A delight from start to finish, I can’t wait to see what Rachel does next.

[Jo Budden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having loved Rachel's TV shows & read all her cookbooks I knew I would enjoy her memoir even if it ended rather abruptly just as tres, tres petit resto was beginning.

A classic example of just how much slog there is behind becoming an overnight sensation! Off to read her Swedish kitchen cookbook again.

[Laurent Francois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ecstatic little diary x recipes. The author gives a witty personal observation of her Parisian years. Each chapter ends with a very cool recipe. As a French, I find it very accurate.

[Amna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75. Started off cute but really started dragging after midpoint - felt slightly rushed and came across as “and then I did this and then I did that” to get to the conclusion.

[Alison Wootten · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

A nice easy read - and interesting to read the journey she took before creating her infamous 'Little Paris Restaurant'. Loved the series (and ANY of her cooking shows).

[Jacqueline White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Around 2012, I discovered Little Paris Kitchen on the Cooking Channel hosted by Rachel Khoo who is an incredibly enchanting and effervescent host. You can imagine my excitement when I discovered that she had written a memoir about the time leading up to the smallest restaurant in Paris and subsequently the Little Paris Kitchen show. Since I had waited so long for her to write this book, you can understand why I could not wait for the US release that I ordered my copy from Blackwell’s in the UK. It made it in 8 days. It arrived Saturday and I read the book in under 24 hours. Just as with her tv show, I was fascinated from beginning to end. It was wonderfully written, capturing her charming spirit in writing about the days leading up to the smallest restaurant in Paris. I loved hearing about all her trials and tribulations, and her strength of courage to persevere through it all to finally find her true voice.
If you love food, Paris, and a spunky spirit, this book is for you! Each chapter is bookended with a recipe.

I was happy to see some of the background stories to some of the Little Paris kitchen episodes. It felt like being in sort of a secret society. And whilst this relates to the show Little Paris Kitchen, I still make and love the croque madame muffins and the bouillon de poulet.

As always, Rachel is the consummate storyteller. If you love Paris and food coupled with fascinating stories - don’t hesitate to get a copy! Oh and she self-published!! Bravo!!!

[Andrew Marlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written memoir. Rachel brings alive her time in Paris, exploring the often challenging drive to make a career working with food. It culminates in the opening of her famous tiny, one table restaurant. It makes compelling reading and vividly brings the Parisian scene to life (Definitely makes me want to return!).