Hallelujah!

It’s a miracle! There is finally a sushi restaurant in Arles! Oh, I have been waiting a mighty long time for this. As an ex-New Yorker, one used to the ease of indulging in Japanese food at a dial’s reach, it has been a definite sacrifice not to be able to get my fix save during trips to Paris (the fact that I purposefully stay in the 2nd arrondissement, the neighbourhood with the most sushi, should say something about how much this means to me). But no longer! And, even better, the restaurant that opened, Sakura, has a few tables out front that look directly on to the Arena. What a view! And one that has previously been reserved to tourist traps serving what looks like frozen dinners. My friend Claire’s starter, a futomaki, even had a fushiony twist to it, combining foie gras, shrimp and mango. A plate of salmon carpaccio, followed by the above platter, then a molten chocolate cake and served with a glass of wine (albeit a crappy Côte du Rhône but nonetheless) all for 19€? Vendu! Sold! The fish was fresh (as it better be this close to the ports of the Mediterranean) and well cut, the service friendly. After two hours of sitting in the sun, gossiping with a wonderful friend and delighting in a new restaurant discovery, I am one happy camper.