05/03/2012
Sola

The other night, I had a great evening at Sola (which I discovered here), in a small hidden street of the Notre-Dame animated area. The chef Hiroki Yoshitake, from Kyushu in Japan, started at the French restaurant La Rochelle, and also worked with Alberto Herráiz at the Fogón, William Ledeuil at Ze Kitchen Gallery, or Pascal Barbot at l’Astrance. At only 30 years old, Hiroki opened his restaurant Sola in the heart if Paris, with his associate Ly Youlin, and the pastry chef Hironobu Fukano. In the basement, like in a rock cave, you can eat on the floor in the Japanese room, no shoes allowed. On the ground floor, intimate tables take place under wooden beams in a warm and hushed atmosphere.

I discovered delicate, fresh and minimalist flavours. I though that the menu would be a little more Japanese inspired – maybe like this one – but it very French with a small Asian touch (miso, yuzu,…). I was indeed pleasantly surprised by this overall menu which I really found delicious (ok, I might not be a fan of the calf’s sweetbread…) – I am often disappointed by at least one or two meals in those types of long dinners. If I had to do a little comment and quibble, I’d say the meals were not hot enough…