Who doesn’t love candlelight in a restaurant? Normally I do, but not when it’s a hot evening in the middle of summer and the un-air-conditioned restaurant is small and cramped. The groups of candles were the first thing I noticed when I entered the dark interior of Onii-San. The next thing I knew, the server was telling me that the tables were all reserved and that my friend and I would have to sit at the bar (I, too, had reserved, by the way). I did not want to sit at the bar because it’s more difficult to talk to your dinner companion when seated side by side. She condescendingly told me that this was an izakaya, and people in Japan like to sit at the bar to watch the chefs at work. That’s true, but in Japan an izakaya also has tables. And, as I soon learned, it’s impossible to watch the chefs at work in Onii-San because the bar is piled high with plates. Was this a wall built expressly to keep people from watching them? In any case, there were no Japanese people working in the restaurant.
I asked about the tables on the terrace and was told that they were for four people only. I grudgingly sat down at the bar. The space between my stool and the wall was so small that the servers had to squeeze by. Finally, the first server came over and said we could sit on the terrace, negating what she had said before.
Well, that was a lot of fuss, but my Japan-loving friend Jean-Michel and I were finally happily seated outside. I asked him to order for both of us, and we shared everything. And then came another happy ending: the food was wonderful.
We started out with temaki hand rolls, one with cucumber, shiso and gochujang cream, the other with salmon, wasabi, bubu arare (tiny rice balls) and chives. Both were excellent, with a well-judged balance of ingredients.
Next came salmon sashimi with stracciatella, wasabi, ginger and shio kombu (salted kelp), followed by a fish I was unfamiliar with, seriole (greater amberjack) with gochujang miso, kumquat and ponzu sauce. Both were perfectly seasoned and cooked (in the case of the seriole), with wonderfully complementary flavors, including a touch of fruity sweetness.
It was all fabulous, but I was still hungry, so we ordered some udon noodles with a creamy sauce and trout roe, with poutargue (cured fish roe) sprinkled on top. Also perfectly realized.
After all those great dishes, who knew that the pièce de resistance would come at the very end: a deliciously refreshing and satisfying dessert consisting of a white-chocolate cream with a strawberry coulis, topped with fresh strawberries with yuzu, litchis and almonds.
With all this, we drank a fine junmai sake, accurately described as delicate but flavorful by the server.
As you can tell from the above description, this is not strictly Japanese cuisine, given the occasional judicious touches of Korean, Italian and other non-Japanese ingredients. No problem there.
Go for the great food, but make sure you specify where you want to sit (far from the candles on a hot night!) when you reserve, keeping in mind that the place gets noisy when full. And don’t be surprised when the bill comes to more than you expected for the small servings.
See our Favorite Restaurants by Arrondissement page to find a good restaurant in the neighborhood where you want to eat.
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