My dad had discovered this place a few months back and really enjoyed it, so he wanted to come back. and i was very happy that i was able to join this time, because it was quite an amazing meal.
we decided on the tasting menu for 88€, which from the menu didn't explain much about what we would be eating. but i was very interested to find out.
the amuse bouche was Poached japanese radish of dashi with foie gras and a miso and yuzu cream. this was super delicious, the combination of tastes and texture was spot on, no single flavor overpowered the other, but instead each complemented each other. subtle, clean, but delicious flavors.
the entreé course was shrimp, chicken, endive, and broccoli in an egg yolk miso vinegar sauce. this also had miso in the dish, however it was a different type of miso. the sauce was different as it was a liquid jelly, so it was both solid and soft. all delicate flavors but maybe a bit too delicate except for the sauce due to the vinegar.
the soup course was a Fish ball with yellow lotus and seaweed and brussel sprouts in dashi. very delicate flavors, the fish ball wasn't too fishy and the vegetables were cooked just right. a nice simple soup dish.
the sashimi course was uni, ju-toro (tuna belly) and squid. one of my favorites is uni, so of course i was delighted to have it and ju-toro is just as tasty with its fattiness. the squid was also delicious, so i was definitely not disappointed in this course.
next was mackerel sushi, beautifully made and tasted great. many people don't really like mackerel as it can have quite a fishy taste and smell but this one wasn't overpoweringly fishy and the sushi rice was perfect.
the tempura course was St Jacques and yam. this dish kind of played a trick on you as both pieces looked almost IDENTICAL. but both were delicious, the yam had the crunch and the st jacques (scallop) had the softness and sweetness. i mean who doesn't love tempura.
for the main course there was a choice of chicken, pork, or beef. we choose the yellow chicken cooked in binchotan (white charcoal) with tempura, ponzu and green pepper and the sirloin cooked in binchotan with wasabi soy sauce, ponzu and green pepper. the beef was EXCEPTIONAL, very soft and tender but the chicken was also just as good. so apparently binchotan is a way of cooking with white charcoal and this type of charcoal burns at a lower temperature for longer and doesn't release a bad odor so i guess it's basically like slow cooking on a grill. no wonder the meat tasted so good and was perfectly cooked. this method of cooking is one of their specialties so you definitely have to try something cooked in this manner.
and the last course was chicken rice with seasonal flavors and miso soup. i have had soboro chicken rice before and i really like it, it is quite a simple dish, just ground chicken over rice but somehow it is really good. maybe because of its simplicity it feels like home, something mom would cook.
for dessert was roasted tea, sugar honey panna cotta. i forgot to take a picture but it wasn't ENTIRELY that pretty of a dish. but the roasted tea was an intriguing flavor as it tasted very similar to coffee. also the sugar honey added a slight sweetness, not an overly sweet or filling dessert which was actually preferred after how much food we had.
an amazing dining experience, a highly recommend if you are looking for high quality japanese food in paris. what i love about japanese cuisine is the simplicity of it, but that doesn'T mean that it's any easier. they really understand the ingredients and let them shine in the dish but never let one flavor overpower the others in the dish. subtle and delicate tastes but when combined leaves a lasting impression and a wanting for more.
it is a very popular place so you will definitely need to book in advance. also if you like sake this place has a very large selection to choose from, they also have a sake sommelier to help advise you.
