Restaurant Mano: refined cuisine and friendly atmosphere in Boulogne-Billancourt (92)

It's a small restaurant with big flavors. Just outside Paris, the Hauts-de-Seine town of Boulogne-Billancourt boasts a number of neighborhood nuggets, and among them, the Mano restaurant is well worth a visit. Here, the setting is sober and warm, punctuated by details that echo the personality of chef Maximilien Kuzniar.

Having worked in the kitchens of Plantxa with Juan Arbeláez, and Jérôme Banctel's La Réserve, he is now at the helm of his own restaurant. You'll feel like you're among friends here, but if the tone is one of conviviality, to the rhythm of a festive and nostalgic playlist, in the kitchen, refined dishes are concocted that should delight gourmets.

Like the setting, the gastronomy at Mano is infused with the chef's personality. Maximilien Kuzniar offers the fruit of his career and his history, with recipes that are assertive, full of character and with clear-cut flavors. He works boldly with bitterness, smokiness and vinegar, with aplomb, to twist and sublimate his dishes, which in turn bring us that signature kick in one way or another. Not necessarily to everyone's taste, and aimed above all at gourmets who are ready to play the game and let themselves be carried along by the savoir-faire.

There's mastery and technique... And creativity too! At lunchtime, the menu is à la carte only, while in the evening, there's the kiff menu, a five-part blind tasting session priced at 69€. This menu combines the savoir-faire of a gastro with the conviviality of a bistro. The titles are simple, with no big talk or fuss. Good food goes with good times, and good times go with good food.

Let yourself be carried away by the tasting menu to discover Maximilien Kuzniar's gastronomy. Naturally, the menu can be adapted to suit the dietary requirements of your guests, so all you have to do is let go and let the chef lead you into the heart of his character-filled world of taste.

A miniature version of baratta with heirloom tomatoes, vine peaches and ponzu vinaigrette. A refreshing mix of sweet and savory, but not the most representative of Mano's cuisine, if you're hesitant about taking this starter à la carte. We particularly appreciate the rather powerful caper powder that coats the whole: this risk-taking is a hit-or-miss proposition. The result may be controversial, but for our part, it's seductive.

What you won't want to miss, however, is ceviche, one of the most popular dishes on the menu. The fish of the day, in this case sea bream, spiced up with leche de tigre, the famous tangy marinade, rests on a smoked sweet potato purée. The whole dish is well-balanced and not very spicy, which makes it suitable for taste buds that are not very fond of spicy notes, making the most of the acidity to awaken the senses.

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Vitello Tonato, a Piedmontese speciality, is served here in a more contemporary yet no less gourmet version. This cold starter features veal carpaccio cooked at a low temperature, preserving all its flavor, with the added bonus of a melt-in-the-mouth texture that blends beautifully with the creaminess of the tonato sauce. Smoked almonds, pickles and capers are added. We're transported to Italy.

Afterwards, the dishes differ somewhat between our partner of the day and us. For one, it's maritime flavors with whelks hidden in a rouille mousse, another modernized classic. We'll skip until we're almost finished. For the other, it's gnocchi, homemade of course, this time with a very soft texture and served with a parmesan cream and poultry jus. Simple and effective.

This continues with the next course, which brings with it a certain comfort: the yellow supreme of poultry, with mashed potatoes, chanterelles and jus. Beautifully executed, the quality of the products speaks for itself, and we return to those basics that always bring pleasure, like a family memory shared on a plate.

We're already full. But we're still going to have dessert. The Brownkie, a decadence born of the marriage between the brownie and the cookie, topped with a peanut ice cream (or hazelnut ice cream when we were there) should delight real sweet tooths: beware, it's still quite heavy, it's pure, uninhibited gluttony.

Japanese pearls are an ingenious take on this now-famous dessert. Tapioca pearls prepared like rice pudding and topped with a crumble, mango coulis and pineapple compote, a fruitier, lighter ensemble. Finally, the tiramisu, again simple and effective, with its airy texture, is the chef's way of sharing a final family recipe with his guests before bringing this gourmet stopover to a close. We promised you an address designed for good times, now all you have to do is enjoy them!

Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know.