As chairman of the Japan-based restaurant group Zetton, Kenichi Inomoto couldn’t leave Paris two years ago without checking out Clown Bar, a restaurant that soon after opening in 2015 earned best bistro honors in the French restaurant publication Le Guide Fooding. It had also been described as “the most thrilling restaurant in Paris” by Eater.com.

At the bistro, Suzuki struck up a conversation with its exacting young sous-chef, Yuya Yama­naka, and asked about his ambitions. To Suzuki’s surprise, the chef told him his dream was to surf in Hawaii, and that became the spark that eventually led to the opening of Paris Hawaii, an intimate restaurant that weds the best of local ingredients and contemporary French culinary philosophy and techniques.

The Zetton group was already operating three successful restaurants in Hawaii — Aloha Cafe, Goofy Cafe and Heavenly Island Lifestyle — and was on its way toward converting a small building in Waikiki to open a fourth, Zigu, a farm-to-table izakaya. Based on Yamanaka’s talent, a fifth concept was born, and Paris Hawaii now sits above Zigu, on the building’s second floor.

For Yamanaka, the timing of the project worked out well. Construction was delayed two years, and in the interim the 30-year-old chef had time to learn to surf. (As a snowboarder, he had merely assumed his skills on a mountain could be transferred to waves.)

The chef, born and raised in Hokkaido, also had time to learn about local food and ingredients, saying that his menu would have been much more classically French than it has become, having opted to follow Clown Bar mentor Sota Atsumi’s philosophy of presenting food specific to a place and season.

Dinnerware, too, was customized for this place, including a bread plate made from black lava sand.

PARIS HAWAII has the dark, Old World ambience of a Spanish tapas bar, setting the stage for something distinct from any other Oahu dining experience. You’ll find two bar counters, one for drinks, and one a stage for the chef’s presentations in an open kitchen that gives diners full view of the meal prep. A few table seats are available in a small brick-lined dining room, but the food counter is where the show is at, and I suggest first-timers reserve a seat there for the full experience.

The restaurant is offering prix-fixe tasting menus with two seatings nightly. In these situations, I usually opt for the later seating so I don’t feel rushed and have the option of lingering if I’m enjoying the company. (Early diners opting to stay can retreat to the bar area.)

Due to the nature of tasting menus, those with food allergies or dietary limitations are asked to give 48-hours notice so the chef can accommodate special needs. And no children’s menu is offered.

The restaurant opened with an eight-course tasting menu that started with a chilled soup amuse-bouche of Kahuku corn and Hawaiian espresso espuma, an unlikely and surprising marriage that worked.

Next up was a single head-on Kauai shrimp dotted with a tasty paste of black garlic and accompanied by aioli made with local eggs. Neither overwhelmed the sweet shrimp.

In addition to wine or beer pairings that run $25 and $20, respectively, for three selections, or $50 and $40 for full-course pairings, the restaurant also offers tea pairings at $15 for three selections or $30 for the full-course pairing. It’s a wonderful option that made me feel as if I was doing something good for my body despite indulging in a full meal.

Paired with the shrimp was a refreshing lilikoi kombucha. It was followed by the fresh flavors of slow-cooked tako served over ricotta and avocado with a pour of delicate tomato water and sprinkling of basil. This was paired with mamaki tea.

The fourth course merged the French classic beef tartare and the idea of our classic island poke, the ahi simply dressed with a bit of olive oil and soy sauce to bring the two worlds closer together. This was accompanied by beet and ginger kombucha.

A dish of opah layered with lightly steamed lettuce seemed simple at the surface but was accompanied by a Yamanaka-style beurre blanc of turnip puree with lime zest and sake in place of white wine.

MOST FAMILIAR was a Maui onion soup, but this was made without added broth. Instead the onions had been pressure cooked to release all their water, creating a natural broth. A light pastry choux topped with cheese was presented on the side. We were instructed to enjoy the soup alone for a few sips, then add the choux, which gave the dish the French ambience of the giant cheesy crouton usually floating on top of the soup.

Next came a wedge of J. Ludovico Farm chicken pithivier, the chicken baked into a light layer of bready pastry and served with espuma of Okinawan sweet potato, plus sauce derived from a reduction of the bird’s bones, sherry and garlic.

The last course was five-day-aged Big Island beef that had been smoked upon our arrival, then grilled.

Desserts are a separate option and the most dramatic is the Kilauea lava cake ($15) made with liquid nitrogen coconut ice cream created on the spot. Coconut charcoal, mixed with creme anglaise to create a pebbly texture that the chef compared to a‘a lava, streamed around the cake. When cut open, the cake revealed its red raspberry center, which oozed out to create the full volcano effect.

It was a wonderful experience from beginning to end.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.