Eunoé

Longtime friends from Japan, chef Ryuji Sato, the son of a Tokyo chef, and Félix Perrotte, a former financier turned wandering sommelier, took a decade to seal the deal. But now at their clean little spot with fawn-colored banquettes and a timeworn wooden communal table, they are now ready to throw epic Gardette parties, near the peaceful little square by the same name. As a fervent and eloquent defender of good taste, Félix set down the plates crafted by the Japanese chef, who Frenchified his techniques under Constant and Nomicos: a striking celeriac mousseline with brown butter, an oeuf parfait, celeriac spaghetti and smoked paprika; Corleone-style fregola with parsley, dill and mint oil for a verdant touch, paired with dried bacon, slow-roasted tomatoes and a full-bodied jus; and finally, a dessert combining poached pear, a fresh goat cheese cream, a cardamom-heavy chai cream and a filo pastry tuile. At night, Ryuji brings some explosive energy to the kitchen: druidic trout with red shiso and a cauliflower espuma; a Herculean Challans duck cooked over binchotan charcoal with an extremely reduced red wine sauce, plus sweet potato mousseline and chanterelles; monkfish with a rockfish sauce and vegetables… // Renaud Fuego 

FEELING THIRSTY? : Natural wines at a galloping pace: a pineau d’Aunis Loustic from Emmanuel Haget (€10 a glass), L’Âme de Fond, an Anjou chenin from Le Fief Noir (same price), a morgon Côte de Py from the Domaine Piron (€44 a bottle), or La Forêt, a Chablis from Vincent Dauvissat (€76).
PRICE: : Set menus €21-26 (weekday lunch) and à la carte €50-68 (dinner and Saturday lunch), plates €11-16 (Sunday lunch).