Kokuban: the restaurant shining a light on the Japanese gastronomy’s richness in Paris

There are plenty of Japanese restaurants in Paris. Although rue Sainte-Anne is the HQ for many, other districts are not left out. Today, let us head to the 8^th arrondissement, to discover the second Paris location by Kokuban. Already set in the 9^th arrondissement, Kokuban settled in the 8^th arrondissement in early 2022, close to the Gare Saint-Lazare railway station. For this second place in Paris, the successful recipe is the same. Kokuban – meaning “black board” in kanji (Japanese writing) – shines a light on the diversity and richness of the Japanese gastronomy in one place.

As for the atmosphere, the place bets on clean décor giving pride of place to wood. With the big and bright room, the black boards on walls and the counter, Kokuban is very appealing. And it continues with the menu featuring delicious flavors and smells so specific to Japanese specialties that we feel hungry already.

At Kokuban, it is all about variety to enjoy otsumami, the famous Japanese appetizer based on edamame, seaweed salad, tako gari (squid and ginger salad), or even yamakurage (marinated veggies). As for us, we went for the staple and delicious gyozas (chicken or vegetables), served with karaage; Japanese chicken fritters.

Then, you can choose between cold salads, but very tasty and colorful, like the “salmon kokuban bowl” based on marinated salmon, rice, edamame, chopped mangos and pomegranate, or even spicy leeks and spring onions, uplifted with coconut milk and lime sauce.

Ramen fans, get one of the 8 options available on the menu: the vegetarian version, the shrimp ramen, and the karaage one. We highly recommend the miso ramen based on sliced pork or chicken, exquisite meat and miso broth, noodles from Sapporo and vegetables. If you are really hungry, you can add a few toppings such as marinated soft-boiled organic egg, or even seaweeds.

• To be read
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And if you are not really into broths, do not panic, Kokuban has it all to arouse your taste buds with more classic dishes based on rice from Iwate. We love the “Salmon Zuke Don”: a hearty bowl of rice covered in smooth slices of raw and marinated salmon. So delicious!

And for sweet-toothed, get the house’s citrus fruit cheesecake, or the famous mochis: black sesame, matcha, coconut milk, chocolate, lime/yuzu, mango/passion, raspberry/lychee, Sakura… The hardest is to choose!

To pair it all, Kokuban serves cocktails with alcohol or not, and sake for connoisseurs, or even Japanese beer.

As a result: the culinary journey is complete and we crave more. And to satisfy all cravings, Kokuban is said to open more locations in Paris. Keep your eyes peeled and get ready to travel to Japan without leaving the city!

Alcohol abuse is bad for your health, please drink responsibly.

This test has been carried out as part of a business invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know in the comments.

Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, please drink responsibly.

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