Our train from Strasbourg was on time and we got into Paris-Est right around 1230. From there it was a snap getting back to our apartment.
After two nights at various Christmas Markets and watching me enjoy myself whether it was doing the flanuer thing, spending the morning on Rue Montorgueil, or just deciding where I was getting my morning croissant from, the Missus was ready to get into "shopping mode".
And so we unpacked, put in a load of laundry, and headed on out.
Passing thru some very familiar places.
And places we had just recently gotten to know.
Past Place Venodome.
All dressed up for the season.
Down Rue Saint-Honore.
The Missus knew the way by heart.
As before, we were treated like royalty at our destination with a personal shopper, some light refreshment……
And as several times before, we left, the Missus happy, our credit card not so much….but such is life.
Chanel
31 Rue Cambon
75001 Paris, France
We then headed out, with no objective in sight, just enjoying the day and came across the Petit Palais.
Life many of the places we visited on this trip, we had passed by the Petit Palais many times and finally decided to visit. Free admission made things a lot more attractive as well. The Petit Palais is an art museum, housed in a beautiful building that was built for the 1900 Paris Exposition.
It houses many several well known works and also temporary exhibitions (of which there is admission).
We were here on a whim, so had no agenda in mind. We'd just be wandering and enjoying things.
There's a grand portrait of Sarah Bernhardt.
It is by Georges Clairin and is said to be a favorite of the Actress who kept it all her life. It was donated by her son after her death.
Being that we're in the Les Halles area a good amount of time during our stays, we enjoyed this work.
Which captures the busy, chaotic place that "the Belly of Paris" was during the 19th century.
We also noticed folks actually painting as well.
It seems like this is an art group or class enjoying Petit Palais.
We got some tea and coffee and settled in the Terrasse and just enjoyed the place.
Petit Palais
Av. Winston Churchill
75008 Paris, France
We then started to head on back to the apartment; doing our share of lèche-vitrine – window shopping (literally translated as "window licking" in French) along the way. Though not everyone wanted us "licking their windows" it seems!
The Missus wanted something for le goûter (tea time) and we decided to stop at Fou de Pâtisserie on Rue Montorgueil again.
She chose the La Tarte Citron.
It was a "tart" tarte indeed, not overly sweet and the Missus enjoyed it.
Fou de Pâtisserie
45 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France
When it as time for dinner, well, a few days previous, we passed what looked sort of like a modern Japanese restaurant. The tiny place was packed and I cracked up at the name "Onii-San" which means "older brother" in Japanese. So, we walked on in and made reservations for dinner.
We were welcomed and seated. Looking at the menu; it became apparent that this was a pseudo-Izakaya, featuring some interesting dishes. The staff; except for one person we saw in the kitchen was French, so this was going to be an interesting meal. I need to apologize for the photos as the lighting in the place was quite flakey.
We placed our order and soon enough, the dishes started arriving.
First off, the Tempuras de Legumes – Vegetable Tempura (14€/$15.25US).
The batter was a bit too thick and heavy for tempura, the dashi was actually pretty good, nice savory tones. The vegetables were too hard.
The Shiitakes (15€/$16.35US) was interesting.
There were only four halves of mushrooms in this…like 2 Shiitakes! The wakame cream was kinda weird in flavor, mildly savory-oceany, but also milky. There was a interesting bitterness to the dish. We later found out that there sansho pepper in this. The ikura were actually trout caviar and were quite good; salty, with a sweet finish.
The Aubergine (Eggplant – 15€/$16.35US) was another con-"fusion" dish.
The eggplant was on the undercooked side for our taste. We liked the blanched watercress as it had a pleasant bitterness that went well with the sweet-soy-wasabi flavors in the sauce. Not sure about the cheese though as it just didn't seem to belong here.
Things took a nice turn for the better with the Tuna Tartare (26€/$28.40US).
The tuna was chopped nicely; it almost melted in your mouth; the shiso really enhanced the dish as did the trout caviar The ponzu sauce added that savory-sour-tangy component and the wasabi cream added a nice richness. We weren't sure about the brioche, but this seemed more like Japanese milk bread and was quite good.
Speaking of Milk Bread, I saw Toro Sando (26€/$28.40US) on the menu and just had to order it. It was our favorite dish of te evening.
Initially, I took a look at the fish and it sure didn't look like toro; but it was surprisingly tender. The breading, while not the best, still had a bit of crunch. The bread was fairly fluffy, buttery, with a mild sweetness. The wasabi mayo was a perfect match and the ponzu shallot worked so well with seafood. This was a surprisingly good sando!
On an interesting note; while searching for addresses I found that Onii-San opened a Sando shop named Ototo last years as well! Makes perfect sense.
While this wasn't a perfect meal, it was an interesting fusion, sometimes "Con"- fusion. While we've been used to French cuisine with Japanese touches; this place went in the opposite direction, with interesting results. Such is the ever changing state of food in Paris!
Onii-San
82 Rue des Archives
75003 Paris, France
Our accommodation was just 2 long blocks away. We passed the "very blue" Mairie de Paris Centre, the "Mayor's Office" along the way.
We had a day trip set for the next day, so it was off to bed early for us.
Thanks for stopping by!
Before my ramen "took to flight" I dug in. As with my previous visits, the tamago was perfect, still warm, with a runny yolk. The firm noodles were indeed that, good stretch, slipperiness, and chew.
Yes, that's what the plate looked like. Man, those…in very loose quotes "won ton" were like a cardboard gau gee, time didn't do the wrapper any favors as it was quite chewy.
The chicken wings were still a crisp-crunchy when I got back to the office, but had way too much MSG and had me gulping down water in no time at all.
It seems that I had a "shift" in the tomatoes on the drive back to the office. I was just happy to have tomatoes on my dog which were MIA on my last visit. The fries, which were crisp on my last two visits, were soggy and dry this time around; though I kinda liked the pieces that had celery salt on them.
All the chicken, both the karaage and the wings were nice and crisp and very moist; nicely seasoned, a hint of soy, but not overly salty. The best I've had from Tenkatori thus far.
or you can scan it from your table.
The spicy calamari appetizer ($7.95) was light and crisp and quite a good size for sharing (or it could be a meal with a salad) the spicy garlic sauce was not necessary.
Agedashi tofu ($6.95) is also lightly fried. The tofu itself has a nice soybean flavor and the 'cubes' are very large. Again, good for sharing.
This vegetable tempura roll ($9.95) is simply wonderful. Tempura battered asparagus, green beans, kobucha and sweet potato. There's also avocado inside. Since I don't eat meat on Fridays, this is a wonderful way to satisfy a bunch of cravings as part of a meal. 
Most of the meal sets here include miso and salad. Here's a generic photo. 
This is the Sesame Chicken plate ($13.95) Large pieces of dark meat chicken, coated in sesame seeds then bread crumbs and fried, properly. This was a very large meal and at some point turned into a salad with chicken topping.
The Beef Teriyaki Lunch Bento with shrimp and veggie tempura ($16). The teriyaki sauce is not very sweet nor is it sticky. The tentsuyu (sauce for dipping the tempura) was lightly salty and complimentary to the light, crispy fry. 
The Seafood Yakisoba ($16.95) was nicely done- noodles still chewy, a light sauce, carrots. broccoli. bell pepper, zucchini and cabbage along with shrimp, green mussels, fishcake, calamari and scallops. Again, a good size meal. 
`The vegetable teriyaki ($12.95) was a great tasty surprise. Lightly sautéed vegetables topped with the pleasant house made teriyaki topped with green onion and crunchy sesame seeds. An excellent bite of everything I was craving that day. 
Tonkatsu Curry ($14.95). A large piece of thin cut, breaded pork, deep fried and still moist. Served on top of rice with a delightful potato-carrot-onion curry sauce. Comfort food on a chilly day.
This. This is what I absolutely enjoy the most here. It's the Vegan Ramen ($13.50). Mushroom broth, spinach noodles, vegetables and tofu. It's been absolutely perfect each time I've ordered it. The broth is so good, the noodles have a nice spinach flavor. All of the vegetables. To me, it is a perfect bowl of goodness and warmth. 
The diner closes between lunch and dinner; the only way I was able to get a photo of empty tables. 
The handout menu is pretty extensive (this is not all of it). The weekend lunch specials are similar to those at Wa Dining Okan on weekdays.
There are plenty of additional suggestions taped to the wall .
Vegetable tempura ($10) is perfectly made here. Light fry with light breading. Flavors of everything are bright, even the dipping sauce.
Chicken Liver appetizer ($6.50). Broiled chicken liver in a sweet soy sauce. Excellent. I first had chicken livers with a summertime roommate from Indonesia. She sautéed those with broccoli and topped with sesame seeds. To this day, chicken livers prepared that way are a comfort food.
Yakko ($4). Cold tofu with ginger, green onion and topped with bonito flakes. An excellent tofu.
Tsukemono ($6). Assorted pickles. So fresh flavored and crisp! These were an excellent 'side' instead of an appetizer. 
Of course I ordered the Zaru Soba ($10.50) the quick chilled buckwheat noodles were tasty and chewy, the dipping sauce, wasabi and chopped green onions complimentary. Many flavors in each bite. 
This menu page caught our eye. 
White curry udon ($10) Add beef ($4).
Fat, fresh, chewy udon in a white curry soup topped with freshly whipped cream and a poached egg (sorry no photo of the beautiful orange yolk). The added beef was thin and nicely flavored but almost unnecessary. This as a wonderful unexpected meal.
Blue Crab Salad ($12) was a filling meal in itself. Mixed greens, tomato, avocado and blue crab with a mayonnaise based dressing. 
Carbonara Udon ($14.50). Bacon, mixed mushrooms, a four cheese Alfredo sauce…
and there's that poached egg with its colorful orange yolk.
Mushrooms! This was great; everything here was prepared and served in such a beautiful way. 
Ichiban Sando is on H Street just east of Broadway (across from the mall). 
There are menu boards above and menu choices taped below the ordering window as well as a convenient pocket size menu. 
The Shrimp Katsu Sando ($11.50) is served on a choice of toasted homemade milk bread or brioche bun and with cubes of pickled radish. Crispy breaded shrimp on the toasted bread- an excellent, large and filling sandwich. 
The Pork Belly Bowl ($10.50) was another choice this day. Steamed rice, pickled red cabbage and kimchee along with plenty of soft, tender pork belly topped with a Kewpie based sauce (slightly spicy; maybe sriracha, which tastes sweet and hot). Mixing the pickled vegetables with rice with bits of the fatty pork was quite a nice bite of textures and flavors.
The Fruit Sando ($8 on the wall under the cash register but $8.50 on the paper menu) was wonderful- the soft, fresh home made milk bread, fresh and thick whipped cream and fragrantly ripe strawberries and kiwi made a perfect dessert snack.
The Lunch Specials sign sealed the deal this day.
The regular menu is very interesting, warranting a return visit.
We each ordered a lunch special which includes miso and salad. I also ordered a hot green tea ($2)-it was a wonderful genmaicha (green tea with roasted rice) loose tea tightly packed in a filter bag. 
The Mister also wanted to try a California roll ($5.75). Made with imitation crab and cucumber, this was very nice, quite large. (Grated wasabi is $1.25; I neglected to take a photo.)
Chicken yakisoba lunch ($13.50). This had wonderful, thin noodles and was a flavorful stir fry of the chicken and vegetables (cabbage, carrot, onion and carrot). The hand roll also had imitation crab along with cucumber. 
