Mosugo, African street food and fried chicken burgers by Mory Sacko

Mory Sacko is a chef who chooses not to choose. First, in his gourmet restaurant, Mosuke, where the chef blends African recipes inherited from his Malian origins with the Japanese flavors that fascinate him so much. Then, always the same tug-of-war when it comes to deciding between gastronomy and street-food; and always this desire to satisfy all his desires.

After being awarded his first Michelin star shortly after Mosuke's inauguration, the chef opened Mosugo, a street-food restaurant a stone's throw from his first address on the same street in the 14th arrondissement.

An unconditional fan of fried chicken, the chef dedicates his menu to it. A burger version is also available (€13.50), and this one is unlike any other. There's no potato bun here, but a soft pretzel b un, tailor-made for the Maison by the bakery La Petite Alsacienne, just a few meters away - a must in the neighborhood, judging by the long line of hungry people waiting outside at lunchtime.

To bring a bit ofWest Africa into his burger recipe, the chef slips in a spicy sauce; while the Japanese aspect is brought out by the presence of cucumber pickles and miso mayonnaise. The burger's star piece, the fried chicken, is rolled in spicy breadcrumbs, retaining its moist, melting texture. Mory Sacko' s vegetarian version (13.50€), a favorite with regulars, replaces the fried chicken with a seasonal vegetable: plantain in summer, squash in winter.

For aesthetes, the fried chicken tenders (10.50€) can be savored as they are, dipped in a bulldog sauce; and here too, vegetarians and the curious are not left out, with plantain fritters (10.50€) worked like meat and passed through the same spicy breading - but we'd have liked them even spicier and more seasoned! The sweet potato fries (5€), crispy and accompanied by a creamy Cajun sauce, are very well done.

In case there's any room left in the stomach, Mosugo unveils a dessert, the Mobroockie (4.50€), an offbeat and decadent marriage of cookie and brownie, topped with miso caramel; but also the Miso Sunday, a miso and caramel ice cream.

• To be read
• At Mosuke, Mory Sacko (Top Chef 2020) brilliantly combines African and Japanese inspiration
• African restaurants in Paris
• African restaurants in Paris, our best addresses

And for those who don't feel up to going all the way to the 14th arrondissement to find out for themselves, there's also a Mosugo corner in the heart of Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, on boulevard Haussmann.