Review on Nodaiwa
Nodaiwa is a Japanese restaurant in the 1st district of Paris whose cuisine is Unagi meaning grilled eel. This is the only Paris branch of the famous NODAIWA company that was founded in Tokyo at the end of Edo era (1603-1867) and has been owned by the same family for over five generations. The restaurant is modern and elegant and the long narrow dining room has a minimalist and refined feeling.
The most important criteria is the freshness of the fish and that the flesh keeps all its softness, so the eel when it is delivered is kept alive in fish tanks until required. It is then cut into fillets, threaded onto a skewer, grilled on embers, steamed and then plunged in taré sauce several times before being grilled again. Once the eel is prepared it is served on a hot bed of rice topped with sauce and presented in a bowl called unadon or in an unaju, a lacquered box. The end result is tender and almost caramelized and before tasting it, you are supposed to sprinkle the dish with a special spice called sanshô, which is also called Sichuan pepper in China. There are several set menus available at varying prices as well as the a la carte option, which includes such delicacies as Nanbanzuke, fried and marinated eel and Araï, poached eel with yuzu sauce. For desserts try crème caramel with black sesame seeds or wagashi a sticky rice cake.
Nodaiwa is also featured in: Michelin Guide
Rate this RestaurantCuisine
Japanese
Restaurant Opening Times
Lunch: 12.00 - 2.00pm Mon-Sat
Dinner: 7.00 - 9.30pm Mon-Sat
Accepted credit cards
Visa, Master Card, American Express
