Disclosure: I was a guest of the restaurant for this meal.
There’s something so incredibly special about a restaurant that can make you laugh out loud in one moment and swoon with pleasure in the next – and this is exactly the experience being delivered by the Michelin-starred ACCENTS table bourse. I’ve seen this restaurant described as Franco-Japanese fine dining, but this barely scratches the surface of the creativity on offer by Chef Romain Mahi and Pastry Chef Ayumi Sugiyama.
I’ve seen a surge in creativity with amuse-bouches, of late, and I am here for it. These first bites are often some of my favorites – and not just because they arrive when you’re at your hungriest. Amuse bouches serve as an introduction to the chef’s approach, and their diminutive size means they’re often where a chef channels his or her most creative, off-the-wall ideas.
At Accents, the quartet of amuses was accompanied by tomato juice with a parsley ice cube, meant to be both our first and last sip. Indeed, this drink, which evoked a Bloody Mary (sans vodka) evolved and changed over the course of the adventure. I loved how, rather than leaning into the sweetness of summer tomatoes, it highlighted their more vegetal qualities.
Sweetness would, however, be fairly omnipresent in the savory offerings over the course of this meal, beginning with this incredible bite of cauliflower and white chocolate packed into a crispy, toasty tuile. To those who say white chocolate has no business being paired with cauliflower, I say… you’re wrong. The surprising textural contrast between the smooth cauliflower and solid drops of chocolate was incredibly playful, and the caramelized sweetness of the white chocolate brought out the nuttiness of the crucifer. I loved this bite and would go so far as to call it my favorite of the amuses.
Not that the other three weren’t delightful in their own way. I loved this little bite of Worcestershire sauce-infused meringue, which melted on the tongue like a sweet-and-savory cloud. And the piggy face up top was actually a smooth boudin noir paired with banana. I’m not a huge banana fan, but I love me some boudin, and I can appreciate the daring in divorcing the blood sausage from its more common accompaniment of apple.
A pine tree mousse was infused with so much intense piny flavor as to almost be mentholated – a masterful, maximalist approach perfect for such a small bite.
The bread service featured a lovely house-made loaf that reminded me of the bread at Du Pain et des Idées when it’s at its best – and not only because it was paired with cherrywood smoked butter, served in the form of a child’s toy for even more of that signature playfulness. The dense, moist crumb of the bread was ultra-moreish, with pronounced yeasty aromas stemming from the use of house-made strawberry yeast.
I’ll admit that the next dish was not my favorite of the day. A watercress emulsion was served over a risotto-style jumble of vegetables, nuts, and scallion, but I didn’t get much of the promised tapioca. Texturally, I found this one a bit odd, especially the sheer amount of scallion. Flavor-wise, however, it provided an essential vegetal counterpoint to many of the richer, sweeter dishes.
It was paired with this very tasty cube made from cuttlefish ink and mussels. It looked solid, but I laughed out loud when I realized it was the texture of Jell-o and was best eaten on a fork rather than with the fingers. It was absolutely delicious, melting and coating the palate with brine-forward flavors and just a touch of seafoody sweetness.
The pear-and-whisky shot that completed this trio was lovely too, rich and thick with pear purée and just barely scented with whisky.
The arctic char dish might have been my favorite of the meal. A tender, moist filet of char was topped with Japanese plum, yellow courgette, and mushrooms cut into delicate flowers. The mushrooms themselves had a nearly eggplanty texture I quite liked.
Chef Mahi appeared tableside to douse the fish in a rich, creamy sauce generously dotted with roe. It added a richer contrast to the relatively light dish, but it was by no means overpowering.
We all know how I feel about cheese, and I was delighted to discover this pairing of plantain and tête de moine. With a sauce evoking classic hare à la royale, the plantain was paired with foie gras, which oozed tantalizingly onto the plate. The combination of savory, nutty cheese and sweet plantain blew me away – not just because of how delicious it was, but because in all my time writing about restaurants, I’ve never encountered a pairing quite like this one.
Even I, who loves pigeon, am beginning to tire of it appearing on every menu I see. But even here, the chef managed to surprise me.
Not only was the pigeon cooked to a nice, toothsome medium (no bloody breasts here), but it was topped with a whole oyster, upon which was laid a very thin slice of lardo. The combination of gamey pigeon, briny oyster, and rich, fatty pork was incredibly creative, not to mention delicious. The puddle of lettuce cream below lent a lovely brightness to the dish, as did the two perfect halves of seasonal cherry. And even those rounds of slow-braised potato didn’t get lost, seeing as they boasted an absolutely perfect texture. I really enjoyed creating “perfect bites” of this dish, pairing the elements to see how they could come together in a beautiful chorus that evolved and changed depending on the proportions of each.
For the pre-dessert, Chef Sugiyama managed to tap into my own culinary nostalgia with a dish that cleverly winked at a PB&J. Strawberry ice cream was paired with a peanut butter mousse and topped with a yogurt cloud.
Dressed with meringue and strawberry leather, the dish was also sprinkled with blackberries and goat cheese-infused crumble, for a slight savory note echoing the sweet touches hidden throughout the previous courses.
The restaurant’s signature dessert is a sugar orb, filled with an ever-changing combo of flavors, depending on the season.
Crack the orb – and a second, smaller orb inside – to reveal a green tomato filling dotted with caramelized cashews and basil. It was wonderfully light, and I loved the nutty crunch of the cashews with the softer basil and tomato.
The mignardises appealed to Chef Sugiyama’s Japanese origins. An orange-scented chiffon cake was paired with jammy chunks of tender stewed apricot.
A chocolatey cloud studded with bits of dried kiwi looked like it could be grabbed with the fingers, but it melted immediately, giving me the distinct pleasure of licking my thumb at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Finally, a crispy rice cracker shell encased a prune compote and a mild lime curd.
In short, this restaurant is a total gem. I love the playful interchange of sweet and savory, which was present but never cloying. And I especially appreciated how dessert mirrored this trend, incorporating savory notes to add texture and depth to the sweetness. The dining room’s earthy notes and unframed, seasonally-driven paintings lend a lovely, natural warmth to the space. And seeing as the chefs often double as waitstaff, the overall experience is less stilted and fussy than it could be in a place of this caliber. On the contrary, I felt as though I was being invited into a homey wonderland driven jointly by creativity and warmth.
While I was a guest of the property for this meal, if you ask me, 65 euros is an absolute steal for this journey of flavors and textures. I will definitely be returning to see how the bounty of another season inspires these innovative chefs.
ACCENTS table bourse – 24, rue Feydeau, 75002