Passage 53 (53 Passage des Panoramas 75002 Paris - 01 42 33 04 35)
Chef: Shinichi Sato (former of l'Astrance (Pascal Barbot) and Aida)
Have I been there before? No
Ambiance: nonexistent. Because the restaurant is so small and has a huge window to the Passage des Panoramas (it used to be a philatelic shop), makes you feel as if you are eating ,well,.. in a philatelic shop.
Food: French cooking seen through Japanese eyes.
Even for lunch, Passage 53 serves "surprise" menu, so no à la carte.
Cream of potimarron, coffee with milk emulsion
Veal tartare with chopped apple,fennel and oysters. Now, when i read where Shinichi Sato used to work, I remember where i ate this dish before.
Squid with cauliflower(cooked and raw),almonds
Scallop with some ancient vegetable ( don't remember the name ) and chestnut emulsion
Caramelized cod with shiitake cream,radish and turnips
Salmon with citrus and turnips
Pear ice cream with pear coulis and celery
Tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream and pomme d'amour
Any flaws? Everything was very good, but i wish there were à la carte menu at least for lunch, as it just takes too much time to go through all these small plates. Also, i think the location is very depressive and doesn't fit the fine cooking by Shinichi Sato.
Will i return? Maybe (Yes- because of the food, no- because of the location)
