TAPAS SANS BORDERS

Le Petit Keller

IT LOOKS LIKE A TRADITIONAL Parisian bistro—timeworn benches, Formica tables, black-and-white chequered tile floor—but Le Petit Keller throbs with the heart of an izakaya (a Japanese tapas bar). If it wasn’t for the formidable French critic, François Simon, I would’ve never discovered it. Here, the petite and brilliant Chef Kaori Endo crafts inventive, affordable dishes that explode with Franco-Japanese flavours. We go past the large zinc counter and seat ourselves in the small room packed with tables.

While researching for my vegetarian guide to Paris, I had fallen in love with Nanashi and Rose bakery. In a happy coincidence, Chef Kaori Endo has worked in both. She has made Le Petit Keller one of the most original dining destinations in the city. It offers small plates with big flavours: be it the silky hummus enriched with adzuki beans, or the smoked buffalo bocconcini enlivened with lemon confit and balanced with the saltiness of anchovies. Ask for the nitamagos (marinated poached eggs), and sip on refreshing home-made ginger ale or wine. For the big plates, opt for the dish of the day—it could be the moist, flavourful donburi (rice bowl) with a choice of toppings, or the grilled mackerel with miso sauce.

Celebrated for her desserts, Kaori’s matcha cake, and strawberry tart with orange and rhubarb compote are as light, elegant, and nuanced as her savoury dishes. Moderately priced but high on flavour, these are truly tapas without borders. 13 Rue Keller Paris; facebook.com/PetitKeller

An octopus dish at Le Petit Keller.