"A very unlikely location for a personally and individually cooked gourmet meal, but this was so worth it! Housed in what used to be an old ice house, refrigerated rooms, this huge building, with its own water tower, became occupied by artists after being abandoned. The city of Paris bought it so that the squatter-artists could continue to live there legally, while paying only nominal rent. La Maison's door is around the side of this all-graffiti covered building, and you wouldn't venture in unless you knew where you were going. It is run and cooked by a petite Japanese woman, Mme. Mariko. She is adorable, and bows to greet you. You have very little choice with the menu, it is all cooked at the time by her, and cost 25 Euros the day we went. It was really astonishing. She first prepared (beautifully) the appetizer of about 5 individual treats, including sardines, cucumber and seaweed salad, and several others. Each was just perfect, and absolutely delicious! The main course was a huge plate of all things tempura, from salmon to vegetables, to rice--all amazingly good. It is a very humble room, and you almost feel as though you were in someone's home kitchen. Certainly no mass production!. I literally never finish everything on my plate, especially this many foods and this much to eat...but it was impossible not to eat it all. So many different tastes, and all tantalizing.For dessert, we were given the choice of lemon or chocolate pie. I chose the lemon, and it was the best I've ever tasted--and my husband felt the same about his chocolate pie. We were the last people there, and Mme. Mariko was gracious enough to answer questions about her enterprise. She allowed as it was difficult for her to cook "commercially" for a lot of other people, and only found satisfaction is cooking for people who really appreciated it. She also told us that she is an artist, as well, and explained how she did her lovely wall hangings adorning the kitschy place. The restroom was like someone's guest bath...just more eclectic...all done in wild colors with a red enamel toilet seat. Very clean and lovely.Even though not the least bit French, this is one of the best meals we have had in Paris! We would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a home-cooked Japanese meal and an incredible experience. Do be prepared to pay cash, however, as she does not accept credit cards."
