Assa, the Franco-Japanese cuisine of Anthony and Fumiko Maubert in Blois
After the irresistible Maison d’à côté of Chef Christophe Hay in Montlivault, I continue my discovery of the best tables in Loir-Et-Cher with the restaurant Assa . At the helm of this Japanese-sounding establishment, “Assa” meaning “morning” in Japanese, is a young Franco-Japanese couple, Anthony and Fumiko Maubert . Both trained in great French restaurants, they met at Lasserre at the time orchestrated by the Chef Jean-Louis Nomicos . Opened in late 2013 in the city of Blois , Assa has quickly made a name for itself. It’s that the three Gault toques&Millau and the first Michelin star acquired in only a few months are enough to arouse the greed of the inhabitants of the region and of the curious visitors like me.
First impressions :
Away from the city, “Assa” is displayed in big letters on what looks more like a house than a restaurant. An old building from the 30’s built on several levels, the place has been rehabilitated as a real modern and bright gourmet restaurant leaving to contemplate the tumultuous flow of the Loire through large bay windows. The decoration is certainly sober or even minimalist but care has been taken to the essentials. The open kitchen gives the spectacle of meticulous, silent, almost monastic work, far from the usual din of clattering pots and pans and shouting chefs. The welcome is shy but benevolent . The young couple goes so far as to leave the kitchen in turn to introduce the bank cards and hold the doors.
The idea may seem relevant but I think it illustrates the hesitations of the team about the atmosphere they want to give to their establishment. What coherence is there in pompously reciting the names of long-winded dishes and serving them with a spoon in the dining room? 12 year old balsamic vinegar of Modena when the Maître d’Hôtel is in relaxed clothes, the kitchen is accessible and the Chef fetches the bags of the good ladies ? I believe that it is necessary to assume this family restaurant, relaxed but also innovative where we serve a cuisine marked by the love and history of its owners. The newly awarded Michelin star should not change anything.
The Assa’s menu is as mysterious as it gets. We are not talking about “flat” but of “expressions” . There are eight of them divided between starters, main courses, cheeses and desserts. These expressions are poetic and it would be hard to predict what you will taste. Random: Parmesan in fusion with vegetable flavors or even Mushrooms from the cellars of Loches basted and cradled in foie gras . The menus are also eight in number ranging from Silex menu at 27 € in two plates to the menu Extravagance at 62 € (in French) in seven plates.
I’m not the first person to use this kind of menu construction, where the volume of the dishes is varied rather than the cost of the ingredients. No matter how much money a customer wants to spend, when ordering a menu, he must be fully satisfied. On the other hand, you would be quite right to tell me that the prices are extremely reasonable for a Michelin-starred restaurant of this quality and that the menu Quintessence at 54 € with (starter, fish, meat, cheese, dessert) remains fully accessible. This is precisely the choice we made !
The bread served at Assa is home-made from organic flour . A commendable initiative, especially since this loaf is honest but lacks crispness and flavor. It is better to let the professionals do it and why not the new Fournil 1920 which recently replaced Au Vieux Four rue Gaston-d’Orléans.
This appetizer consists of a Pike quenelle from the Loire seasoned with Sanshō berries and a Mikan emulsion is sublime and foreshadows unprecedented gustatory combinations. Like the Sichuan pepper, the Sanshō berries have a small effect by wisely anesthetizing the tongue and adding to the citrusy side of the composition. The acidity of the Mikan, a kind of typical japanese mandarin , The taste of the fish is marked but does not distort the flavor of the fish.
I like it so much that I will drink every last drop of this emulsion.
Imagine in the same plate, the top of the leg of poultry, scallops, a runny egg , smoked beet, sucrine, wild yuzu jelly, seaweed jelly and finally lime zest. This appetizer is one of the most convoluted I’ve ever tasted. I may have misunderstood the approach of the Chef Authony Maubert and that some explanations on the genesis of this creation would have been useful to me. The mixture seems surreal although everything is done with finesse and you can find your bearings with a well targeted spoon of egg yolk and poultry.
Beyond the fact that the scallops are completely unnoticed in this hodgepodge of ingredients, the yuzu jelly ravages everything in its path. Impossible to distinguish the other flavors so striking its acidity. Even two glasses of Anjou-Villages from Domaine des Rochelles will not be enough to rinse my palate.
Nothing to do, I totally missed it.
The second entry is so complex that I can hardly remember its exact wording. There is a Steamed foie gras on rice dipped in a dashi broth . Around, among other things, shiitakes and a glazed powder of foie gras and parsley. The tasting is just as enigmatic but nothing to upset the taste buds. The marriage is carried out in mouth without shining but without disappointing either.
To the young Chef’s credit, he was able to offer a innovative cuisine that goes off the beaten track and dares to combine unusual flavors and textures.
On this fish dish a little less daring, the French-Japanese wedding works much better on me. First the Yellow pollack from Nantes is cooked in an admirable manner, attesting to the Chef’s solid foundation acquired from such high-profile chefs as Arnaud Donckele . Its flesh is pearly or even translucent. Also perfect is the sauce imagined as a lamb’s lettuce pesto smooth and topping or the leek okonomiyaki terribly melting.
But the magic of this dish is due to the lively notes brought by the red onions and the acidic horns. Really superb work !
It’s hard to follow this cuisine because it takes us to the extreme. This Farmhouse pork cooked to perfection, celeriac and ball, Brussels sprouts and melting apples is disconcertingly classic. After having shaken us up with a yuzu jelly and onion pickles, the Chef now comforts us with this a dish full of delicacy . Nothing to say about the realization, it is divinely good !
One almost wonders which register the Chef is more comfortable with and if his love for Japanese flavors does not sometimes play tricks on him. I think that this great difference in the compositions is voluntary and is intended to offer a satisfactory overall experience for all the customers. Play hard to get the impertinence card would be very risky and too cloying for a not always adventurous clientele.
At the same time, I am normally adventurous and I found. I may be more conservative than I thought 😉
Assa always displays two options when it comes to the cheese stage. First, a with a classic platter of mature cheeses from the region successfully enhanced on this day by a delicious pumpkin and honey chutney . Then, a cheese transformed with a real cook’s mind. Thus, this Hot parmesan mousse, Jerusalem artichoke cream, grated parmesan, tempura crispy and balsamic vinegar was simply brilliant.
I already love it when a restaurant revisits the age-old ceremonial of cheese, but here, my hat is off to you. Crunchy, light, salty, sweet, I am conquered !
It is now at Fumiko Maubert I was won over from the start with his pastry creations, always halfway between France and Japan. Sound Matcha Mille-feuille As we did not find any takers at our table, I am only presenting this dish to you Fine apple tartlet, raspberry / sesame sorbet and sesame tuile . The apple is worked here in different textures, all very successful. In spite of a deceptively sloppy presentation, one can feel the precision in the cooking and the assembling. Le raspberry / sesame sorbet is what convinced me the most because the balance between the two ingredients was impeccable.
As a former nutritionist, and a Japanese one at that, Fumiko Maubert has the concern of not sweetening her plates and of playing on the sweetening properties of the fruits to the maximum. We have a very fresh and easy to digest dessert which is the perfect way to end this pleasant lunch. Note that for 8 € more, I could have chosen the large menu and offered myself a second dessert from the Pastry Chef. Too bad, it will be for the next time !
Do we have to go ? Yes, you have to come and eat at Assa’s because this restaurant offers a singular cuisine trying to reconcile the Loire region and Japanese flavors. Chef Anthony Maubert shows a great creativity sometimes risky but which he knows how to counterbalance with more consensual compositions always remarkably executed. The pastry chef Fumiko Maubert is not to be outdone.
His plates are fair, delicate and original and we would like his talent to be expressed more either with an additional pre-dessert or by adding a menu without cheese and with two desserts.
With whom ? The place lends itself well to a dinner or a lunch for two because the tables are spaced and the atmosphere is particularly serene.
Go back there ? Yes, I would like to see how this cuisine evolves over time and if the team finds the right formula to make the experience truly unforgettable.
The clientele ? A majority of couples of all ages visibly accustomed to good tables.
It is expensive ? The Extravagance menu that I recommend is 62 € for both lunch and dinner. Considering the level of the cuisine and the generosity of the plates, this price is amply justified. By the way, don’t be fooled by the stylized pictures of plates circulating on the internet.
The portions are actually much more generous.
Information :
Assa Restaurant
189 Quai Ulysse Besnard – 41000 Blois
Tel. : 02 54 78 09 01
www.assarestaurant.en
A Franco-Japanese restaurant in Aix en Provence
If you are a fan of Japanese cuisine and you don’t know how to cook, this is the place for you’If you don’t have the possibility to go to the restaurant, you can go there’in Blois, a very nice address is waiting for you in the South of France. L’ideal address if you are visiting for a vacation, a weekend, a seminar, or if you live in the south, go to Aix en Provence.
Chez Hervé takes you on a trip to Asia with typical dishes from the region, including sushi, which is served as much as you like. A fish speciality that could not be more coherent with the presence of the Mediterranean Sea nearby, allowing you to take a de rigueur culinary break with flavors that are out of the ordinary’ordinary. An interesting and surprising all-you-can-eat concept. The quality products are practically elaborated under your eyes for an even more interesting concept and the’The welcome is really pleasant at the Japanese restaurant in Aix en Provence .
It is located at 660 Avenue Galilée, 13290 Aix-en-Provence. Very easily accessible by car or by public transportation. You will plunge into the’Japanese atmosphere, with the possibility of tasting your dishes with chopsticks of course.
Tartar, salads, sushi, chirashi, midori and many other specialties will make you crave for more. A great way to discover the aromas and flavors of Asia.