Asuka N.
Yelp
For the only night we did not make a reservation in Paris, we decided to go a little off the expected path and try out some Japanese food in France. Kunitoraya was recommended by a friend, and she did warn us that it was popular - and, sure enough, even on a Tuesday night, there was a line to get into the restaurant. Nonetheless, we were puzzled that the restaurant was definitely not filled to capacity, and it only became clear once we made it to the front that there was a small sign saying that there were limitations due to understaffing. It would have been nice to know ahead of time, as waiting for nearly an hour was not what we were expecting. That said, we finally made it in and grabbed one of the counter seats facing out - a nice place to be in with the windows thrown open and a cool night breeze setting in. The place very much has the feel of a hole in the wall, and there isn't an abundance of seating - several tables squeezed in, along with the aforementioned counter seating. There are menus in English, French, and Japanese, although I would say that the English menus were certainly missing some nuance (but were understandable enough to order on). Once we got our order in (which took a bit more time than we had hoped, given the long wait), the food came out quickly. You will need to let them know when you are ready to pay, though, as you need to go to the front to settle the bill.
The food itself was quite good and a worthy tribute to the thicker variety of Japanese noodles. We started off with karaage, which was more moist and not as heavily fried as other versions I have had - a nice, refreshing take on the popular chicken appetizer. I then went with a hot udon soup filled with natto beans - adventurous for most but not for me, as it is a Japanese specialty that I very much enjoy. The natto gives the broth a little bit of a fermented flavor as well as a slightly slick mouthfeel, but I very much enjoyed the transference of the natto to the broth and noodles, which were cooked very well. My wife went with a more traditional cold noodle dish with dipping sauce - very tasty, too.
Eating here was a nice respite towards the end of our vacation from the loads of Italian and French food we had enjoyed over the course of our trip, and while this is a small spot, it is definitely one of the Japanese restaurants in this area (among the many that appear to be nearby) that is worth paying a visit to for lunch or for dinner. The communication about the staffing could have been better, but otherwise this was an excellent meal to finish our day on.