SoMa. Paris

French - Yesterday evening I had dinner at SoMa, a japanese bistro in the South Marais.

A small restaurant, surrounded by stone walls, soft light and candles everywhere, we can directly feel a friendly atmosphere. There is a big bar in the middle of the restaurant where the japanese chef Sourasack Phongphet (you cannot miss him, he wears a straw hat on his head and a big smile on his face) cooks dishes that have both Japanese and French inspirations: octopus salad with green tea infusion, miso marinated black cod, beef ponzu sauce and as a dessert: Kumbawa french toast with green tea ice cream. I took ginger ice cream instead with matcha green tea pounder on top, it was delicious! The better is to share plates, as the serving are small and very well presented, it is too tempting not to eat off each other's plates. Flavors are very good too and much appreciated: fishes and ingredients are fresh from the day. There were some mistakes  during the service and the music wasn't very appropriate but as the atmosphere was friendly, it was instantly forgotten.

I recommend this place for a couple or two friends willing to discover a bit of Japanese food in an intimate and warm place as this one.

(I apologize for the quality of the pictures, the soft light wasn't helping me)

SoMa, 13 rue de Saintonge, 75003 Paris. Métros: Filles du Calvaire (M8), Saint-sébastien Froissart (M8) or Arts et Métiers (M3). Open everyday except on Monday, from 12pm to 3pm and 6:30pm to 11pm. Starters: from 4€ to 12€, Main dishes: from 9€ to 15€, Desserts: from 3€ to 9€.