Onassis at Kennedy’s
What could be better than falling head over heels for a restaurant you discover by chance? What could be better than stopping in front of a storefront that tickles our curiosity? What could be better than crossing the threshold, setting off on a voyage of discovery and experiencing, depending on the protagonists, either a sparkling moment or a complete disappointment? You run the risk of falling from the top or the bottom!
Alpha male
In the quiet Malmousque district of Marseilles lies a top-class restaurant that houses a bar, a fishmonger, a fish counter and a few tables on the first floor and, behind a secret door, an intimate gourmet restaurant on the second floor. Welcome to the Onassis restaurant on the Corniche Kennedy… do you see the parallel? An immersion sequence with a healthy dose of passion.
No need to procrastinate, we’re under the spell. It all starts with a smile and a reassuring welcome. The slates arrive with a glass of Chenin as a wine prelude. We dip pieces of a generous loaf of farmhouse bread into a creamy, dense tarama. We’re in business! We could (almost) have left it at that, such is the rarity of the moment, but we would have regretted not tasting the opulent joy of bonito sashimi and soy sauce. The dish was for one person, so we quickly ordered a second. We then sneak onto a seafood platter before sharing a perfectly cooked loup des calanques. And surprise, we discover that the establishment houses a gourmet restaurant on the second floor. Reservations have been made for that very evening!
Gastronomic pilgrimage
We return with growing excitement. How can we do better? What can we expect? We take the bottle-green staircase that leads us to a small, intimate and elegant room with an open pass to the kitchen, as is the trend. Behind the stoves, chef Joffray Bohaer takes us on a gastronomic journey from Marseille to Asilah, Nagoya, Koh Samui, Istanbul and Los Angeles. A pilgrimage of diverse flavors. In the dining room, the imperturbable Fiona Hsissou masters the hazards of service with panache and sensitivity.
We’ll long (but long) remember the crispy red mullet with its spicy mayonnaise and sublime bouillabaisse-style broth. We’ll long remember the octopus carpaccio with a lightly spiced bell pepper mousse. We’ll long remember the pearly cod and its cauliflower mousseline. We’ll long remember this lucky and wonderful stopover at Onassis….
