By Adele Xavier – Photographed by Bobby DiMarzo

The chef is French. The technique is classic. But the rillettes are made with tuna, and the duck breast comes with hoisin. Welcome to Sensing, a restaurant offering thought-provoking “cuisine without borders.”

Located in the Fairmont Hotel at Battery Wharf, Sensing is the brainchild of Guy Martin, the Michelin chef of Le Grand Véfour. Sensing is Martin’s first restaurant in the United States, modeled on his restaurant of the same name in Paris. It features a menu with international themes using local New England ingredients, meticulously executed by Chef de Cuisine Gerard Barbin.

The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into the restaurant is the bar. Fashioned from tiger eye marble, which gleams in the muted light, it wraps around the open kitchen, offering a perfect view of the action. The leather barstools are stylish yet comfortable, and there’s a cocktail list with plenty of intriguing offerings. The mixologists are knowledgeable and will gladly make suggestions if you’re feeling indecisive. It might almost be enough to make you hope that your dining companion arrives late to dinner.

Moving from the bar to the table, you’ll see that the restaurant is decorated in cool tones: pale blond wood with shades of blue, grey, and green. Everything, from the chairs to the table settings, features sleek and modern lines. The menu is similarly sleek, with just four or five carefully-selected items in each category. It changes four times a year to reflect the seasons, with occasional specials available.

Sensing’s signature dish is the Sensing Snacking Platter, a changing selection of six clever, playful small bites. A Wellfleet oyster on the half shell comes with shallot and vinegar granité, an inspired twist that provides a burst of flavor. Jerusalem artichoke soup is perfumed with ras-el-hanout, a North African spice blend that lends a haunting, fragrant note to the nutty liquid. A passionfruit and guacamole éclair is a surprising combination of crisp choux pastry with creamy, tangy filling. Smoked mussel and root beet tartar is an intriguing blend of salty and sweet elements. A cube of tuna rillettes is given an Asian-inspired treatment, served in a crisp coating of panko breadcrumbs with sesame and pickled ginger. Finally, duck foie gras crème brûlée is richly unctuous and satisfyingly umami. The snacking platter might be the dish to try if you’re nervous about making dinner conversation: it’ll definitely give you something to talk about.

For those who aren’t feeling quite so adventurous, Sensing does offer more traditional starters. For seafood lovers, there’s seared and tartare shrimp or lobster salad; for a little extravagance, there’s an unusual interpretation of foie gras terrine.

The seared and tartare shrimp, as its name suggests, is shrimp prepared two different ways. The seared shrimp is crisp and satisfyingly salty on the outside, tender and mild within. It works nicely with the sweet potato essence, which is spiced up with ginger and rice wine vinegar. The shrimp tartare offers a completely different perspective: marinated in lychee juice with lime and mint, the shrimp has a subtle, almost creamy quality. You’ll want a forgiving dining companion if you order this, because it might be too good to share.

Of course, you might be able to negotiate a trade if your dining companion orders the lobster salad. A whole tail and claw are served on a bed of butternut squash chutney with mango sauce and red lettuce microgreens. The sweetness of the chutney harmonizes with the sweetness of the lobster, and the mango sauce adds a touch of acidity.

(It should be noted that if you do decide to share, the servers will be more than happy to provide extra cutlery or tasting plates. They are also well-versed in the wine list, so you’re encouraged to ask them for pairing suggestions.)

The duck foie gras terrine is an intriguing twist on a classic idea. Traditionally, foie gras terrine is glazed with wine aspic, and served with pickles or fruit compote to cut the richness. Sensing’s approach uses beets instead: beet jelly, beet pickles, and a beet salad. The visual effect is dramatic: the deep red beet jelly echoes port wine aspic, and the pickles and salad are made from a mix of golden, chioggia, and red beets. Tastewise, it’s unexpected and effective: the beets are earthy and sweet without being cloying, and they balance out the rich, salty terrine.

Following the starters are the entrees, which are similarly careful and considered. The cod steamed in lemongrass, the duck breast laqué with duck leg, and the loin of lamb in peanut crust are all impressive.

If you’re in the mood for a light dish, consider the cod, which is served over soba noodles with seasonal vegetables and a coconut-grapefruit sauce. The fish is delicate and fragrant, and it’s perfectly complemented by the subtle, refreshing note of grapefruit. It’s a very effective example of “cuisine without borders”: while it displays all the careful execution of a dish from French cuisine, it could just as easily be modern Japanese.

The duck breast laqué with duck leg is another clever riff on a classic French dish, taking all the standard elements – seared duck breast, confit of duck leg, even the glazed parsnips – and offering a reinterpretation. The seared breast is served in a sauce of hoisin and nuoc mam, and the confit is wrapped in filo with figs, dates, walnuts, and pecans in a fashion suggestive of spring rolls.

It’s the peanut-crusted loin of lamb, however, that might be the most satisfying. The crust, which contains both peanut butter and crushed peanuts, adds a deliciously salty-sweet crunch to the lamb. It’s accompanied by tender pillows of sweet potato gnocchi in a sweet apple butter reduction, with lightly wilted red chard adding a refreshingly bitter note.

Sensing offers a selection of both local and international artisanal cheeses, provided by local purveyor Formaggio. Honestly, though, it would be a shame to pass on dessert: passionfruit lime cheesecake, Sensing’s take on coffee tiramisu, or lemon and yuzu crystalline.

A passionfruit lime cheesecake is paired with a duo of mango coulis and mango sorbet. It’s perhaps the most staid of all the desserts, but it’s beautifully executed: the cheesecake is sweet and creamy without being too heavy, and the mango adds a fruity, floral note. It may be the choice if you’ve exhausted your culinary daring for the evening.

If you’re still feeling adventurous, however, Sensing offers a remarkable interpretation of coffee tiramisu. It has the usual creamy and cakey layers, but cardamom gives the coffee an added depth, and caramelized peanuts offer delicious crunch. Finally, tiny cubes of coffee gelée in the creamy layers provide an extra dimension to the texture. You’re encouraged to share, but you might find yourself fighting with your dining companion for the last few spoonfuls.

For sheer presentation, the “lemon and yuzu crystalline” steals the show. The dessert comes in a wide stemless goblet covered with a lid of poured sugar. You crack the sugar with the back of your spoon, like crème brûlée, and it becomes part of the contents of the goblet, joining lemon curd, lime sorbet, yuzu foam and galanga crisps. The overall effect is creamy, cold, and very citrusy – somewhere between trifle and postmodern sundae.

To close the meal, there are homemade mignardises to accompany tea or coffee. A raspberry-lychee pâte de fruit is sweet and fragrant, and a Szechuan peppercorn truffle is smoky and intriguing. It’s one last subtle reminder of the Sensing philosophy before you leave: French roots, but a cuisine without borders.