Zakuro

After stints in several international kitchens and then a job as a bus driver, Go Sato returned to his first love, trading in the steering wheel for a set of sharp knives. Running Zakuro, a tiny izakaya (immaculate walls, blonde wooden tables) which he opened with his mom, the French-Japanese chef is now kicking it into high gear and lighting up the Opéra neighborhood with his cuisine. A demonstration the other night, à la carte: delicious kiriboshi daikon, aka dried white radish; surprising chikuma cheese yaki, which are tube-shaped fish cakes stuffed with melted cheese; caramelized pork belly with melt-in-your-mouth fat; crispy karaage chicken with seaweed; tasty sliced tuna marinated in sesame oil and sesame seeds; and to finish the meal on a sweet note, adorable mochis stuffed with azuki bean paste. Ready for round two? // Agathe Braun

FEELING THIRSTY? Sakes served hot or cold (Nogomi Omachi junmai ginjo at €13 a glass, Tansawasan Shuho junmai at €75 a bottle…), a selection of Japanese rums and whiskeys (€7-8 a glass), cocktails made with shochu or umeshu (€7-8) and a few teas (€3).
PRICE: Set menus €13-18 (weekday lunch), à la carte €22-30.