I am trying to shed a few, so naturally I am obsessed with food. Don’t you just love the way the mind works? My latest obsessions revolves around a new-to-me Japanese restaurant I recently “discovered” in our very own neighborhood.
I first saw their card in a local depôt-vente owned by a really lovely Japanese couple. My curiousity was officially piqued, but I was too shy to ask for the card, so I knew the name, but had no idea where it was. A few days later I was jogging towards the Tuilleries and I spotted the logo (ex-graphic designer claims occupational hazard). I even slowed down to read the menu.
A bento lunch and lots of original options. Nothing looked too touristy, although I was a bit worried that they offered such a diverse selection of specialties. I am the kind of diner that goes to one place for ramen, another for soba and is nearly fanatic about the udon joint on the rue Ste Anne (Kunitorya). When it comes to Japanese cuisine, I like specialists.
A week later Mr French and I were there for lunch and it was fan-tabulous!!! I went for a crab salad that was rolled into a vegetable skin and had flavours that truly zinged. My grilled salmon with a miso sauce was just as tasty and I still remember the refreshing zest of the yuzu flavoured jello the chef offered at the end of the meal. I couldn’t to go back.
As luck would have it, we were free for dinner just five nights later. We arrived, but for some reason the menu seemed much less exciting for dinner. And more expensive. Then the waiter came over with a black board listed about a dozen tapas style dishes for 14-18€. We ordered white asparagus tempura, clams that tasted like the ocean steamed with algae, tofu and mushrooms in an exuberant miso broth, grilled sardines and an indescribable dish of razor clams. Everything was delicious, and beautiful and cooked to perfection. There was a perfectly balanced miso soup to start the meal and for dessert I had a sake-infused jello.
The restaurant strikes the perfect balance between sophisticated cuisine and a relaxed comfortable ambiance. I’ll be back. Often.
