MOSUKE, JAPANESE PASSION

Opened on September 1, 2020, MoSuke had to close on October 29 of the same year due to the lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, it was enough for the restaurant to earn its first Michelin star in 2021! Let's delve into this restaurant with Japanese, African, and French influences, whose dishes, according to the famous red guide, are "always a success, inspired, and original."

The novelty lies first in the unprecedented combination of three culinary traditions handled with great skill. Let's take an essential dish from Senegal and Mali: yassa chicken. At MoSuke, they use chicken from Bresse and replace lemon (or lime) with sudachi or yuzu. The recipe remains the same as the original dish, but it's all about the flavors! The base product is French, the seasoning Japanese, and the technique African. In reality, it's more complex, and the result is extremely refined. Another example: Chef Mory Sacko long wondered why the smell and taste of katsuobushi reminded him of his childhood, until one day he remembered smoked catfish, which is widely consumed in West Africa. So sometimes, at MoSuke, they use it instead of dried bonito to add more depth to the broth.

But what sparked Chef Mory Sacko's fascination with Japanese cuisine, given his background of being born in France to an Ivorian mother and Malian father? He reminisces that in the manga he devoured as a teenager, "the characters were always eating and had an intense connection with food!" And then: “I must have been around 13. It wasn't fancy, but as someone raised on my mother’s cooked fish and warm rice, the boldness of the raw fish's flavor was...” Obviously, the first time he used Japanese ingredients remains etched in his memory: "It was at the Royal Monceau where I was an apprentice, and we worked alternately for various restaurants, including Chef Nobu's. One day I was asked to make Black Cod sauce with miso and mirin, and those ingredients have stayed with me ever since." So at MoSuke, they use a lot of homemade miso with their own koji base; they almost exclusively season with soy sauce, which adds umami. The Oshizushi with char, as well as the line-caught tuna sashimi with attiéké, shichimi togarashi, and rayu, are delightful. Wasabi ice cream accompanies the Tanzanian chocolate tart; the azuki bean ice cream with kinako powder and matcha tea has become a classic.

For obvious ecological reasons - and wherever possible - MoSuke favors foods produced or grown in France. While nori sheets and sansho berries come from Japan, umeboshi (salted prunes) are homemade. The most imported product at MoSuke is undoubtedly sake, which is increasingly appreciated by customers and the chef alike. Its smoothness and richness complement his cuisine perfectly. Pairing a dish with sake, he says, "is like adding sauce to the plate. And where wine struggles - with the chili or spices that are very present in my cuisine - sake works wonders." Though few customers order entire bottles of sake, they gladly enjoy it by the glass, which allows to alternate with wine pairings. MoSuke offers around forty sake references on the menu, as well as umeshu and yuzushu, often served at dessert.

In March 2023, MoSuke underwent a makeover. The establishment returned to a warmer and more intimate ambiance where African, Japanese, and French references intertwine in a setting with soothing shades of almond and deep green. The fabric ceiling mimics undulating waves, the beams are intricately carved from warm-toned wood reminiscent of African decorative motifs, and the walls, dressed in natural abaca fiber wallpaper, evoke a serene and verdant ambiance akin to Japanese gardens.

During these renovations, Mory Sacko finally went to Japan. Moving from the refinement of a kaiseki meal enjoyed with chopsticks to devouring street food in the streets of Osaka, those three weeks between Tokyo, Kyoto, the Kobe, Hiroshima, and Toyama regions were a revelation. Forever changed by his encounter with a veteran tempura chef of over 40 years who told him that it wasn't just about frying vegetables but about revealing their flavor through heat, Mory Sacko now dreams of opening a restaurant in Japan one day. His ambition is to have access to the full range of Japanese products and benefit from the teachings of masters who can impart their expertise and this unique culinary philosophy to him.