What a stroke of genius to offer a first service at 6 p.m.! As if we got off a plane and were not yet completely acclimatized to the City of Light and its nocturnal habits. However, at the top of this industrial building, a rare architecture in the Marais, Masahide Ikuta knows he has a jewel and he wants to share it.
The view of the south of the capital makes even the most titi of Parisians turn their heads. As far as the eye can see, the zinc roofs, the golden domes… The place is ideal for studying new perspectives. Will the cuisine of the former chef of Les Enfants du marché accompany the reflection wisely? His career with mentors who have subtlety in common (Bruno Verjus, Bertrand Grébaut, Antoine Westermann, but also Victor Arguinzoniz, from Etxebarri, in the Basque Country) may suggest this.
For the moment, the music plays its role of chaperone wonderfully. The swaying and solar vibrations tint the reading of the menu with a summer patina. The mind wanders between all the descriptions of the dishes, most of which embrace the ocean. Yet another inspiring horizon.
Simple and direct entry
The half-cooked monkfish liver is served on tender spur of turmeric mayonnaise. The smoothness of this very luxurious dish in Japan is heightened by Indian spice and a breath of smoked pimentón reminiscent of the end of a barbecue evening. Trout eggs explode with each of these bites as orange as a sunset. Simple and straightforward, the entry puts the bar exactly where it needs to be, in a plush comfort zone.
The sommelier, for whom this is the first service, has the jitters of the big days and the intelligence of the very sensitive. His phrasing has nothing chastised or precious about it. He does not propose to accompany the hake to be followed by a white wine, but rather to celebrate the moment in a balloon of life. The factual description he gives of vino di Ana, a juice raised on the slopes of Etna, is enough to win the support of the table.
The hake is there. It comes from the cooler shores of the Atlantic, from Saint-Jean-de-Luz to be exact. Grilled after being lacquered with white miso, it is as if protected by a cuddly matrix. The last asparagus of the season are pointing under a hodgepodge of green sprouts, a boost to the sweetness of the dish in which it would be tempting to indulge.
But that would be to forget the new horizons that were announced with the 180 degree view. It’s 7:30 p.m. and time to get out of your comfort zone. For this, the vino di Ana will be both the dessert and the guide by providing this little jet lag effect that gives the impression of having taken a long trip.
The Acte II address, 93, rue Vieille-du-Temple, Paris 4th (elevator on the left at the back of the courtyard). Such. : 01-43-56-50-50. Open Monday to Friday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends from noon to midnight.
The essential dish Grilled hake.
The detail that is not one The tools (a Josper oven and a barbecue) available to the chef to cook his dishes over the flame.
The bill Around 90 euros.
