During the glory days of chef Sota Atsumi at the Clown Bar in Paris, his effortless fusion of Japanese subtlety with the craft of French classic cuisine has brought to life dishes such as foie gras and duck pithivier, last year listed in ‘The 25 Essential Dishes to Eat in Paris’, and veal brain in dashi and yuzu, a dish which is still served at the Clown Bar today.
Chef Sota Atsumi made his way through the kitchens of Robuchon and Troisgros. A decade ago, he stirred up the Parisian bistronomic scene by cooking at Vivant and Clown Bar.
Sota left the the Clown Bar in 2017 with the idea of creating his own, more elevated and refined cuisine, and so, 4 years ago, he opened Maison Sota.
The restaurant in the Oberkampf district, in the premises of a former warehouse, seems more like a private residence covered in terracotta tiles with curated design objects, such as the fennel-shaped private dining room on the ground floor.
A wood-burning oven and wood-fire grills take center stage in the dining room on the second floor, divided from the rest of the space by a long counter, which would be great for solo diners. That's the top spot to watch the smoke curling up to the vaulted ceilings and the passionate, efficient à la minute cooking.
The menu changes every week, if not daily. Always expect five amuse-bouches, fresh seasonal vegetables, dishes that put an ingredient first and French tradition as an inspiration, such as a decadent slice of mille crêpe with black trumpet mushrooms and caramelised onions, and grilled eel with egg yolk.
The showstoppers at Maison appear mostly during Sunday lunch, be it a salt-baked pintade (guinea fowl), pigeon roasted in the wood oven with pistachio sauce, or a signature pithivier.Pastry Chef Rikako Kobayashi adds a special touch at the end with her seasonal pastry bites, always with attention to design and flavor.
