The first time diners sit down at Mokonuts, they already dream of coming back. That is no easy feat in this pocket-sized restaurant (22 seats, elbow to elbow), which fills up every Monday to Friday, only for lunch service. Mokonuts, one of Paris' most delightful addresses, nestled in the 11th arrondissement between Bastille and Nation, will celebrate its 10th anniversary in December.
This year, Moko Hirayama and Omar Koreitem, the founding owners, have also decided to publish their first cookbook, released simultaneously in English and French by Phaidon.
It is a beautiful volume with a milky blue-green opaline cover (echoing the restaurant's façade), gathering together mouthwatering recipes. "These are snapshots of dishes, glimpses into our world rather than recipes," explained Hirayama, who noted that with a few exceptions (notably her legendary cookies), dishes in her restaurant are almost never the same from one day to the next.
The story of Koreitem and Hirayama is as delicious as their cuisine. Of Lebanese descent, Koreitem grew up in France. Born in Japan, Hirayama began a career as a lawyer in the United States, first in San Francisco and then New York. That was where they met, in 2000: After studying political science, he worked for the city hall while she negotiated contracts for the city.
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