Sa.Qua.Na

How about a double jeu de mots? Sa.Qua.Na, an abbreviated version of Saveurs, Qualité et Nature (Tastes, Quality and Nature) is not only the motto of chef Alexandre Bourdas, but also a homonym for “fish” in Japanese (sakana). More important, though, it means really good eating, which is why Bourdas’s new restaurant-just awarded a Michelin star-is the hit of the season in well-heeled Honfleur, the delightful Normandy port once frequented by impressionist painters and other 19th-century bohemians. Bourdas was most recently chef at Michel Bras’s Tokyo restaurant, and his Japan experience is apparent on his new menu. “I remain very attached to the Japanese talent for simplicity and understatement,” he says, and he makes the point with dishes such as his foie gras in a “tapenade” of cucumbers, Granny Smith apples, milk, sorrel and mint; or a lettuce flan with mackerel and grilled sesame oil. One more don’t-miss dish: roast saddle of lamb with puréed new almonds, grilled Treviso, and a jus of liquorice and gentian. The décor-dove-gray walls, white Corian-topped wooden tables and oversize white porcelain serving dishes-underline Bourdas’s affection for Japanese minimalism.

22 place Hamelin, Honfleur, 02.31.89.40.80. €140 for two people without wine

Originally published in the October 2007 issue of France Today

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