Translated by Bethszaee Garner

Eating simply but feasting infinitely is now possible in our beautiful capital, which has since become very welcoming in terms of international and traditional cuisine.

Jinchan Yokocho

There are restaurants, of high quality moreover, whose existence is forgotten the very next day. And then there are others, rarer, that make such an impression on you that you want to invite all your friends there the minute you leave! As you can see, Jinchan Yokocho belongs to this second category. The experience begins as soon as you cross the threshold. You're no longer in the 10th arrondissement of Paris but in Kyoto... The decor is unlike that of most Japanese restaurants in Paris, which are very kitsch in the case of neighborhood eateries displaying photos of the dishes in the window, or chic and refined in the case of gourmet establishments. Here, you are in a real izakaya, a pure Japanese bistro with its illuminated dawnings, street art frescoes evoking the Japanese mountains, and characteristic furniture distinguished by its low-backed chairs.

The menu? Nothing too crazy, it's the surprise on the plate that's the surprise. Yes, where you discover that you've never tasted real wasabi, made of... wasabi and not 80% horseradish! Or the famous nigata rice with lamb's lettuce and flavor. Or you can savor an authentic grilled rice tea, to sip throughout the meal.

The sharing dishes arrive on the table very quickly after ordering. The toro (fatty tuna) sashimi is exceptional, the thinly sliced, melt-in-the-mouth semi-cooked salmon is superb, the karaage curry don, marinated and fried chicken thighs, is accompanied by delicious nigata rice covered in a Japanese curry sauce that awakens the taste buds without overpowering them. And why are all these relatively traditional dishes so tasty? Because all the products that go into them come from Japan. The Franco-Japanese couple who created Jinchan Yokocho spent several years sourcing nearly 70 items in order to get the true taste of Japanese cuisine. So much so that several French Michelin-starred chefs have asked them to supply them!

Even the red bean dorayaki is light and tasty, even though this pastry is generally considered to be uninteresting and filling. To top it all off, the average bill for a meal at Jinchan Yokocho does not exceed 25 euros.

Jinchan Yokocho, 55, rue du Faubourg du Temple, Paris 10th arrondissement

At Caffè Stern, they print...

In this old passageway of the Panoramas, a vestige of a time when Baron Haussmann had not yet standardized Paris, nestles a gem of an Italian restaurant known to insiders... and to the philatelists who are regulars in the passageway. Caffè Stern is an address to be discovered. Ten years for a restaurant is the age of maturity. Launched in 2014 by the Alajmo brothers, Caffè Stern is certainly a big boy, sure of his choices and proud of his creations. It all began in 2014 with an unexpected opening in the premises of a historic engraving workshop established in 1834 in the Passage des Panoramas. The Alajmo brothers decided to open an Italian café bistro there, where the word café regains its original meaning, as they called on Gianni Fraisi, the famous Verona roaster, who roasts the beans on a unique machine developed in 1950! Needless to say, if you like ristretto, you now know where to go...

In the kitchen, the dishes change almost every week, inspired by Massimiliano Alajmo (2 Michelin stars) and created by chef Denis Mattiuzzi. Potato cappuccino ‘alla bolognese’, lobster and squid tagliolini, calf's liver ‘alla veneziana’ have contributed greatly to the reputation of this gastronomic establishment, which hides its game rather well from the outside, with its stuffed animals in the window. During the 10th anniversary meal, we were treated to an astonishing cappuccino with cuttlefish liver stew and chickpeas made by Massimiliano himself, as was the coffee risotto with marsala sabayon and white truffle.

A super-tasty pairing that surprises on the first bite and convinces on the second. Invited to join the occasion for a ‘four-handed’ effort, Alexandre Gauthier, the two-starred chef at La Grenouillère (Pas-de-Calais), dared to create a spectacular dish consisting of a lively brûlée with romanesco cream and mustard. Not necessarily unifying, but characteristic of the cuisine of this master chef known for his daring. Among the desserts, an unlikely combination: olive oil focaccia with candied pepper and chilli, to pimp a high-quality dark chocolate. When surprise rhymes with indulgence...

Caffè Stern, 47 passage des Panoramas, Paris 2nd Average à la carte price: 85 euros

Maison Médard, for the chef's surprises

Earning a Michelin star when you are in Boulleret, a small village in the heart of the Berry region, is no mean feat. Yet this is the achievement of Julien Médard, the thirty-something chef of Maison Médard, who has just celebrated his 10th anniversary in the Parisian premises of the association of Master Chefs. How? By organizing a meal, of course, to present the chef's cuisine to the French press.

On the menu are seasonal and regional products that he manages to enhance with skillfully made sauces, bold combinations and meticulous presentation. Like this origami butternut squash forming a triptych, jazzed up with smoked pike roe and cocoa oil. Fresh, textured, homogeneous. The meal gained momentum with a hazelnut deviled egg swimming in celery juice. The sweetness of the egg forms a very harmonious pairing with the acidity of the celery. Then the main dish arrived on the table, majestic: a fillet of sturgeon cooked to perfection, like matured meat, accompanied by fennel sauerkraut concealing a treasure, a few grams of superb Sologne caviar. Delicious and clever. A Sancerre sorbet to whet the palate for the mallard in chocolate and citrus sauce. A more than perfect pairing. Then, as a pre-dessert, buffalo milk cheese combined with a rhubarb and ginger chutney that could pass for apricot, spiced with saffron. A lovely surprise to end the meal, preceding a rather unusual dessert, also a carrot cake supporting a chocolate cream and black chanterelles. A strange mixture on the spoon that turns out to be rather tasty in the mouth.

Maison Médard, 19, place des Tilleuls 18240 Boulleret Allow around 100 euros per person

Article written by Yves Derai, to be found in issue n°10 of OniriQ Magazine.