Is Saint-Germain-des-Prés becoming the Dining Rooms group’s new stronghold? After Blueberry, Marcello and Steam Bar comes Kimono, a chic Japanese inn that stirs things up – literally – by throwing a curveball in the soup bowl and sending copy-paste sushi bars packing. Inside this dusty-rose, bistro setting, the star attraction is the futosoba: a noodle hybrid somewhere between plump udon and slimmer soba, enriched with roasted buckwheat and copyrighted by chef Masahiro Moriya (ex-Auguste and Le Gabriel). Slurp them up cold, dipped into a sesame broth, or warm, nestled in a comforting Japanese curry or a duck-heavy dashi. That evening, after a spot-on vitello tonnato jolted with wasabi: crisp vegetable tempura rolled in puffed rice and buckwheat, served with a spicy mayo dip; then a cheeky okonomiyaki with pointed cabbage and slow-braised pork; and a chilled futosoba salad with baby spinach, crispy chicken chunks and avocado, doused in a (slightly too) subtle white sesame sauce. Before concluding the feast with an indulgent mille-crêpe cake draped in sobacha-chocolate sauce or irresistible house-made ice creams in sesame, sobacha, sudachi and strawberry-yuzu. · Madeleine Proust

FEELING THIRSTY? Sommelier Delphine Bec has got you covered: playful cocktails like a refreshing Shiso Negroni (€14), thoughtfully sourced sakes such as Impression G junmai ginjo (€16 a glass) and clean wines, including Alsace Macéré, a white from Domaine Achillée (€12) or Campé d’Enroch, a rosé from Clos Gautier in the Var (€38 a bottle).

PRICE: Set menus €21-26, izakaya small plates €8-15, futosoba €15-19 (lunch), izakaya small plates €8-21 (dinner), desserts €6-12.