Shokudô – Urban Fish Farm

Who knew there were such good fish to be found near Rouge-Cloître and its decidedly murky pond? Behind the brick facade of Urban Fish Farm, handed down by legendary fish-whisperer Erik Portier to a discreet new generation of owners, you’ll now find not only a fishmongers (good, but not out of this world), but also one of the area’s most exciting Japanese kitchens. Credit goes to a Japanese couple (Toshiko in the dining room and her husband behind the stove) who have quietly revived the art of shokudô , the sort of everyday Japanese eatery that locals wish they had around the corner. The setting is refreshingly stripped back (wood, ceramics, a lobster tank and not much else), leaving the food to do the talking. On our visit, that meant kaiseki -style appetizers (including marinated asparagus with sesame and shrimp, sea bass crudo, spiced cucumber), before an outstanding sashimi platter of fatty salmon, meltingly good tuna, marinated mackerel, flash-seared amberjack and a neat little round of marinated cuttlefish. Equally tempting was the beautifully tender grilled salmon cheek with grated daikon and salmon roe. Good to know: on Thursday and Friday evenings, the restaurant opens its doors for four- and five-course menus, by reservation only. Hook, line and sinker. · Gwen Dalle

Who knew there were such good fish to be found near Rouge-Cloître and its decidedly murky pond? Behind the brick facade of Urban Fish Farm, handed down by legendary fish-whisperer Erik Portier to a discreet new generation of owners, you’ll now find not only a fishmongers (good, but not out of this world), but also one of the area’s most exciting Japanese kitchens. Credit goes to a Japanese couple (Toshiko in the dining room and her husband behind the stove) who have quietly revived the art of shokudô , the sort of everyday Japanese eatery that locals wish they had around the corner. The setting is refreshingly stripped back (wood, ceramics, a lobster tank and not much else), leaving the food to do the talking. On our visit, that meant kaiseki -style appetizers (including marinated asparagus with sesame and shrimp, sea bass crudo, spiced cucumber), before an outstanding sashimi platter of fatty salmon, meltingly good tuna, marinated mackerel, flash-seared amberjack and a neat little round of marinated cuttlefish. Equally tempting was the beautifully tender grilled salmon cheek with grated daikon and salmon roe. Good to know: on Thursday and Friday evenings, the restaurant opens its doors for four- and five-course menus, by reservation only. Hook, line and sinker. · Gwen Dalle