Nectar

The Art of Balance: Discovering Franco-Japanese Cuisine in Paris

Sometimes, all it takes is a touch of acidity to bring out the sweetness of a vegetable. A roasted note to add depth to a sauce. Or an unexpected texture to transform a familiar bite into something entirely new.

In cooking, balance often comes down to the smallest details. It is not about layering flavours, but about finding their rightful place, creating a dialogue between ingredients without ever losing their individual character.

It is in this pursuit of harmony that two great culinary traditions come together: French gastronomy and Japanese culinary sensibility. One celebrates the art of sauces, cooking techniques and indulgent flavour combinations; the other places particular emphasis on the purity of flavours, seasonality and precision.

In Paris, this meeting of traditions is inspiring a new approach to gastronomy: freer, more nuanced, and one in which creativity serves to enhance the ingredients. A philosophy that can be experienced at Nectar, in the heart of the 9th arrondissement, through the cuisine of Chef Keiichi Shinohara.

Paris in early October has a rhythm of its own. Guests spill out of show venues and onto the pavement, cars move swiftly towards the next appointment and café terraces seem to remain busy a little later than usual.

For a few days, the entire city moves to fashion's timetable.

From 28 September to 6 October 2026, Paris Fashion Week® Womenswear Spring/Summer 2027 returns to the capital. Between runway shows, presentations, showrooms and evening events, a day can quickly become a carefully orchestrated journey across Paris.

Then comes dinner.

Searching for a Paris Fashion Week restaurant is not necessarily about finding the loudest room or the address with the longest queue outside. After several hours of moving from one appointment to another, what many people really want is somewhere to slow down.

A table with character. Food worth paying attention to. A room where the conversation can finally last longer than the next appointment in the diary.

Fashion Week in Paris can be experienced this way too: by stepping away from the rush for a few hours and allowing dinner to become an event of its own.