Wadon Izakaya, a Japanese restaurant with a 5-course tasting menu at 39€ in Paris

Wadon Izakaya is the place to go for gourmets looking for authentic Japanese cuisine at the right price/quality ratio in the heart of Paris's 5th arrondissement. In the evening, the address offers a blind-tasting Omakase menu at €39 in five courses: we tell you more about this culinary experience.

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 neighborhood that's both historic and a touch picturesque, a promising Japanese restaurant welcomes gourmets eager to sample cuisine that's both authentic and refined. Welcome to Wadon, theIzakaya bar just off the quays of the Seine.

In a bright, trendy, uncluttered setting, we discover this astonishing address, which is determined to show Parisians that Japanese cuisine isn't just about sushi. Behind the concept is a complementary trio: Yuya, head sommelier, François and Ayumi, chef and Yuya's wife. Together, they champion Japanese gastronomy through a strong identity and a desire to offer Parisians an experience based on discovery, off the beaten track and meticulous service.

At lunchtime, you'll find a Bento at 28€, as well as more affordable à la carte prices. We particularly recommend the Japanese curry, priced between 14€ and 16€ depending on the accompaniment. 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 between 9 and 12€.

What we really recommend is the Omakasé menu, a blind tasting formula that leaves the chef in charge. This culinary experience is offered at a relatively attractive price: €39 for the five-course menu. As this menu is imposed on the whole table, we recommend that you go with other culinary explorers to savor this experience.

The appeal of this formula? An overview of Wadon's specialties that evolves with the seasons, the chef's inspirations and his mood. Ideal for the undecided, and for those hungry for culinary adventure. We warn you, gourmandise smiles on the bold, so you'd better be daring: if you're attached to safe values, it's better to abstain and keep control of your choices.

You are then asked about allergens and dietary requirements, before being completely guided... Well, almost, since you're offered a choice of dishes. Although this menu doesn't include desserts, we still recommend that you don't miss out on the sweet treats.

As we await the start of this culinary journey, we're tempted by the Yuzu Spritz, a variation on the famous Venetian cocktail revisited with this Japanese citrus fruit for a result that's both fresh and light. We're then presented with a plate of endanamé, soy beans whose melting grains whet our appetites.

These will be followed by a platter of sashimi and fried eggplant, terribly melt-in-your-mouth, served in their dashi broth and topped with grated daikon, a surprisingly sweet Japanese radish. A fresh introduction to the sunny weather.

With Spritz out of the way, it's time to move on to sake: once again, the clichés of the very strongrice alcohol we've been made to taste at the end of a meal are out the window. Here, it's tasted like a distant cousin of wine, with subtle aromas that lend themselves to gourmet pairings. With our taste buds now wide awake, we glide on to the warmer, more comforting plates.

Fried tofu, topped with yuzu miso and red miso to spice up this vegetarian specialty, is followed by Tonkatsu, Japan's famous breaded pork, and Chicken Nanbam, a crispy chicken generously topped with an egg tartar sauce, one of our favorites. Both dishes are accompanied by Ebi Fry, a breaded shrimp that retains all the freshness of its juicy flesh beneath its crisp, golden coating.

The adventure continues with a choice of either petit nyumen, thin, melt-in-the-mouth noodles topped with onion tempura, or a Japanese curry, quite spicy (beware of sensitive palates) without being pungent, made according to the rules of the art, as evidenced by the much darker color than those usually seen in France.

And so concludes this Omakase menu, which proved to be quite copious, while fulfilling the promise of a wide-ranging discovery of Japanese gastronomy, Wadon Izakaya style. However, as we said earlier, we strongly recommend that you don't skip the dessert section: these feature Japanese sweets or are inspired by Japanese flavors, 100% homemade and you can feel it. During our visit, we fell for the excellent sesame mochi, ultra-satisfying to savor, and the creamy matcha panacotta: the perfect end to this culinary escapade.