Cuisine: Ivory Coast–born Morou Ouattara’s freewheeling style draws on influences from Africa, Asia, and France and revels in foams, jellies, and powders. Its juxtapositions are meant to baffle, surprise, and provoke conversation. Often they do—all in the same delicious dish.

Mood: On a side street in Old Town, the serene dining room—even the ’80s-leaning soundtrack, with forays into heavy metal and Prince, is kept low—gives no hint of the madcap explorations going on in the kitchen. Only a wall stencil that evokes the African bush and dangling coconut shells suggest the chef’s source of inspiration.

Best for: Culinary adventurers for whom a “deconstruction” is a delight.

Best dishes: Eggplant gazpacho, refreshing and intense; “shocked escolar,” thin slices of flash-blanched fish to be swabbed in Merlot powder, speared with pickled quince, and topped off with wasabi tapioca pearls; a perfectly undercooked halibut with a sweet-onion purée; panko-crusted cured quail sauced with a kind of savory crème brûlée and drizzled with chorizo oil.

Insider tips: Soups are a point of pride for Morou, who is disinclined to rely on cream for richness; instead he cooks his vegetables until they break down, the natural purée fortifying the flavor of his broths. Having grown up in a culture where meat was a luxury, he’s capable of assembling a vegetarian menu of imagination and depth.

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