Well, our sample size is not as large as yours, of course.
But these “French by a Japanese chef” places are the one type of restaurant in Paris where we have enough experience - since they tend to be my wife’s favorite - that I feel at least somewhat confident in my claims.
They had all become so similar that we had pretty much stopped going to any but Alliance.
But based on our two meals at Akabeko, and our now 3 in the last two years at Alliance, I’m comfortable saying that the starters and mains are at least as good at the former, and we liked several a little better, and found them more intriguing/different.
But to repeat, the service alone thanks to Shawn is so wonderful at Alliance that there is no comparison on that dimension, the room at lunch is more enjoyable, and the amuses and mignardises are also superior at Alliance. I plead nolo contendere on the desserts.
And so we still prefer Alliance overall. But Akabeko is for now firmly in the mix.
