Ellie P.
Yelp
Yes, this restaurant has been written up all over the place, and yes, it more than lives up to the hype. I've eaten a lot of great meals in Paris, and this is one of the best. Call today, and sign up for their next available table.
The food is amazing, and the service was impeccable.
They offer one menu de degustation every night, which they are happy to fix up for you if you have anything you don't eat.
Maybe you have had many menus de degustation, but you may not have had one that offers you a beverage pairing where you can choose wine, tea, or wine and tea. I recommend the third option. Their tea sommelier is absolutely charming. I enjoy a cup of tea once in a while, but have not had anything quite like these. And it turns out it's refreshing to alternate some tea in with your wine. Who knew? The chef is from Bourgogne, and so is much of the wine -- I can only assume it wasn't an accident.
Ah, but yes, there was food, too. Some restaurants sacrifice "delicious" for interesting, while other places go for safe, well-tried combinations to improve the deliciousness factor. Yam'Tcha somehow finds the right combinations that hit both desires, reminding you that you love eating in restaurants because you love to be surprised and delighted with flavors you'd never thought of on your own. And they manage to keep the portions well-sized so you're not force-feeding yourself at the end.
When they say Asian fusion, you may think "soy sauce -- been there done that." There was actually no soy sauce in any of our dishes. Think of the style of a Japanese kaiseki menu, with French, Chinese, and Japanese flavors.
The first dish we had was mussels, soy beans, and mushrooms. Next, we had langustine with corn, egg, and tiny cucumbers. The texture here was perfect. Next, a fish (rouget) with a slightly sweet sauce and ginger-steamed cabbage. The cheese course featured shavings of gouda with dill. The dessert was a cheesecake with a spiced mixture of raspberries, figs and a shiso leaf garnish. There was a separate dish of pineapple mousse/soup with sliced figs. All brilliant, all delicious.
The staff are all extremely kind, welcoming, and clearly very passionate about what they do. It's an open kitchen, so you can watch the action. They have one table for two which is a cross between sitting at the bar and sitting in the kitchen. If you like to watch chefs in action, it could be a fun table.
Gluten-free notes: Yes, it's Asian fusion, but yes, you can eat here. And you will eat oh so very well. It can't hurt to call ahead and mention you're gluten-free. The chef herself double-checked all sauces in advance, and the only substitutions I noticed were the absence of bread and cheesecake. After the meal, the chef chatted with us to see if everything was okay and explained how she had taken care to make sure everything went well.