Nomikaï, inspired sharing plates and unusual natural wines

Since its opening, Nomikaï has been offering the curious, the gourmands and the gourmets a host of plates to share and a multitude of natural wines, all carefully selected in the style of the Japanese izakaya.

Today, we're taking you to the 12th arrondissement for a real world tour of flavors at the Nomikaï restaurant. At the helm of this discreet spot is chef Bérangère Boucher, who left the publishing world to throw herself wholeheartedly into her true passion, cooking.

Nomikaï draws its inspiration from Japanese izakaya , establishments that offer good drinks and small plates to share with friends. A formula duly applied at Nomikaï.

The wine list is indeed head-turning: here, the wines are natural and rather unusual. For example, we recommend you try the orange wines, white wines vinified with the skin, which gives them an unusual flavor, close to that of plums, in our opinion.

Nomikaï also offers a small selection of cocktails, made withJapanese spirits (Ki-no-Bi gin, Nikka vodka, shōchū) and original ingredients (organic charcoal lava, yuzu syrup, kumquat).

But don't be fooled into thinking that the dishes served at Nomikaï are uniquely Asian-inspired. Some of them are, but Bérangère Boucher can just as easily offer a revisit of couscous or a veal blanquette in her own style.

What is certain, however, is that all are prepared from carefully selected and sourced products: organic vegetables, for example, come from a cooperative in the Ile-de-France region, meats are purebred, and so on.

The menu evolves according to the seasonality of the produce, but above all according to the chef's inspirations. During our visit, we were able to get a good idea of the inventiveness and creativity of this young chef by sampling six plates to share.

We started with feta cheese with canut brains (8€), fresh and spiced up with a touch of tarragon; salmon gravlax with beet shavings (10€) and sea bream carpaccio (13€), served with a vodka and lemon ice cube to break on top; three fresh and tasty dishes, a must to get through these hot days.

We continue our culinary journey with a meat dish, beef tataki (10€), featuring Black Angus beef with a melt-in-your-mouth, almost smoky flavor; and with two hot dishes: first, the delicate ravioli of pulled pork-style veal, lemon and cumin (10€), a spicy, lemony dish.

Then, our favorite dish, coquillettes with black garlic cream, topped with thin slices of cecina (10€), a gourmet delight in which the coquillettes are practically lacquered by the cream; a marvel.

We end this feast with a trio of cheeses - comté, crottin, tome - accompanied by a glass of sake (10€), a most successful marriage; and with the dessert of the menu, a creamy yuzu, lemon with palm blossom sugar shortbread (9€), the little touch of freshness we needed.

With its beautiful terrace ready to welcome you throughout the summer of 2019, you've got no excuse not to try Bérangère Boucher's culinary marvels at Nomikaï!

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

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please mention it in the comments.