Chef Joel Robuchon once said to me “Perfection does not exist. But that should not stop us from trying to achieve it every day.” Paris-based chef Sota Atsumi, who trained with Robuchon, clearly follows that advice.
I first met this extraordinarily talented Japanese chef in 2016 at Paris’s Clown Bar in the 11th. He left to open his own restaurant, Maison by Sota Atsumi, in September 2019. Not much later, Covid struck, followed by structural building problems that forced closure until June of this year. Yet despite all these hurdles, Atsumi returns better than ever and my first meal back did not disappoint.
The loft-like open-kitchen situated on the mezzanine floor of this unusual 11th arrondissement restaurant (that is an actual house), includes a wood-burning oven and wood-fired grill. The walls and floors are decorated with classic French red tomette tiles and diners have a choice of being seated at a long 8-metre table, separate tables, or a seat at the bar, facing those warming ovens. The welcome is always warm and totally unpretentious, not something you can say of so many Paris restaurants today.
And I can’t say enough good things about his menu, his cooking, his staff. Atsumi’s food is not in any way fusion. Rather it is just delicious fare made with carefully chosen seasonal ingredients, prepared without ostentation and pure respect for each product.
While I am not always 100% in favor of a no-choice menu, my experience is that Atsumi and I are pretty much on the same page and I am happy to be put in his hands. A totally satisfying October lunch included silken scallops poached in butter and nestled in a brightly flavored sorrel and nettle sauce; thick al dente homemade ravioli stuffed with 7-day marinated eel, served with an egg yolk sauce and topped with slices of cèpe mushroom; the fish course of John Dory arrived with a celery root and white truffle emulsion; and my favorite of the meal, a rich, meaty pigeon roasted in the wood oven and teamed with a totally harmonious pistachio sauce, Swiss chard, radicchio and a pickled blackberry. This was one of best cooked pigeons I have ever tasted. Bravo! Dessert included a miniature tart tatin with a crunchy cookie base, paired with an olive oil ice cream, a basil sauce and whipped cream.
When you go, take advantage of the wine pairing menu, which will open the eyes of even the most educated wine lovers. The outgoing sommelier, Takebayashi Takashi, (who speaks at least 4 languages!) knows and loves his wines and adores sharing his knowledge. Choices might range from a Burgundy Aligoté, to a Piedmont Nebbiolo, to a Sicilian Marsala. Italian wines feature heavily due to Takashi’s 6-year stint in Piedmont.
Maison by Sota Atsumi | 3 rue Saint-Hubert, Paris 11 | Métro: rue Saint-Maur | Tel : +33 1 43 38 61 95 | Open Wednesday dinner, lunch and dinner Thursday through Saturday, and Sunday lunch | Thursday through Saturday 65€ 4-course lunch menu (plus 45€ wine pairing), dinner 160€ 7-course menu, Sunday lunch 100€ | Reservations essential.