Juan ( 144 Rue de la Pompe, 75016 Paris, tel. +33 1 47 27 43 51) is a hidden pearl of Japanese cuisine in the French capital. The pocket-size restaurant is typically Japanese. It’s owner-chef Tadahiko Kinjo is the one who chops, slices, cooks and serves. The fare is simple, but…

At Koya and Koya bar (49 and 50 Frith St, London W1D 4SG, London; tel. +44 20 7434 4463) the main focus is cold or hot udon noodles and all kinds of traditional or innovative broths that can go with them (think smoked mackerel, beef shabu-shabu or mushrooms with walnuts…

If you have ever passed by rue Saint-Anne in Paris, you must have certainly seen people queuing outside the Kunitoraya udon noodles shop. Since a while already, the queuing and waiting no matter the meteorological conditions, has moved to the neighbouring rue Villedo, where there are now two Kunitorayas, at…

If I had to name my “cantine”, only one restaurant, where I’ve been mostly in the recent years, it would be Takara (14 Rue Molière, 75001 Paris). It’s a traditional Japanese restaurant located in Paris “Little Japan” where you can have anything from sushi to shabu shabu or sukiyaki. I…

A cup of sencha and daifuku (confectionery made of mochi and sweet azuki beans paste) at the oldest Japanese tea salons in Paris. Toraya, 10 Rue Saint-Florentin, 75001 Paris; + 33 1 42 60 13 00

2 Michelin starred Passage 53 in Paris (53 Passage des Panoramas75002 Paris; tel. +33 1 42 33 04 35) is a living example of what happens when Japanese perfectionism and minimalism is married with the opulence of the French haute cuisine. Despite the restaurant’s tiny size, the cooking is irreproachable…