Hanabi

The warmth of a rising sun deep in your belly… That’s the dominant sensation as you first bring your chopsticks to your lips at Hôtel Hana’s restaurant, located between the Bourse and Opéra metro stations, where you can indulge in a Far Eastern journey within a Belle Époque-inspired space (Art Nouveau printed fabrics, intimate alcoves, sublime green raku enamel tables). Dreamt up by Shirley Garrier of the duo behind The Social Food, and executed by the French-Peruvian chef Roberto Sanchez (ex-Bristol and Grand Véfour), the menu cleverly combines French bistro classics with Japanese staples, brilliantly bridging the gap between the two cultures at lunchtime: a Hanabi egg, as beautiful as a haiku – barely soft-boiled and sprinkled with sobacha and elderflowers, plated over Kewpie-style mayonnaise seasoned with miso, soy sauce and rice vinegar; udon noodles dressed in bisque and topped with a langoustine tartare, elegantly balanced out by cherry blossom rice vinegar and a handful of sea beans; before cheesecake prepared with sake kasu (rice-based paste made from sake lees) and more cherry blossoms, sprinkled with pansies and served with toasted sesame oil. // Madeleine Proust

FEELING THIRSTY? : A selection of sparkling wines (a glass of dry Laurent-Perrier Champagne for the steep price of €23), high-born wines (Les Murailles, a riesling from Dopff & Irion at €65 a bottle, a Nobles Rives crozes-hermitage at €69) and most impressively, some luxurious sakes, like the natural Asama from the Kurosawa distillery (€36 for 180 ml) or the Misonotake by Takeshige Honke (€38).
PRICE: : Set menu €35 (lunch), appetizers €9-29, mains €29-54, sides €8, desserts €14.