Wadon Izakaya, the excellent Japanese restaurant with a 5-course tasting menu at €35 - closed

It's a nugget we'd have liked to keep to ourselves, but our sense of duty prompts us to share it with you. In the 5th arrondissement, a district that's both historic and a touch picturesque, nestled in the rue de Bièvre, a stone's throw from Notre-Dame Cathedral and the banks of the Seine, an astonishing Japanese restaurant welcomes gourmets eager to sample cuisine that's both authentic and refined. Welcome to Wadon, theIzakaya coup de coeur with insane value for money.

In a bright, trendy and uncluttered setting, you'll discover this astonishing address, which is determined to show Parisians that Japanese cuisine isn't just about sushi. Behind the concept is a dynamic duo. One a chef and the other a sommelier, together they unveil a gastronomy of finesse and gourmandise, with suggestions for food and sake pairings (and wines, too, for those who want to keep one foot in the French terroir).

As soon as you pass through the glass roof, you find yourself in an open kitchen, where the chef, with fluid, rapid and precise gestures betraying an instinctive savoir-faire, is busy preparing elegant plates that parade towards their respective tables.

Between them, the tandem ensures a choreographed, swift service, without rushing the guests so that they can fully savor the moment. Here, you can expect to enjoy Japanese gastronomy in a way rarely found in Paris. On the menu you'll find must-try specialties such as Katsu Don, ebi furai (ebi fry) and Japanese omelette.

Lunchtime specials start at €16. In the evening, we switch to the Izakaya concept, the Japanese-style tapas bar, where you can indulge not only in the usual dishes, but also in plates to share, from 9 to 17€. What we really recommend is the Omakasé menu, a blind tasting formula that leaves the chef in charge and offers excellent value for money: 35€ for 5 plates. You'll be asked about allergens and dietary requirements, and then left to your own devices.

While we're waiting for this culinary journey to begin, we let ourselves be tempted by theUmeshu Spritz, a variation of the famous Venetian cocktail revisited with plum alcohol for a result that's both fresh and light. We're then presented with a plate of endanamé, soy beans flavored with goji berry and shiso, whose melting beans whet our appetite. This is followed by a platter of sashimi that is sure to blow away any preconceived ideas about this specialty.

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One look is all it takes to convince us of the quality of the products: salmon, squid, octopus and shrimp with their silky, shiny, finely-cut flesh circle in pairs around slices of ginger, accompanied by a salad of wakame seaweed sprinkled with smoked bonito. Soy sauce accompanies this gourmet ballet, and those wishing to enhance the flavors can add wasabi and yuzu pepper paste to the sashimi. The freshness of the various products is unmistakable, and the thinness of the slices creates an original interplay of textures that varies as you eat. A true culinary experience that has changed the way we look at sashimi.

With the Spritz out of the way, it's time to move on to saké: here again, the clichés of the very strongrice alcohol we've come to enjoy as a mealtime gin are out the window. Here, it's tasted like a distant cousin of wine, with subtle aromas that lend themselves to gourmet pairings. At the same time, a comforting bowl enters the scene, the dashi broth in which we find fried tofu and grated daikon, a surprisingly sweet Japanese radish. Here's a score of flavors to which we're less accustomed in Western gastronomy, yet which manages to resonate like a beautiful symphony with our taste buds.

Then it's the turn of two iconic specialties that we find here, prepared according to the rules of the art: Japanese curry (the real thing) and Karaage chicken (the authentic one) served with rice and a melting potato croquette. Here, the Japanese curry is much darker than what we're used to seeing in France, and for good reason: it's 100% homemade and marinated from the day before.

The blend of spices has just the right amount of spiciness without distorting the different notes, and complements the juicy karaage chicken, also marinated from the previous day, whose thin, crispy layer of fried food doesn't distort the product, and also brings out the precise play of texture that we find so appealing here.

If this blind tasting has left us well satisfied, our greediness prompts us to push the experience all the way to dessert. To refresh the taste buds, iced mochi are a must, and yuzu mochi will delight citrus lovers.

For Matcha fanatics, the cake here has a high tea content that enhances the gourmet aromas of this green gold, without falling into the dreaded bitterness. It's accompanied by a yuzu jelly that completes the whole with a touch of freshness.