ERH, chef Ryuichi Utsumi's elegant and refined Japanese restaurant at La Maison du Saké

There's change afoot at ERH (pronounced"Air"), the gourmet restaurant of La Maison du Saké. A few months after losing its star due to the departure of the previous chef, Keita Kitamura, and his entire brigade, the address could well win back the stars next year. At least, that's what we believe in our heart of hearts.

And with good reason: the haute gastronomy offered by new chef Ryuichi Utsumi has all the makings of a star-studded event. Named ERH for Eau, Riz, Homme, the three essential ingredients in the making of sake, the restaurant continues to combine Japanese know-how with French terroir. The attentive staff will guide you through the tasting menus. Here, everything is done by blind tasting, after having stated your allergies, if any.

Open for dinner only from Monday to Saturday and lunch on Fridays and Saturdays, ERH unveils the contours of its grand cuisine for €65 for a 5-course lunch menu and €90 for a 7-course menu; €100 for a 5-course dinner menu and €150 for a 7-course menu. The menu also features astonishing whisky and food pairings, as well as the less common sake and food pairings.

The address is home to the Maison du Saké, as well as the Maison du Whisky , which houses a speakeasy in the basement, the Golden Promise, with its century-old vaults and over 1300 whisky references and 100 sake references.

If the atmosphere behind the restaurant's long, light-colored wooden counter is studious, with chef Ryuichi Utsumi's brigade performing like a ballet, in an almost religious silence and tranquility, it's quite different on the plate. A clash of flavors, scents and colors, choice dishes (cuttlefish, turbot, oysters; demonstrating a real love of iodine, the sea and salt) and meticulous presentation, worthy of a Japanese print.

These marvels are enjoyed in a minimalist dining room bathed in natural light thanks to the large octagonal glass roof. The tone is set: you have to forget your bearings and everything you already know about French and Japanese gastronomy to fully enter Chef Utsumi's universe. And it's sublime! Finesse, subtlety and the right blend are the order of the day.

• To be read
• Japanese restaurants in Paris
• Takuto (ex-Kaïto), the elegant hand-rolls restaurant of Japanese chef Takuya Watanabe
• Marie Akaneya, the only Japanese restaurant in Paris to offer Matsusaka beef

* * *

Burrata, cherry, roasted mustard, pistachio

Colonnata bacon, Datterino tomato, quinoa, nori seaweed

Trout roe, bottarga, leeks, combawa

Kazéhikaru
Cuttlefish sushi, daikon, cucumber, miso, spring onion, shiso, calamansi

Cuttlefish with eucalyptus, spinach, sumiso, peas

Konomédoki
Angus beef entrecôte, saffron risotto, basil, Amrut whisky

Uraraka
White and green asparagus, sherry-marinated egg yolk, white miso sauce, lemon condiment

Wagyu shabu shabu, poached oyster, myoga, fried onions, tosazu, chive oil

Yoshun
Turbot, beet cream, smoked radish, buckwheat and chorizo
Sea broth, white asparagus, kombu, turbot essence, verbena

Hana-dayori
Meringue, green shiso and strawberry jelly, mochi, tonka sorbet and black cardamom sauce

Sakura pearl
Grapefruit flower
Mango tart
Matcha chocolate

* * *

So much audacity, beauty and sensitivity that we hope, very soon, to be rewarded.

Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.