A donut filled with pork floss, bánh mì layered with sambal, and a kaya croissant... it's not what you typically expect in Paris, unless you're at one of Pearl Lee's joints. A former banker who traded spreadsheets for the world of gastronomy, she has redefined what Southeast Asian food can look and feel like in the French capital.

Her journey began with The Hood Paris, a restaurant built around music and community. That ethos deepened with Nonette, a bánh mì and donut shop that quickly became a cult favourite. Now with BLK65, she's focusing on storytelling, culture, and lifting Southeast Asian voices in Paris and beyond.

We sat down with Pearl to unpack how it began, why she's never compromised on flavour, and what it means to create spaces that feel like home—even when you're far from it.

ESQUIRE: You started your career in banking in Switzerland before moving into restaurants, how did that shift happen?

PEARL LEE: I spent over a decade working across Africa and Asia in high-intensity roles in finance and development, but over time, I began asking myself deeper questions about purpose. I realised I no longer wanted to extract value, I wanted to create it.

I visited Paris regularly twice a month for food and wine, and in 2015, I found myself imagining a space that could hold culture, food, and community. That idea became The Hood, Nonette and now BLK65.

ESQ: When you first moved to Paris, was opening a restaurant always the plan?

PL: No grand plan, I just noticed what was missing. I wanted to create a space that felt warm and welcoming, one that celebrated Southeast Asian flavours in a modern, creative way. Paris has a way of making you question things, and I kept coming back to the lack of Southeast Asian representation, especially in food.

ESQ: To my knowledge, The Hood was originally a café inspired by Fête de la Musique. Was that an event you frequented every year in Paris or Geneva?

PL: Yes in 2012 specifically, it was my first Fête de La Musique in Europe and it really left a mark. I ended up playing the piano for four hours straight, surrounded by people from all walks of life, singing classics like John Lennon's 'Imagine.' The spontaneous, joyful energy of people coming together through music shaped The Hood in its early days. We had open mics, vinyl nights and of course, food.

ESQ: Was food always a big part of your life growing up in Singapore, or did your passion for it develop later?

PL: Food was definitely a huge part of my life growing up in Singapore. In Singapore, food is your first language. It’s the way we fight and debate who does the best chicken rice, the way we love, and communicate. Though my passion for it deepened later, especially when I was away, I didn't realise how deeply it shaped me until I left.

ESQ: How did the name The Hood come about? Was there a specific idea behind it?

PL: We wanted something that felt local, approachable, and a little cheeky. "The Hood Paris" just felt right. Short for neighbourhood, The Hood is meant to be a community space, a safe zone for misfits and creatives. A place where you could come alone, meet new people, be loud, laugh, or eat with your hands and no one would judge.

"How do you make something nostalgic without staying stuck in the past? And how do you innovate without losing its soul?"

ESQ: Does that influence still play a role at The Hood today, or has the vision evolved?

PL: It’s evolved. The Hood Paris was never just about food, but about what food could spark. Nearly a decade in, we're not just building restaurants. We're building platforms for Southeast Asian stories to be seen and heard.

ESQ: How did you meet your co-founder, Chef Huynh?

PL: We were introduced through a mutual friend in New York. She was looking for a gig, and I needed someone with kitchen experience to help bring my vision to life. We met in Paris where she had just won MasterChef France, and instantly connected over Southeast Asian food at Septime (a restaurant in Paris). We shared a belief that the region was often misunderstood and undervalued, and that common ground became the foundation for The Hood and eventually Nonette. When I told her I wanted to bring together music, chicken rice, laksa and identity in one space, she didn't blink—that was all I needed to know.

The Hood Paris

ESQ: What was the initial process of creating the menu together like?

PL: Raw and collaborative, the process was built on trial and error. We drew from our memories of family recipes and the flavours we missed, translating taste into language and figuring out how to serve something authentic while giving it a modern expression.

The same questions guided us with Nonette: How do you make something nostalgic without staying stuck in the past? And how do you innovate without losing its soul?

A constant negotiation shaped our philosophy and eventually our tagline: proudly Asian, distinctly Parisian. That mix of tradition and reinterpretation defines everything we do.

Nonette

ESQ: When you launched, were you worried about how Parisians would react to Singaporean flavours, or did you feel the need to adapt to their palate first?

PL: Worried? Yes. But we didn't want to dilute the flavours we grew up with. The goal was always to stay true to our roots while plating with intention. We figured if the food was good enough, people would come around—and they did. Dishes like chicken rice, laksa, and kaya toast weren't so foreign anymore. That said, we've had to adapt in some ways, especially with the plant-based movement here. We now serve things like vegan nasi lemak and vegan sambal, which the French adore.

Though I must say, looking back, some of our early ideas like mixing a coffeeshop with a restaurant or pairing Asian food with natural wines may have landed too early. Perhaps nine years too early.

ESQ: Natural wines paired with Asian food is such an intriguing combination, do you have any plans to bring it back?

PL: Yes actually, we'll be spotlighting Malaysian cuisine paired with rice wines for this year's Chope Chope. We realised that rice wine is a shared tradition across Southeast Asia. Which even my grandmother makes, she makes Tuak, a Hakka speciality. In Borneo for example, it's enjoyed in shots or sparkling as part of post-harvest rituals, and it pairs beautifully with our food.

We've also just signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Sarawak to introduce Borneo’s rice wine in a modern sparkling form to the European market. We'll be introducing it across all of our Chope Chope pop-ups to highlight the regional influences behind Singaporean cuisine.

ESQ: Were there any specific flavours or dishes that you hesitated to introduce but ended up being a hit?

PL: The durian donut, durian chiffon cake, and pork floss with mayo. Flavours we thought might be too polarising, but they ended up becoming cult favourites, even among the French. Turns out, bold flavours really speak for themselves when served with confidence.

Then there's Kaya, it's simple but it holds so much: memory, comfort and identity. We wanted something unapologetically Singaporean that could spark both curiosity and nostalgia. Now, at 11 Rue Jean Pierre Timbaud, our new tagline is "Home of Kaya." We're proud to have introduced and popularised it here.

No such thing as too little kaya.
The Hood Paris

ESQ: Do you often find yourself explaining dishes to customers, or are they already familiar with them?

PL: We do both. We actually enjoy the explaining and educating, it opens a door to storytelling which is why BLK65 now exists. Every bánh mì, sambal, or donut flavour has a story behind it. That's the difference between just serving food and building culture.

ESQ: You've mentioned BLK65 a few times, is that a new project you've got planned? What is it all about?

PL: BLK65 was born from the work we started with The Hood and Nonette. We saw how underrepresented Southeast Asia especially Singapore, was in Europe. There was a lack of content and many had outdated view of Singapore. We wanted something more sustainable to continue the storytelling beyond events.

We formalised it this year, under a newly restructured umbrella called The Asian Food Collective, which now includes The Hood, Nonette, and BLK65. The Hood focuses on food and culture, Nonette is our more scalable deli model, and BLK65 acts as a cultural agency helping Southeast Asian brands build a presence in Paris through events, content and consulting. At it's core, BLK65 is about building bridges and creating space for our region's narratives to be heard.

ESQ: I love the name BLK65. It feels very familiar, something only Singaporeans would understand.

PL: Haha yes, that was the point. The name was inspired by Singapore's HDB blocks and our country code, '+65'. It's a nod to home and something only Singaporeans would immediately connect with. While we haven't officially named the agency yet, but for now, the Singapore programming falls under BLK65. We're hoping to release a formal press announcement soon.

ESQ: Congratulations, that's a huge achievement. But you’ve also had some tough setbacks, including two burglaries. What was the immediate aftermath like?

PL: It was brutal and heartbreaking. The break-ins really knocked the wind out of us. Loss equipment, furniture damaged, and windows smashed. For a while, I questioned everything. But what pulled us through was the community. Friends, strangers, even old customers reached out and showed up. That gave us just enough strength to stand back up.

ESQ: How was Covid for you?

PL: Another tipping point. We had just finished renovating The Hood with a new kitchen and a more Singaporean-forward menu, and then lockdown hit. We were one of the few restaurants that stayed open in that first week. I ran it alone for a few days while the team stayed home, then two of them came back to help. We kept the lights on, seven days a week. The French media picked up on it, and things took off from there.

ESQ: I guess you could thank Covid. What kept you going through those tough moments?

PL: Honestly? Community. Rage. Love. And this quiet, stubborn belief that we weren’t done yet. If we'd made it that far, we weren't about to stop.

My love for the team, the community, for what we have built. For my grandmother, who visited me twice and told me not to give up. My parents who slowly started believing in what I was doing. You don’t walk away from something like that. You fight to rebuild it stronger. We are now nine years in with three concepts: The Hood Paris, Nonette and a new platform BLK65.

ESQ: What’s something you learned on the job that no amount of culinary training or restaurant experience could have prepared you for?

PL: How to work with a team from different industries and backgrounds, and to be available for the team as a leader. The food side you can learn. But knowing when to step back, listen, or just sit with someone after a tough service, that’s the part no one teaches you.

ESQ: With that, you moved onto greater things like Chope Chope, tell me more about Chope Chope and how that idea came about.

PL: Chope Chope began as a love letter to Singapore, part supper club, part cultural exchange. The goal was to create cross-cultural conversations through food and shift how Southeast Asia is perceived, moving beyond the usual exotic lens.

With support from Singapore Global Network, Singapore Tourism, and Singapore Airlines, we brought Singaporean chefs to Paris. Not just to cook, but to share the stories and memories behind each dish. It was never meant to be a traditional pop-up. It was a storytelling platform disguised as a meal.

What surprised us was how deeply it resonated. People weren't just curious, they were engaged and eager to understand the culture behind the cuisine. That response pushed us to go further. This year, we're expanding the narrative to include broader Southeast Asian stories, port cities, family legacies, street food rituals. Chope Chope now sits within a larger mission, to celebrate complexity, and show how a bowl of laksa can open conversations about trade, migration, or matriarchs. That's the power of food when you treat it with care.

ESQ: While I was at a Chope Chope event, I overheard a group saying they had travelled from London just to taste Chef Damian D’Silva’s food because it reminded them of home. How does it feel to know that The Hood evokes that kind of nostalgia for people?

PL: It means everything. That's exactly why we do this. If a dish can bring someone back to their grandmother's kitchen, a street corner back home, or a part of themselves they'd forgotten, that connection is more meaningful than any review or award. It's about belonging, even if just for one meal.

ESQ: What has been the most rewarding moment since opening The Hood? And the biggest challenge?

PL: Like what you've mentioned, knowing or seeing someone tear up over a dish because it reminded them of their home, and watching the team believe in the mission as much as I do. Whilst the biggest challenge was doing it all without a safety net. No big investors, just friends, family, grit, and heart. Keeping it sustainable for nine years, pushing through the toughest times, and still finding joy in what we do—that's been the real work.

ESQ: What's next for you and The Hood?

PL: We’re working on several exciting things. Besides the MoU with Sarawak, bringing in Borneo's sparkling rice wine, we'll also be bringing Nonette to Singapore for a pop-up during SG60. It’s our most playful take on East-meets-West, and it’s been incredibly well received in Paris, we’re using this as a way to test the waters for something more permanent back home.

As for BLK65, it's slowly growing in Paris, and we're starting to explore possible opportunities in New York, helping Southeast Asian brands find their voice along the way. We’re not just building restaurants anymore, we’re building bridges.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Photography: Aaron Kho