During our last trip there, despite having lost the letter E on its sign, Cuisine certainly hadn’t lost its touch in the kitchen! That’s because the classy izakaya owned by Benoit Simon (ex-Chateaubriand) and Takao Inazawa (ex-Verre Volé) is still in top form, decked out like a 1970s Milanese joint by Federico Masotto (burgundy melamine, geometric mirrors, noise-reducing padded décor). The night we went, we opted for a series of delightful Japanese small plates: cleverly smoked mackerel and Albacore tuna tartare with white miso; two beautiful monkfish liver medallions covered in chilled, grated daikon and a dash of soy sauce; incredible veal sweetbreads with shiitake mushrooms, grilled over binchotan charcoal and paired with an eel sauce; alchemistic mackerel chirashi dotted with salmon roe, shiso and nori; incredible karaage-style breaded pigeon; before tofu cross-dressing with peach and apricot almonds. Don’t miss the impeccable prix-fixe lunch menu either – eg.: baked eggplant and miso; mapo tofu; toasted green tea floating island…

FEELING THIRSTY? You can place your trust in Benoit, who has a master’s in thirst-o-logy (specializing in natural solutions): Pure Souche, an Alsatian white from Louis Maurer (€5.50 a glass), a Gaillac white from Plageoles (€32 a bottle), La Souteronne, a Rhone red from Hervé Souhaut (€40), Les Prévolles, a Burgundy red from Renaud Boyer (€105)…

PRICE: Set menus €18-22 (lunch), à la carte €8-16.