Rolls at the Dokidoki

Here’s a restaurant that has just opened. どきどき (Dokidoki) is a Japanese onomatopoeia that mimics the sound of a beating heart. So it refers to an emotion, and we wanted to test that out. So here we are at the Dokidoki, housed in the former post office of the Louvre, which has just been renovated. It’s a 10-minute walk from the Relais du Louvre.

The décor is sober, simple and elegant in the choice of materials. The design of the place is resolutely service-oriented. As you can see, here, the food is made and served in front of you, as is often the case in Japanese restaurants.

The restaurant’s specialty is the “roll” or temaki, which means hand-rolled maki, unlike a maki that is rolled using a maki mat. Please note, this is not a traditional Japanese restaurant. This is a reinterpretation.

The restaurant offers a short menu:

Nori leaves are made from the seaweed of the Ariake Sea. This black seaweed is famous all over the world, and most of the Nori seaweed consumed in Japan is produced in the Ariake Sea. The rice is round, vinegary and slightly sweet as it should be. The fish is prepared like a tartare, finely chopped with a knife. The fish and vegetables are very fresh. The quality and freshness of the ingredients, which is one of the foundations of Japanese cuisine, are fully respected. The making of the temaki, which was originally a diagonally rolled cone closed with the help of a few grains of rice, has been adapted, but the product is still delicious, and the combination of crunchiness and creaminess is satisfactory. Temaki can be enjoyed with your hands.

The sashimi is seasoned, which is also a creative innovation on behalf of Dokidoki, but the result is compelling. The wasabi and pickled ginger, served as optional seasoning, are of very good quality.

A small cucumber salad with toasted sesame seeds and buckwheat makes a great accompaniment to the meal.

To round off the meal, we sample two mochis that also win us over. They are fresh and subtle. But why serve them with a spoon? The chopsticks provided are a more suitable choice.

The white Chardonnay (appellation?) we are drinking is very pleasant. We were sorry to hear that the wine was only served by the glass. The Sake Bijito, widely available in Paris, was a bit expensive for the amount offered.

The atmosphere is pleasant, not overly noisy, the service quick and the welcome friendly. It is a Japanese cuisine that has been reinterpreted, simple, but tasty and of high quality with truly fresh products.

A little less than €50 per person, including drinks, for a fairly large order.

Dokidoki
59 bis rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau 75001
Open Tuesday to Saturday – Without reservation
https://dokidoki-handroll.com/