We're not trying to tell you anything, but you can count good Japanese restaurants in Paris on the fingers of two hands. And Orient Extrême is, according to our sources, one of them.
So, to make up our own minds and see if Orient Extrême really is one of the best Japanese restaurants in Paris, we went to one of the brand's two addresses just off Avenue Montaigne - the second is in Neuilly-sur-Seine. And given that Orient Extrême is part of the same family as Kinugawa, Yoko and The Cod House, two addresses we're very fond of, we went there feeling pretty confident.
With its sunny terrace and open-plan layout, Orient Extrême scores well on arrival. But what exactly is on the menu? Fish, of course, and super-fresh!
Sushi, sashimi, maki, california maki, chirashi... There's something for every taste, and lots of different fish to choose from: classic tuna and salmon, but also more fun fish: fried crab, tuna ventrèche, grilled salmon skin, shrimp tempura, and so on. And that's not all. Orient Extrême also offers Japanese delicacies: steamed sole fillet, grilled prawns, grilled sea bream, pan-fried Chilean sea bass fillet.
Every two months, Orient Extrême also offers two ephemeral creations. For May and June 2018: Sakana Wakame, a salad of seaweed, salmon, tuna, soy vinaigrette and Suzuki Geneva Fu, a pan-seared sea bass fillet, shiso pistou, carrot and soy julienne.
We fall for a delicate tuna tartar with caviar (18e) and a seaweed salad with salmon, tuna and sesame oil vinaigrette (14e) as starters. This is followed by a grilled black cod, marinated in miso sauce (35e), meltingly sweet; and a fine platter of semi-cooked salmon maki (21e), eel maki (11e), spicy tuna maki (10e) and spicy tuna sushi on a surprising fried rice (7e). A fresh, gourmet delight.
The verdict is clear: Orient Extrême is an exceptional Japanese restaurant, and once you've tasted its refined, gourmet cuisine, it'll be hard to go back to your neighborhood Japanese restaurant!
Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.
Location
Orient Extrême Montaigne
21 Rue Bayard
75008 Paris 8
Official website
orient-extreme.com
Booking
01 47 20 91 58
