La Table d'AkiHiro

La Table d'AkiHiro is a tiny French restaurant on Rue Vaneau in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. Japanese chef Akihiro Horikoshi cooks there almost single-handed.

Horikoshi moved to France decades ago and spent about two decades with Bernard Pacaud at L'Ambroisie, the three-star temple of classic French cooking. In January 2012 he took over a former tea room on this discreet street, where the writer Julien Green once lived. For years he worked alone, cooking in the open kitchen, answering the phone, taking orders, serving and writing the bills by hand; a helper joined later. On his wine list he signs simply as a Japanese cook.

Horikoshi cooks in the French manner, with a delicacy that Gilles Pudlowski credits to his Japanese side. At lunch the choice is short, while the evening brings longer menus, and the dishes change daily and are made to order. Cod has come with beurre blanc and sharp red cabbage, beef cheek has been braised slowly in red wine and served with celeriac purée, and crisp red mullet has met carrots and cumin. Sole with salsify and a meat jus, langoustine ravioli and an apple tart complete the picture. Regulars can even order ahead dishes with truffle or caviar, or some of the classics of L'Ambroisie. Years in a grand kitchen show in these plates: they are classic dishes, cooked with care and without show.

Only about 16 guests fit in the small room, at plain tables laid with white cloths in front of the open kitchen. With one cook and so few seats, every plate leaves the stove for a table a few steps away, which keeps the food hot and the pace calm. Opinionated About Dining has placed it among the best classical restaurants in Europe, a rare honor for a room run by one man.