FASHION HEADLINE has often featured Japanese designers active in Paris. This time, we're focusing on the food industry instead of the fashion world!
Chef Yoshitake Hiroki's restaurant, Sola, which received one Michelin star in 2012 and is said to be difficult to book, is bustling with tourists and locals every day. He fuses French cuisine with Japanese and other Asian cuisines, and is renowned for his unique and inimitable cuisine. In addition to winning numerous awards as a chef, he also oversees the food at MIFUNE New York in New York.
We asked Chef Yoshitake to recommend three must-visit restaurants in Paris.
■ Chef Yoshitake's top three recommended restaurants in Paris are:
【Le Clown Bar】
■Crown Bar
Address: 114 Rue Amelot, 75011 Paris
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday / Lunch 12:00-14:00, Dinner 19:00-23:30
TEL: +33-01-43-55-87-35
"4days in This is a very long-established restaurant and bar in Paris that I introduced on DAY 4 of "Paris." It is a famous establishment that has been featured in many guidebooks. "I love all of the seasonal dishes that Chef Atsumi prepares." Why not try rare organic wines that are not available in Japan and contemporary French cuisine that is constantly evolving at Le Crown Bar, which advocates the marriage of natural wine and fine food?
【Dersou】
■Dersou
Address: 21 rue Saint Nicolas 75012 Paris
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday / Dinner 7:00 PM - Midnight
Brunch available on Saturdays and Sundays only 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM (Reservations not accepted for brunch)
TEL: +33-09-81-01-12-73
Email: info@dersouparis.com
【JIN】
■JIN
Address: 6 Rue de la Sourdiere, 75001 Paris
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday / Lunch 12:30-14:00, Dinner 19:00-23:00
Tel: +33-01-42-61-60-71
JIN is a one-star Michelin sushi and kaiseki restaurant. Chef Takuya Watanabe, trained in sushi and Japanese cuisine, is at the helm of this restaurant, which is widely acclaimed as the No. 1 Japanese restaurant in Paris. Using only ingredients sourced from France and neighboring countries, the restaurant maximizes the flavor of each ingredient through a minimalist approach. The story-driven dishes, presented with masterful dexterity, captivate the eyes of inquisitive Parisians. The menu features a single omakase course. Chef Yoshitake, who selected the Paris restaurant for this occasion, was born and raised in Saga Prefecture. He first aspired to become a chef after watching "Iron Chef" at the age of 10. After graduating from a culinary school in Fukuoka, he studied under Chef Hiroyuki Sakai, known as the "Iron Chef of French Cuisine," and gained six years of experience. At age 26, he decided he wanted to learn about global cuisine, traveling for a year in Asia and Europe, working as a chef in each country he visited. He then spent a year and a half in France, further honing his skills while working in restaurants. After a chance encounter, he opened a restaurant in Singapore in 2010, but closed it six months later and opened "Sola" in November 2010. He chose Paris because, "Even if you make something great, it's meaningless if many people don't know about it. Paris, in that respect, is a city with the power to disseminate and create information." There are no recipes in the kitchen at Sora. Chef Yoshitake believes that because the ingredients available every day vary in origin and flavor, the best flavor cannot be achieved by constraining them to a recipe. Chef Yoshitake creates new menu items, changing them roughly every two months. "When coming up with new menu items, I often get inspiration from other industries, such as fashion and art. I try to sense trends, such as global affairs, and incorporate them into my cooking." He says he began to think seriously about environmental issues and resources, especially since having a child. He spends his days pondering what he can do now to leave a legacy for the next generation, the future of his children 10 or 20 years from now. He is also concerned about the future of Japan's food and beverage industry, and is addressing the issues surrounding working conditions that are causing a labor shortage. He has a deep passion for working to improve his home country, Japan. "It was about two years ago that I started to place importance on the essential things. Until then, I was constantly working, even without days off, and barely had time to spend with my family, with the expansion of Sora in mind. But when I stopped and looked at reality from a bird's eye view, my thinking did a complete 180. Being called a famous restaurant or earning a Michelin star is an honor, but it's just public recognition. What makes me happiest is keeping Sora full and making my customers truly happy, and that's what I should strive for. Also, spending time with my children has made me realize how difficult it is to raise them, and it has changed the way I see things and the world, which is affecting my work. I want to continue to change every day, working together with my staff and family, aiming for improvement together."
Free from stereotypes and preconceptions, Chef Yoshitake's ideas and dishes are unconstrained by convention and far exceed our imagination. We look forward to his future success in Japan, and if you visit Paris, why not enjoy a meal at Sola?
[Sola]
Address: 12 rue de l'Hotel Colbert 75005 Paris
Hours: Mon-Sat / 7:00 PM - 9:45 PM
Tel: +33-01-43-29-59-04
Chef Yoshitake Hiroki's restaurant, Sola, which received one Michelin star in 2012 and is said to be difficult to book, is bustling with tourists and locals every day. He fuses French cuisine with Japanese and other Asian cuisines, and is renowned for his unique and inimitable cuisine. In addition to winning numerous awards as a chef, he also oversees the food at MIFUNE New York in New York.
We asked Chef Yoshitake to recommend three must-visit restaurants in Paris.
■ Chef Yoshitake's top three recommended restaurants in Paris are:
【Le Clown Bar】
■Crown Bar
Address: 114 Rue Amelot, 75011 Paris
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday / Lunch 12:00-14:00, Dinner 19:00-23:30
TEL: +33-01-43-55-87-35
"4days in This is a very long-established restaurant and bar in Paris that I introduced on DAY 4 of "Paris." It is a famous establishment that has been featured in many guidebooks. "I love all of the seasonal dishes that Chef Atsumi prepares." Why not try rare organic wines that are not available in Japan and contemporary French cuisine that is constantly evolving at Le Crown Bar, which advocates the marriage of natural wine and fine food?
【Dersou】
■Dersou
Address: 21 rue Saint Nicolas 75012 Paris
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday / Dinner 7:00 PM - Midnight
Brunch available on Saturdays and Sundays only 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM (Reservations not accepted for brunch)
TEL: +33-09-81-01-12-73
Email: info@dersouparis.com
【JIN】
■JIN
Address: 6 Rue de la Sourdiere, 75001 Paris
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday / Lunch 12:30-14:00, Dinner 19:00-23:00
Tel: +33-01-42-61-60-71
JIN is a one-star Michelin sushi and kaiseki restaurant. Chef Takuya Watanabe, trained in sushi and Japanese cuisine, is at the helm of this restaurant, which is widely acclaimed as the No. 1 Japanese restaurant in Paris. Using only ingredients sourced from France and neighboring countries, the restaurant maximizes the flavor of each ingredient through a minimalist approach. The story-driven dishes, presented with masterful dexterity, captivate the eyes of inquisitive Parisians. The menu features a single omakase course. Chef Yoshitake, who selected the Paris restaurant for this occasion, was born and raised in Saga Prefecture. He first aspired to become a chef after watching "Iron Chef" at the age of 10. After graduating from a culinary school in Fukuoka, he studied under Chef Hiroyuki Sakai, known as the "Iron Chef of French Cuisine," and gained six years of experience. At age 26, he decided he wanted to learn about global cuisine, traveling for a year in Asia and Europe, working as a chef in each country he visited. He then spent a year and a half in France, further honing his skills while working in restaurants. After a chance encounter, he opened a restaurant in Singapore in 2010, but closed it six months later and opened "Sola" in November 2010. He chose Paris because, "Even if you make something great, it's meaningless if many people don't know about it. Paris, in that respect, is a city with the power to disseminate and create information." There are no recipes in the kitchen at Sora. Chef Yoshitake believes that because the ingredients available every day vary in origin and flavor, the best flavor cannot be achieved by constraining them to a recipe. Chef Yoshitake creates new menu items, changing them roughly every two months. "When coming up with new menu items, I often get inspiration from other industries, such as fashion and art. I try to sense trends, such as global affairs, and incorporate them into my cooking." He says he began to think seriously about environmental issues and resources, especially since having a child. He spends his days pondering what he can do now to leave a legacy for the next generation, the future of his children 10 or 20 years from now. He is also concerned about the future of Japan's food and beverage industry, and is addressing the issues surrounding working conditions that are causing a labor shortage. He has a deep passion for working to improve his home country, Japan. "It was about two years ago that I started to place importance on the essential things. Until then, I was constantly working, even without days off, and barely had time to spend with my family, with the expansion of Sora in mind. But when I stopped and looked at reality from a bird's eye view, my thinking did a complete 180. Being called a famous restaurant or earning a Michelin star is an honor, but it's just public recognition. What makes me happiest is keeping Sora full and making my customers truly happy, and that's what I should strive for. Also, spending time with my children has made me realize how difficult it is to raise them, and it has changed the way I see things and the world, which is affecting my work. I want to continue to change every day, working together with my staff and family, aiming for improvement together."
Free from stereotypes and preconceptions, Chef Yoshitake's ideas and dishes are unconstrained by convention and far exceed our imagination. We look forward to his future success in Japan, and if you visit Paris, why not enjoy a meal at Sola?
[Sola]
Address: 12 rue de l'Hotel Colbert 75005 Paris
Hours: Mon-Sat / 7:00 PM - 9:45 PM
Tel: +33-01-43-29-59-04
