Passing by SŌMA one would never guess the high end cuisine it offers. While the setting is discreet, SŌMA focuses on bold flavours to impress.

The magic happens in the centre of the restaurant, where behind his counter the chef prepares Japanese-style tapas. Our friendly waiter encouraged us to share, preferably two plates per person. We followed his advice and didn’t regret it.

We started off with eggplant agedashi which came in a umami broth followed by a prawn tempura and a salmon tartare with a pea and wasabi sauce. We couldn’t say no to the tuna tataki which was perfectly seared and was both fresh and rich in taste. Our three favourite dishes of the day were the spicy tuna on a bed of deep-fried crispy rice, the soft shell crab temaki, and the beef tataki with its ponzu sauce. The combination of tradition and creativity in the menu appealed to everyone in the group, from the purists to the more adventurous ones.

While paired our meal with Japanese beer – we were also escaping the Parisian heatwave, I noticed a board on the wall with an extensive sake list, which I’m eager to explore next time we visit SŌMA.