Who knew there were such good fish to be found near Rouge-Cloître and its decidedly murky pond? Behind the brick facade of Urban Fish Farm, handed down by legendary fish-whisperer Erik Portier to a discreet new generation of owners, you’ll now find not only a fishmongers (good, but not out of this world), but also one of the area’s most exciting Japanese kitchens. Credit goes to a Japanese couple (Toshiko in the dining room and her husband behind the stove) who have quietly revived the art of shokudô, the sort of everyday Japanese eatery that locals wish they had around the corner. The setting is refreshingly stripped back (wood, ceramics, a lobster tank and not much else), leaving the food to do the talking. On our visit, that meant kaiseki-style appetizers (including marinated asparagus with sesame and shrimp, sea bass crudo, spiced cucumber), before an outstanding sashimi platter of fatty salmon, meltingly good tuna, marinated mackerel, flash-seared amberjack and a neat little round of marinated cuttlefish. Equally tempting was the beautifully tender grilled salmon cheek with grated daikon and salmon roe. Good to know: on Thursday and Friday evenings, the restaurant opens its doors for four- and five-course menus, by reservation only. Hook, line and sinker. · Gwen Dalle

Feeling thirsty? A handful of straightforward sakes and Kitajima umeshu (€10 a glass), Sapporo beer (€5 for 330 ml) or Eden sobacha and mamecha teas (€4 each).

Price: Lunch menus €26-35 (weekdays) and €48 (Sunday), dishes and sashimi €28-32, desserts €6, dinner menu €60-85 (reservation required).