I have walked in front of the restaurant a lot of times but it never caught my eye. But behind a simple façade with curtains always closed is hidden a japanese team that creates a culinary show.

Normally we avoid eating at the counter but here I absolutely recommend it ! The open kitchen is a visual, aromatic and sound experience. We watch the chef Naoto Masumoto and his clerks prepare the dishes with passion and pace. On one side they cook and on the other they assemble the dishes.

Note that when I went to the restaurant last winter and I forgot to write down all the details. I will try my best to remember everything.

Before starting the meal, they gave me the amuse-bouche (appetizer), it had a doughy texture, it was surely a fish ball with some flour or starch. It was in a mushroom broth. It was very pleasant.

First choice of entrée : salmon tataki, tuna sashimi, salty mousse, various herbs : we were in the middle of the winter at that time but the restaurant was very well heated and since I was in front of the plancha I can tell you that I was not cold. The entrée was refreshing. Freshness of the ingredients, of cooking and taste association. The salmon was the only half cooked. All the other ingredients were left raw and they had very unique and natural aromas.

Second choice of entrée : breast duck, foie gras, thick soy sauce and various vegetables. At the difference from the first entrée, this one was tiepid and more gourmet. It was interesting to see the association between the french and japanese cuisine. The sauce was delicious.

First choice of main dish : sea bass, scallops and various vegetables. A perfect cooking for all the ingredients. The al dente vegetables were cooked on the plancha, the scallops were good but it was less surprising than the entrées.

Second choice of main dish : 2 pieces of veal with 2 different sauces (soy sauce and miso sauce) and various vegetables. Again, the cooking was perfect . It was interesting to have two different asian sauces. The small drawback was that the soy sauce was the same as the breast duck entrée.

First choice of dessert : mount Fuji. A big visual surprise, it is huge, but finally it only whipped cream that creates volume. It is not heavy at all. On the top, there is a chestnut, in the inside there are fresh fruits (strawberry, blueberry and others…). A meringue crown encircles the cream. It’s light, it’s fresh but taste wise it is not very interesting. Nothing is really Japanese and it way to sweet. The meringue were more a decorative element than a taste choice. I was disappointed compared to the visual.

Second choice of the dessert : matcha tiramisu. It is exactly was I was expecting, a classical tiramisu with a bitter aftertaste that come from the tea. It was good and generous. Came with a sesame macaron.

In the end, the chef did put quite a show.  The concept is very nice, I believe that it is a success even if lacked regularity. Some dishes were great and others a little less. The French and Japanese mix is not present all the time. For information, the menu changes constantly so the cuisine changes often.

The service is very discrete maybe a little too much, the waiters don’t always explain the dishes. It’s a pity that we can’t really communicate with the Japanese chef either. I do find that the price is slightly too high for the result.

Nevertheless, I will not hesitate to come back to have a broader idea of M. Masumoto’s talents. Booking is necessary, I recommend the restaurant all the same.