Hakuba

Hakuba gives Parisian luxury a Japanese accent with real discipline behind it. Opened in March 2024 inside Cheval Blanc Paris at 8 Quai du Louvre, it brings together Takuya Watanabe, Arnaud Donckele and Maxime Frédéric in a format that sounds improbable on paper and rather elegant on the plate. The house calls it kaiseki sushi, which is a useful clue: this is an omakase shaped by Japanese ritual, then sharpened by Donckele’s obsession with broths, dashis and sauces. Expect seafood to lead the conversation, from sea bream and abalone to squid and bluefin tuna, with sake and tea playing supporting roles that know exactly when to speak. 

The setting matters here. Cheval Blanc frames Hakuba as a contemporary vision of Japanese tradition, with a Tsukubai stone fountain at the entrance, black walnut and other dark woods, and an atmosphere tuned to gesture, sound and restraint. Independent reporting adds useful texture: the space occupies the former Limbar, keeps its walnut bones, and uses counters and sliding rice paper panels to focus attention on the chefs. In a city that often mistakes drama for depth, Hakuba chooses precision, calm and expensive self control. A very Parisian quality, oddly enough.