At the bottom of the Royal Monceau hotel, the staff greet us with cries of: "Irasshaimase!" ("Welcome" in Japanese). The atmosphere at Matsuhisa is oh-so-cool, with a DJ spinning serious beats – and although the round tables are lovely, we opt for the bar seats overlooking the kitchen.
Dishes are dreamt up by chef Nobu Matsuhisa, a global star who specialises in Japanese-Peruvian cuisine. Think delicious salmon maki, tuna tartare with French caviar, ceviche, miso and sake-steamed Chilean sea bass and scallops with jalapeño pepper sauce and wasabi. The marriage of flavours works perfectly.
To finish, a divine banana and matcha cheesecake coated liberally with honey. And in the end, it's no surprise that fusion food with this much joy and panache ris such a success.
TRANSLATION: MEGAN CARNEGIE