Assa

Rating: 17
Author: Gault&Millau

Novotel Blois Centre Val de Loire, 26 Avenue du Maréchal Maunoury, 41000 Blois, France

17/20
Prestige Restaurant

BOOK

3 PHOTOS

Chef: Anthony Maubert
Services: Access for people with disabilities | Private Parking

Budget (€)

Indicative price per person (excl. drinks)

29 to 138

Gault&Millau's review 2026

First of all, it's a table that has to be earned and requires patience, because finding it, hidden behind a hotel and a door that doesn't say much, takes time and desire. But once you've got past the initial discomforts and dissipated your frustrations, piece by piece you'll be able to enjoy a unique experience, centered around the equally singular cuisine of Anthony and his wife Fumiko. In this seemingly hastily constructed setting (their real restaurant burned down, so this is a temporary situation), an improvised reproduction of a typical izakaya with rice paper partitions and some Japanese calligraphy, the two chefs have imagined a journey along the Loire River of rare poetry. A dual Franco-Japanese culture expresses itself in counterpoint, finding its perfect superposition in each other's backgrounds, crossing paths with Lasserre, then Donckele at La Vague d'Or, then finding decisive and persistent inspiration alongside Marc Veyrat. The Assa of 2014 has now reached maturity, with Anthony's sensitive intuitions on the one hand, and Fumiko's pastry creations on the other, creating a coherent image of a cuisine that links culture and nature. The complexity of these dishes is sometimes a little overwhelming, but they always reveal their obviousness in the mouth, like the pike, daikon and puntarelle starter, where you seem to relive every step of the recipe, every cooking and every adjustment; then the bluffing triptych of foie gras, horensõ and miso, the foie gras powder and the superb nigiri of foie gras, poached and flame-grilled on impeccable rice, the accompaniment of miso sauce of rare technicality, the play of textures playful from start to finish. Not to be missed either is the red mullet with fennel and edamame, an instant transport to the coast, a condensed sea broth, superbly spiced by the aniseed touches of fennel, softened by the edamame, remarkable for the delicacy of the cooking. The biche de Sologne is a radical expression of the game dish, something wild and very deep, where the sauces reveal a particularly fine work of spices, simply accompanied by a declination of carrots, once again exemplary in execution. Not to mention the desserts would be to miss out on half the work, as Fumiko's creations make up a large part of the journey, with this beautiful alliance of quince, milk and ginger, stunning in its lightness and persistence at the same time. Then there's the composition of fig, fig leaf and sesame, in which we feel all the attraction of the country of our birth, and at the same time the well-integrated greed of the host country. The wine cellar is one of the most exceptional in the city, with nuggets as well as wines of great prestige, always well commented. Finally, the service is highly professional, but could perhaps do with a little more simplicity. Very friendly welcome.