Originally from Kyoto, Chef Ippei Uemura invites us to his restaurant in the Vallon des Auffes for a gastronomic journey, where Mediterranean products and Asian flavors mingle. I had the pleasure of discovering its signature 12-step menu for €125, called "Le Voyage" (Tabi in Japanese), one summer evening. Ippei also offers a 9-step menu for €79, called “Le Rêve”. At lunchtime, the 4-step menu is €55. Finally, because the palate is educated from an early age and the pleasure of eating well concerns us all, the Chef offers children a menu for €40.
The decoration of the restaurant is sober, the blue-green walls and driftwood structures recall the Mediterranean Sea, which can be admired at the same time as the sunset from the round tables in the interior room. Several elements also take us back to the colors of the sea around Ishigaki Island, in the south of Japan: at the entrance to the restaurant, a splendid ceramic work of art made up of dozens of blue squares, or even the circles of ceramic napkin in iridescent blue color. On each table, a bonsai symbolizes the harmonious cycle between men and nature, as well as between the elements.
The standard is high and reflects the image of the restaurant. We were very well received by the chef himself, then the sommelier and the restaurant waiters. A food and sake/white wine pairing was offered to us for the meal.
Chef Ippei Uemura cooks with local ingredients, like his sushi rice grown in the Camargue or his honey harvested at the foot of Sainte Victoire. Provençal products are worked using the Japanese method . The culinary journey begins with marinated mackerel and its spring assembly, asparagus and carrot tagliatelle. The tastes are fine, the acidity is perfectly balanced. To accompany the starters, bread and a soft brioche are served with seaweed butter.
Very educational, Ippei Uemura leaves his counter throughout the service to explain to customers the creation of his dishes. The second plate is the tuna Yubiki and its tsukimidare sauce, inspired by a raw fish preservation technique. It is first passed under a stream of scalding water before plunging it into cold water. It is then marinated before being combined with a perfect egg cooked under a trickle of hot water too. It is finally served with a tsukimidare sauce, umami at its highest level. The Chef also made himself the plate on which we eat, in order to be able to combine elegance and practicality, like the pouring spout used to easily finish tasting this dish.
The journey continues with a sea bass sashimi on its carpet of vegetable vinaigrette, then 4 elements of the sea, sakurani caviar-style octopus, tuna tartare, fried marinated squid, sweet and sour mackerel, served with eggplant in chicken broth. The Chef explains to us again his technique for gaining tenderness with octopus: instead of being beaten, it is massaged for an hour, which gives it an astonishing flavor.
Each step is delicious and exotic. The menu is very sea-oriented, the only meat dish is a stew of beef fillet and seasonal vegetables, all accompanied by a wonderful pickle sorbet. This sorbet is a real discovery, it cleanses the palate between each bite, alternates the hot and cold sensation in the mouth, and goes very well with beef.
The second dish is a Yuan-style porgy Yuan, a culinary designer and artist who invites you to discover emotions in a fun and sensory way, through colorful and textured ingredients. A sake granita is then served to cleanse the palate.
We arrive at my two favorite dishes on the menu, the grilled lobster on a honey emulsion and the chirashi Marseillais, a revisitation of a bouillabaisse with red mullet whose broth has been filtered twice and whose sushi-style saffron rice has replaced the potatoes. These two dishes are delicious and comforting, the emulsion and broth combine perfectly with the flavors.
The journey ends with the famous Ichigo Daifuku, better known as strawberry mochi. Between the juiciness of the strawberry, the creaminess of the anko (red bean paste) and the velvety softness of the mochi paste, it is one of the Japanese's favorite sweets. For the last step, accompanied by a yuzu liqueur or Japanese rum as a digestive, a trio of sweets is served: matcha and yuzu tea jelly, a madeleine and black sesame cream.
My experience at Tabi was extraordinary, I will happily return and take my loved ones there. Chef Ippei Uemura opens the doors to his imaginary world and shares his cuisine with us with passion. In my opinion, Tabi definitely deserves a star. I strongly advise you to book in advance.
Tel : 04 91 22 09 33
Hours : Tuesday to Saturday, lunchtimes and evenings
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