Comme des poissons

Time Out says

Mon Sep 24 2012

This is an unmissable destination for fresh fish lovers. The restaurant’s little blue frontage might not be much to look at, but once you get inside it oozes quality. The atmosphere is monastic: just nine covers facing the chef, who executes sushi, sashimi and maki with a disconcerting precision and in a quasi-religious silence. A craftsman of formidable calibre, he doesn’t hesitate to give his diners stern instructions in sushi etiquette.

On the menu, there are a series of fish dishes served on big bowls of rice: grilled eel (the house signature dish), maguro-natto (raw tuna with fermented soya), various marinated and spiced choices, and then the famous omakase sushi, which will be explained to you by your waiter (the only native Frenchman in the place). For €50, the menu brings you between 15 and 20 pieces, improvised on the spot by the chef. They are fresh, firm and full of flavour, full of character, and accompanied by impeccable rice. Each mouthful is an ode to the sea: so much so that you forget the austerity of the décor and the prices (from €50 to €70 in the evenings).

When you leave, the only thing you hope for on is having been worthy diners in the eyes of the owner. Arigatô!

Reservation essential.

By Anthony Pinelli/EH