Unfinished walls, a chaotic array of blackboard menus and bottles of wine, French school furniture…. Less prim and proper than its divine fine dining establishment older sister (Pages, right next door), this bistronomi-cool spot from Ryuji Teshima brings a little excitement to the culinary desert that is the 16th arrondissement. One piece of advice? Avoid the overstimulating lunch, since it’s as noisy as Shibuya City, with overwhelmed staff and an extremely brief menu – donburi or an ozaki beef burger… Instead, dive headfirst into the izakaya-inspired small plates at night! For us, the last time we went: an ultra-fresh cucumber and ponzu salad; a perfect soft-boiled egg atop pork grilled over binchotan charcoal; erotic miso-glazed eggplant; porn-food-esque shiitake mushroom tempura; before a good chocolate ganache with a sweet fig compote, all paired with vanilla ice cream. // G.LeP.
FEELING THIRSTY? There’s Asahi beer (€4 for 250 ml), umeshu (€8 for 90 ml), a few cocktails (eg.: Yuzu Sour made with shochu, yuzu and Perrier, €9) and around 40 wines that are on the pricey side – a Morgon from Descombes (€8 a glass), a Meursault from the Domaine Tessier (€90 a bottle), etc.
PRICE: Donburi €15, burgers from €15.50 to €17, small plates €6-14.
