Double: the original gourmet micro-counter in Paris's 18th arrondissement

Paris has no shortage of unusual concepts. If you're looking for a culinary experience that's out of the ordinary, then head to the capital's 18th arrondissement to discover Double.

Double is first and foremost a place like no other, with two distinct gourmet offerings depending on the time of day. For lunchtime, Double features the famous and much-loved onigiri, a delicious rice ball generously garnished with shrimp, Japanese stew or caramelized eggplant. To take the experience even further, Double hands you your onigiri, accompanied by miso soup, through the restaurant's small window. There's no question of coming in and tasting this specialty on the spot. The formula is available for takeaway only.

In the evening, the concept changes with a micro-counter in an ultra-intimate atmosphere. Please note that only 12 covers per service are available each evening. While some may find the place a little noisy at times, and feel cramped in this small space where you sit back-to-back with your neighbors, the experience has clearly been imagined around Chef Tsuyoshi Yamakawa and the open kitchen.

It's an opportunity to admire Tsuyoshi Yamakawa at work, and to smell the delicious aromas emanating from the various dishes prepared before our very eyes. Tsuyoshi Yamakawa hails from Japan. Born in Osaka, the Japanese chef quickly developed a passion for Italian cuisine. So he left the land of the rising sun for Europe, criss-crossing Italy from north to south, training with great chefs (Carlo Cracco in Milan, Antonio Mellino in Naples...).

He finally left Italy to pursue his culinary experience, working in London and Copenhagen. In 2017, Tsuyoshi Yamakawa finally settled in Paris, where he perfected his skills in the kitchens of Saturne, Le Verre Volé and La Crèmerie. Today at Double, he has carte blanche to showcase his creativity, technical skills and talent. In the evenings at Double, the Japanese chef offers a short but effective menu. On the menu? Plates in which pasta is the star, sprinkled with his Japanese influences.

It was this second intimate experience that we were able to try out one evening at Double. After depositing our coats in a small, secluded room, we took our seats and discovered a place conceived as a timeless micro-counter. The highlight? The open kitchen where chef Tsuyoshi Yamakawa is busy, patiently waiting for the 12 guests to settle in before launching into his culinary marathon.

At Double, it's advisable to share plates, as the chef is highly organized and prepares his dishes in a very precise order. Identical starters are cooked and served at the same time to each guest, as are the main courses and desserts.

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The tasting begins with the surprising maritozzo with ricotta and ikura. The Chef's speciality, this is a delicious brioche generously filled with ricotta cream. Topped with salmon roe.

We continue with the succulent plate of braised radicchio treviso, accompanied by an incredible, generous grapefruit sabayon and Manila clams. A dish as beautiful as it is delicious, revealing the full creativity of the Japanese chef.

This is followed by succulent raviolone - a large homemade ravioli, of course - with prawns and scallops. We arrive at our favorite dish of the evening: tagliatelle with monkfish, remarkably well cooked. The whole dish is enhanced by yuzu kosho (a green chili purée mixed with yuzu lemon zest), a few mushrooms and ponzu butter. An explosion in the mouth guaranteed for this plate, both refined and creative; certainly the most Japanese of the menu.

While pasta is the star at Double, meat also takes pride of place, depending on the week, with this evening's delicious quail dish, cooked in two ways, with confit potatoes, radicchio rosa and a delicious gravy on the side. Special mention for the quail served in its own brick leaf!

If you still have a little room, we strongly recommend you try one of the desserts on the menu, and more specifically the ultra-regressive dorayaki, baked to perfection and topped with praline cream, ice cream and roasted hazelnuts. A real treat to remember for a long time to come!

To end on a lighter note, let's make way for the highly unusual celery and orange sorbet. More akin to a granita, this dessert will delight lovers of acidity, freshness and originality.

To accompany it all, Double currently offers a selection of some twenty wines. Two cocktails, such as the highball made with Japanese whisky, are also on the menu!

A restaurant with an unusual concept and tasty, creative cuisine by Tsuyoshi Yamakawa: with these assets, Double has already won over many gourmets. In fact, evening reservations are essential if you wish to come and discover this experience. Two services are offered each evening, at 7.30pm and 9.30pm. A final word of advice: don't arrive late, and let yourself be carried away by the concept!

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