ACCENTS table bourse — Restaurant in Paris

I went to this supposedly one-Michelin star on my last night in Paris, hoping to cap off a wonderful impromptu trip in the city of lighthouse. Unfortunately, the food was abysmal. WTH did the Michelin folks taste or think? Goes to show it’s got nothing to do w taste or imagination. First off, the restaurant system does not allow reservations for 1 person. Apparently that’s frowned upon or not something the restaurant ever imagines could happen so I had to email the restaurant to allow me to make a reservation, which they agreed for couple days later. They adjust their system and I make a reservation online specifying my dietary requirements (most importantly highlighting my allergy for alcohol). I received an email confirmation and couple days you have to later reconfirm for what unknown reason. I actually call the restaurant to confirm the day before (bc I wanted to change the time but wasn’t possible) but nonetheless someone calls me twice to make sure I show up. Like my reservation is tonight and you clearly emphasize that I’ll get charged if I don’t show up so unless I’m dying I WILL show up. What’s w the pressure? Anyways I show up, the restaurant is very basic w decorations, borderline uninviting, but I pay no attention to it. I get quickly seated and a server goes over my dietary requirements (again no acohol), yet minutes later I am handed the wine menu. I chuckle a little, but then when I ask the waitress what kind of mocktail they have, she says we can make you a gin and tonic. And I’m like doesn’t it have alcohol? And she says oh yes and laughs a bit. Ugh if you’re that inattentive with my drinks, how attentive will you be in my food? In any case, the food comes out. One common theme I find in the find is lack of seasoning and lack of taste. Everything had an awkward and non-combinable sets of taste that were very hard to swallow. I just didn’t get it. I sped through all the course and just wanted to get out. You’d think that with 7 or so courses you’d find at least one that you’re like wow this tastes good (I mean the meal is €100 after all), but nope. Everything was consistently bad and against my taste buds. One thing I found awkward as well is the presentation, like one of the desserts is a cigar-like cookie or pastry served on a bed of small plastic dolls. WTH is that?!? So weird. Anyways, sad to say I would not recommend or go back. So many better places...

#24 in my Michelin Stars Challenge in Paris (trying them all under a year, follow me for the other reviews) Go there for the dessert!

The owner is a Japanese pastry chef, although her origin is not obvious (which is a compliment!) when you’re enjoying the desserts. On the other side the chef is French and you would not necessarily guess… he could be Japanese. That’s one of the great things here, this confusion. You can feel that there’s an interaction, an emulation and they are learning from each other’s while respecting their craft. I preferred the dessert. For my taste, that’s their very strong suit. As I said It’s done by the owner (the chef focus on the rest). She’s doing an amazing job ( but do not except something decadent…). Still, one could easily prefer the starters, which was the case of the person I went with. And I understand, it was awesome. I preferred the dessert may be because you do not see style so often. A deep love for the French dessert, some references to classical dessert, and yet some creativity that lies between France and Japan. Very interesting to discover. So you can easily go there for the dessert and prefer the rest. The service is at the level. Note that part of the dishes (the actual plates not speaking of the food now) are made by the chef (she’s not the only one, it’s a thing for some Japanese chef to do) The crowd was business, colleagues, friends. I’m sure couples appear at night.

Well Deserved star. An experience, especially on the desserts. Mood/Dress code: I could go there as a busy white collar like Zakary in “Margin Call”, especially since we are in front of the stock market! And Demi Moore would be the perfect colleague to lunch with. So casual business no need to be super classy. Of course you do not have to wear a suit.

EDIT 2022: went back after a year. Interestingly, this time I preferred the first part. Some dishes were still there (or an version of them) but most of them changed. Which is great if you plan to come back. Still this healthy confusion between Japan and France. Overall I noticed a very consistent level after a year. A very well...

The place looks both sophisticated and cosy, with flat colours and touches of wood, and the neatly ordered kitchen is visible through a big glass window. With its rather small number of tables the restaurant makes the eating experience all the more personnal. The lunch menu, with a choice of either 3 or 4 dishes, was actually served with a delightful "mise en bouche" and the most fluffy pistachio light cake I've ever eaten, probably to go with the coffee after the dessert. All the dishes were stylish and good, from the starters to the dessert, and eventhough I'm not exactly familiar with the food prepared by great chefs, that is how I would imagine and want it to look and taste. I went from "awww so nice" to "aww so good", from being surprised by the looks to feeling refreshed, astonished and enraptured by what I ate. And since I have a sweet tooth, I can't help but give a special mention to the dessert "rocher chocolat blanc et amande", which is a wonder in its own class. And to top this off, the staff was friendly and caring (my brother's infant spilled a glass of water and cried a bit). Thank you for a wonderful lunch.

Came back after 9 months, the restaurant was awarded a well deserved Michelin star and the menu was renewed. Still as wonderful as the first time.

Third time was the charm.. the second dessert was a re-imagination of an egg, except the shell was cubic and made of sugar, the egg white was yellow (made of mango paste and bits) and the yolk was a white sphere of white chocolate... We still have no idea how the chef put this piece of art together. It is like magic. The whole experience is on a completely different level from the usual meals. This is a journey to the boundaries of your...