Maki with attitude and waitresses without, this is definitely a first for Paris.  And so it is at Blueberry – the snazzy ‘imaginative maki’ restaurant that opened its Saint-Germain doors in April.

After a number of rather unpleasant experiences involving smoked salmon, cream cheese and sweet soy sauce, my tryst with souped-up sushi in Paris was almost at an end. But Blueberry has restored my confidence – the maki is creative, original and most importantly, totally divine.

The blue-lit cavernous walls, sleek modern furniture and colourful Japanese lanterns make the space feel somewhere between an aquarium, a Philippe Starck bar and a temple. But somehow it works.

Cool kids in pumped up kicks ogle over the Iroquois (marinated beef, coriander, cucumber, sesame and piment d’espelette) while cosy couples ruminate over the Rackham le Rouge (tempura prawn, soy marinated tuna, truffle, cucumber, spicy mayonnaise, flying fish roe and chive). The sung choi bao style sea bream ceviche with grapefruit was simple but punchy, the Little Miss Yuzu (yuzu marinated salmon tataki, raspberry, mango, salade and thai chive) was exquisitely eccentric, and the creamy black sesame ice cream was a perfect finishing touch.

From the inedible to the indelible – imaginative maki has made its mark on Paris and, judging by the crowds, it is here to stay.  So put Blueberry in your Blackberry and make a reservation.

Emerald Bond (author of www.agoodforking.com)

Blueberry
6 rue du Sabot
Paris 75006
Metro : Mabillon, Saint-Germain des Prés & Saint-Sulpice
Telephone: +33 1 42 22 21 56

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