Shuzo, an izakaya with Japanese and Colombian flavors, a real favorite

When Japan meets Colombia, the result is Shuzo, a new restaurant that has just opened in the 11th arrondissement of Paris and which, for us, was a real "coup de coeur", counting among the finest addresses we tested this year.

A contraction of "shiso" (the Japanese aromatic plant) and "chuzo" (typical Colombian brochettes), the address is as vibrant as the Japanese izakaya, those establishments where small plates are shared, and as festive as the Colombian bars - just take a look at the vinyl turntable that sits in the room, ready to play its exotic music.

Behind the address are Gina Villacob and Andrés Ramirez, himself a Colombian-Japanese chef with 20 years' experience in France, Japan and Colombia. It has to be said that Andrés Ramirez has it in his blood. His family was behind the opening of the first Japanese restaurant in Bogotá, before franchising others in Cali.

With Gina, he imagines a colorful cuisine as a link between the two countries, using seasonal ingredients from the French terroir, with a certain emphasis on vegetables. But if Nikkei cuisine is inherent to Peru, the fruit of the encounter between local gastronomy and the contributions of immigrants of Japanese origin, in Colombia, the fusion exists but is finer, more discreet.

Shuzo 's idea is to use the Holy Trinity of Colombian cuisine ( manioc, plantain and corn) to create a range of recipes inspired by Japan, Lebanon, Turkey and Arab countries.

Carried along by the chef's imagination and talent, we let ourselves be guided through a colorful gastronomy, encountering little-known products, moving in turn from cold to hot, from flame to fried, from land to sea, from Colombia to the rest of the world.

A restaurant that dares to do the unexpected, offering a passionate and exciting journey that's striking in so many ways and in so many ways, and which we present to you in pictures, so much so that this marvellous address can be tasted as much with the mouth as with the eyes.

• To be read
• Colombian restaurants in Paris, our best addresses
• Japanese restaurants in Paris, our top picks
• The izakayas of Paris, our best addresses for authentic Japanese tapas

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Arepa, a corn bread topped with tsukudani seaweed

Smoked watermelon tartar, cashew mousseline, green oil
Carantanta, corn starch cooked then dehydrated and fried
(10€)

White tuna sashimi, salad
(€12 )

Croqueta boronia
Garnished with plantain banana, eggplant and ewe's milk tomme
(€12 for three pieces)

Empanada de rellena
Garnished with corn, rellena (black pudding), tsukudani (nori seaweed jam)
Hogao(white onion, tomato, garlic and cumin stew), fermented chili jam
(10€ for three pieces)

Pincho' skewer of okra (also known as okra) just grilled
Chontagoma, furikake
(10€)

Chicken 'pincho' skewer, umeshiso
(10€)

Salade Campesina
Zucchini, lentils, suero costeno, tsukudani
(14€ )

Tamal de pipián with shiitake and kombu, freely inspired by a popular Colombian festive dish
Yuca yogurt and mole
(13€)

Chashu-Chicharron porchetta
Chayote remoulade
(17€ )

Candied tamarillo, a fruit native to the Andes
Caramel ice cream, sobacha
(12€)

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Enjoy them with a Japanese-Colombian cocktail (pineapple-palo santo, mezcal-eucalyptus, gin-tonic basil-shiso) or a tropical espresso martini. We weigh our words: Shuzo is a real favorite and a breath of fresh air in the neighborhood.

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know.