France Archives - Page 4 of 15

Hiking Côte d'Azur: be drawn into the soul soothing Mediterranean on these coastal trails

Hiking Côte d’Azur is what the savvy locals do. Unlike by the gym consumed Americans, the French have more outdoor spirits. Enticed by the nature’s cajoling perfumes, its soothing sonatas and mind calming colours, hiking is accessible to any age group, it is cheap and healthy. Above all, thanks to the French Coastal Law these trails introduce you into the secret spots on the French Riviera that rest hidden to the lazy car fiddlers. INHALE fully that healing Mediterranean air swishing through your nostrils and rejuvenate your lungs tampered by city life. The dry, life-less air-conditioning of the indoors will be reprimanded by the unpolluted moist sea breeze. The great outdoors between Cannes and Menton on the Italian border (I hike beyond to Liguria, but I will post on this theme separately) are less crowded than the beaches, so you can free your soul from most distractions of humanity, the intrusive hat hawkers inclusive.

I live in the area and hiked, strolled or speed-walked most of the trails known locally. I challenged them in various seasons and I must warn you ahead – the weather conditions make the world’s difference when hiking Côte d’Azur. The scorching heat of summer on the exposed hikes drowns you in sweat and dizziness, while rain in November and April renders the rocky trails dangerous. For each recommended trail bellow I add my favourite months to venture out.
As with most good things in life, you have options when hiking Côte d’Azur.

Going alone is safe on the frequented trails like the Cap Ferrat, Cap d’Antibes or Ile Sainte Marguerite circuits. The more lonesome, tricky, and to the roads exposed challenging hikes to Roquebrunne Village, Tête de Chien and Mont Alban, are better conquered with company.
When low on energy, the easy coastal strolls jazz up your prana (life energy) and boost circulation, while trails scaling up to mountain climbing cultivate your fitness.

For all levels of explorers are the flat roundabouts of the islands and peninsulas thrust like fish nets into the Mediterranean sea. On the following trails you walk almost effortlessly. Their mildly inclining cemented or even ground paths are anytime pleasers.

Map of the walk from Beaulieu to Villefranche via Cap Ferrat.

Cap Ferrat

Coming on four wheels? Ideally park opposite the Casino in Beaulieu sur Mer or on the secure beach parking in Villefranche sur mer. If you arrive by train either to Villefranche or Beaulieu (closer towards Monaco), you can embark on a 13 km trip taking about three hours. Flipping the geographic shape of Cap Ferrat (map link above), you imagine a cabriolet opening its roof while whizzing into the blue sea. As you can see on the map, skipping the roof part of Pointe Saint Hospice, where the Paloma Beach and restaurant nests, will save you about 30 minutes or approximately three kilometres. As a bonus, you avoid the more narrow and rugged path battle with the many trippers, who for some reason favour this part.
Embarking from Beaulieu along its only public beach find the signed path and wander along the coast dotted with the majestic villas on La Promenade Maurice Rouvier all the way to the fishing village of St Jean. If you need to stock on some calories, get the pastry from BOULANGERIE DU PORT, 5 Avenue Jean Mermoz (their almond flaked petits fours are my personal weakness) or quiches and sandwiches at LES DELICES DE MARIUS in the village. Follow the road straight through the residential path and you will get to the coast. The cliffs should be on your right side and welcoming along is the colourful street art, unexpected on such a prime real estate. Follow the open sea and snake around the rocky cape, passing the pool area of the magnificent Grand Hotel, the lighthouse and then your gaze sets on the bay of Villefranche with its little boat world until reaching La Plage Passable. Here, make no mistake and walk up the stairs on the road winding up to the main road. Here you can turn right and visit Villa Santo Sospir (reservations essential) with stunning frescoes by Jean Cocteau. Or if turning left, once you pass the Police station wind left through the residential roads. With the rail tracks on your right you will descend to the beach and reach the Gare, train station of Villefranche soon.
BEST TIME: January, February, May, June, September, October
More info on the local tourism office website.

Île Sainte-Marguerite

The Île Sainte-Marguerite is the largest of the Lérins Islands, about half a mile off-shore from Cannes. Take a seasonal ferry from the glamorous French Riviera hotspot or from Juan Les Pins next to the Cap d’Antibes and within minutes disembark on the three kilometres stretching island. From the port wind right for an easy walk. The wide, anything with motor-free ground road is shaded by the gargantuan umbrellas of the Mediterranean pines so even mid August it is pleasant. Foraging for some blackberries and raspberries that ripen during the summer season adds even more joy to the walk. For the best sea views of the ochre-hued Esterel ridge to the West, on the South the tiny Île St Honorat, its vineyards and the monastery, take the coastal route, not cutting through the island. During the peaking summer holidays about a hundred of small boats linger in the shallow waters between the two islands. A solar powered pizza boat delivers around, so forgetting your picnic fuel gets solved after one simple call.
If your budget allows though, have a late lunch at La Guérite, about five minute stroll from the port. The trendy (also in St Barths), yet casual beach restaurant serves small portions of superb quality food for eye-rolling prices (the rare treat of spiny lobster and in salt-crusted bass are superb after some simple vegetarian starters). The yachts moor nearby and the Guérite charters give the lift to the well-off diners for the gourmet splurge and fun. During summer, life band stirs the mood and the party heats up with a DJ spun entertainer hopping on and off the tables. The whole place often dancing in the waves of musical and vinous ecstasy. Birthdays, families, party-loving groups, they all enjoy the vibe. What a festive apogee of the day.
BEST TIME: May, June, June-July only if you do not mind hundreds of picnic goers, September, October. The ferry is less frequent off-season, so check the schedule.

Mediterranean sunset when hiking Côte d'Azur

Cap d’Antibes

The eastern views of the Maritime Alps, in spring still covered with the snow hats, are most arresting for natural beauty lovers on this walk, while the rest may be tempted to sneak peak through the pines and maquis trees into the stately mansions that hiking Côte d’Azur reveals from the closest possible angle.
From a boat you realise just how wild and partially inaccessible the cape is. The ostentatious châteaux and sprawling villas of some of the richest people in the world guard their own bite of the peninsula, hence the name Baie des Milliardaires d’Antibes of the southwestern part of the cape, but there is still enough for you to explore on foot. Start at the Garoupe beach, where you can park, and head south away from Antibes on a wide paved road towards Cap Gros. Later, you will have to snake along the narrow, rugged route of Tire-Poil edged by quite daring cliffs, passing the Faux Argent Cove and until you reach the gardens of the Villa Eilen Roc, your turning point. If you do not mind walking inland through the residential area, Active Azur suggest looping back through the Chemin des Douaniers back inland and then follow Avenue Beaumont until you reach the main road RD 2559. This 4.8km trail takes in total about two hours.
Here is the map of their suggested trail around Cap d’Antibes.
BEST TIME: January, February, May, June, September, October.

Cap d’Ail to Mala Beach

I run along this at times sea kissing Sentier du Littoral since this public coastal path brings me in a direct face to face encounter with the sea breeze, and there are not too many steps to climb and descend that my back has to buffer. Particularly when an austere weather splashes in the gusts of rough waters, the run feels so invigorating. You will pass many casual strollers of all ages and nationalities, hinting at Monaco’s current multicultural make-up, so you rarely feel lonely on this popular coastal path. The local municipality closes the route when it gets dangerous since cases of drowning were reported over the years. As anywhere, hiking Côte d’Azur requires vigilance.
You can conveniently park in seaside of Cap d’Ail (free on Sundays and holidays) either behind the beaches bordering Monaco’s Fontvielle or right after them at the feet of the sturdily cemented coastal path. Unlike with most walks, easily trace the start at the end of the car park and than just weave along until you reach the private Mala Beach, about 40 minutes of a leisurely stroll tucked behind the Cape Mala. The majestic Mediterranean villas entertain the glamour spotters, since kings, important politicians (Churchill) and Italian movie stars once resided either in the Belle Epoque Villa Les Camélias, now a museum, Villa Le Roc Fleury, and the only directly sea facing Villa The Rock on Cap Rognoso. Yogis roll out their mats on the bridged islet, and the picnic lovers setup their meals on the stone tables dotted along. You can dine dressed in your sports gear at one of the four restaurants along the route. Our favourite for an authentic, boho, romantic feel and great local seafood is Le Cabanon, a shack directly on Cap d’Ail after which the town is named, once built by Le Corbusier himself. There is a sandy petanque court (known as a boulodrome) under the mulberry trees in front, that gets the French party going on the cooling late afternoons. Hiking Côte d’Azur can turn into a gourmet and competitive walk here!
BEST TIME: All year round except for when a windy weather, rough seas or midday summer heat either bar you from entering or suck out your zeal to deal with the ups and lows of the coastal path.

Monaco through Cap Martin to Menton

There are more options for this trail – each with its own perils, except for one.
First is to park by the Monte-Carlo Country Club (around the annual MC Rolex-Masters tennis tournament April-May the parking is not available). From here you embark on Sentier du Littoral lining the rail tracks above, which is not the nicest experience, plus a partial diversion through an uneven rocky beach introduces plenty of the climbing and descending robbing you of the vistas ahead. So, better park by the Roquebrunne train station.
From the train station to Cap Martin the path is called Promenade Le Corbusier, after this famous French artist who lived here. This second starter should be avoided by anyone with a vertigo since venturing between the two hanging bridges along the steep rocks that will pepper your journey might send your head into a fast spinning mode. Still, there is something to see – the Villa E -1027, also known as Cap Moderne. The legendary British interior designer and architect Eileen Gray owned and designed this modern hillside residence, where she lived with Jean Badovici for a couple of years. Buy tickets well-ahead since they sell out fast.
Now back to hiking Côte d’Azur. The third option avoids the vertigo parts and the train, and it is also the most naturally beautiful part. Park in the centre of Cap Martin and walk on the right side around the gated apartments. It is a bit tricky so ask anyone: Ou est Sentier du Littoral, s’il vous plait?, and if they are local they will point you there. One you notice a bench under the pines overlooking the sea, turn left. The stunning villas are hidden, but the refreshing bark and sap fragrances of the Mediterranean flora, the wind-chasing sailboats, hard to reach beaches on hanging cliffs and the panoramic views of Monaco behind your back make up for the architectural deprivation when hiking Côte d’Azur. The sunsets are mesmerising! If you feel a zeal of energy, walk all the way along the coast to the old part of Menton, where you can reward yourself by some delicacies from the covered farmers market. Not far from there is the Italian border and Ventimiglia. You can always take a bus or train back to Roquebrune or Monaco as we did once after a shopping splurge on the market (cheese does not love heat).
BEST TIME: All year round except for when windy weather, rough seas or the midday summer heat .
You are set to explore the glamour of Côte d’Azur on foot. Now in September I am venturing on the more challenging coastal trails Beyond Saint-Tropez, do not miss them out when holidaying in the Var Department. You will pass the unsophisticated glitz of the Pampelone beach rewarded by much more lasting memories of more direct, wild adventure.

L'Oustau de Baumanière: woing the peaceful heart of Provence with outstanding dining

Baumanière has hosted heads of states, the European royalty, artists and celebrities in its tranquil sanctuary in the heart of the slow life Provence. The appeal of the two Michelin star restaurant L’Oustau de Baumanière in the oldest building of the twenty-hectare Relais & Châteaux estate dwells in its stately Provençal dining, yet there is much more luring the well-travelled guests in.

Provence in its most intricate setting

If you wander to this nested private hotel retreat during the summer, L’Oustau terrace facing the rocks topping Romanesque Les Baux-de-Provence village and the peaking Alpilles opposite, seduce into traveling to Baumanière yet again. As if someone had sunk the mountain range millennia ago and let only the most alluring tips of the Alpilles stick out, gazing over, you realise that nature has blessed this verdant landscape with beauty rarely seen anywhere else. The only noise that may bother are the crickets not ceding their musical territory until the depth of the summer night. The suffocating heat of the day is good only for a splash in one of the three hotel pools, while the birdsongs of the evening lure into a long dinner escapade. In this romantic theatrical staging L’Oustau de Baumanière invites to an unforgettable Provençal gourmand escapade.

Local artisans at L’Oustau de Baumanière: paying tribute to authenticity

Like jewel cushions for the two Michelin food, the ceramics by Cécile Cayrol workshop in Arles delicately underscore the authentic creative cuisine, while the iron trees by Joël Rebière are freshly decorated with local olives. Just pick and munch.
On the table set throughout the dinner the knife by Le Thiers accompanies you all the way to dessert. Local olive oil by Domaine Castellas can be poured over bread, and the cheese is supplied by the family-run cows breeding Roumanille in nearby St. Rémy de Provence. French butter is not left out, unctuous.
The menu features a drawing by one of the former guests, the French artist Jean Cocteau. Like Saint Paul du Vence, L’Oustau de Baumanière was frequented by the cream of the European high society in its heyday.

Garden to plate: Seasonal authentic Provençal cuisine with organic produce

Landscaped gardens are the soul of the Provençal property, roses, lotus ponds and centuries old plane trees knit the walking paths between the country houses of the sprawling hotel. The organic garden next to the regional produce inspire the chefs at the Baumanière restaurants. The peas and Pongo French beans are the biggest pride of the potager. L’Oustau de Baumanière though has been offering a vegetable based tasting menu for decades, so on the second dinner there I was excited to go veggie.

In July, summer squashes, strawberries, rhubarb, tomatoes, onions and many herbs were peaking. The courgettes planted near to a small goat compound were flowering so we were lucky to enjoy their seasonal bloom in different dishes each night. As a side dish ravioli with John Dory, where pasta were elegantly substituted for the deep yellow petals of the courgette, and on a plate on their own in the vegetable tasting menu. The stuffed flowers were attached back to the trimmed zucchinis with a black olive coulis. There is seafood and meat of course. Pork, Provençal lamb, veal, red tuna from Tarragona served raw as a la carte starter. The tuna was exquisite, tender, and my husband relished both the pork and the lamb in the signature Ballade des Baux menu.

After over 70 years of an impeccable service the third generation of the Charial family runs and greets the guests at the restaurant. Jean-Andre Charial still plays with some recipes, but in the kitchen now the youthful biker with a pony tail and a wicked beard Glenn Viel is now in charge. As he served the main courses at the tables, his elegant handling of each morsel spoke loudly about how much he cares about his culinary oeuvre. His gastronomic skills were seasoned at Le Meurice, Plaza Athenèe and Hyatt Regency in Paris and at the Kilimandjaro in the upscale ski resort of Courchevel. One of his ideas showcasing the authentic flavours of seasonal Provençal produce were the tomatoes drying under the piercing sun into tomates confites that welcome you like an art work under a protective glass veil on the restaurant’s tree shaded terrace.
RECIPE TOMATES CONFITS A LA BAUMANIÈRE: Blanch red tomatoes, cut them in half and discard the seeds. In a mixing bowl mix them with salt, caster sugar, pepper and a powdered herbs mix (thyme and rosemary). Place them on a grid above a deep dish or tray. Top each slice with garlic and let for at least eight hours on the sun.

Tradition of service at L’Oustau de Baumanière

The food service is highly personalised at Baumanière. Right at the start you may notice that not everyone on the table gets the same amouse bouche. Depending on your selected dishes or menus the bread is also varied and small, so you will fit it in. A green hued basil bun (quite disappointing) to start one day, while the other the superb country bread was et on the plate next to the ‘B’utter. Bread is sacred at L’Oustau de Baumanière since bread pairing is suggested next to wine pairing here. The head sommelier Gilles Ozzello has been guarding the gems storing cave for almost four decades and his pleasant attitude makes the harmonious wine service outstanding. His trainees are enthusiastic, sparking with theoretical know-how. The young Chinese sommelier was diplomatic and despite her lack of experience with the wines offered she described them quite well. Still, ask for the senior sommelier if it is his shift. We went for the exquisite Châteauneuf du Pape Château Rayas 1983 and 1989 vintages, where the older blend enchanted us sooner with a tobacco leaf scent, energetic black fruit and impeccable softness. The 1989 was more contemplative with resinous nose moving into animal leathery and kirsch richness. Both beauties and beast with a long story to share with even the most demanding palate. The wine list is outstanding and the prices quite fair for a Michelin place.

L'Oustau de Baumaniere gastronomic restaurant

Jean-Andre Charial has been one of the first chefs in France offering vegetables focused tasting menu and his tradition continues today with the new chef. Not just because of the almost half price (€130) of the signature Ballade des Baux menu (€215), but because vegetables in season are at least as intriguing as the best quality animal protein raised, you should consider trying it at least once. Starting with baked Carrot with carrot mini chips and strawberry coulis, and moving to a generous Lettuce layered with marinated tomatoes, basil, bread crumbs top, I was poised for more. A spelt bread was served with the next course of Courgette tenderly cooked with courgette flower stuffed with the minced courgettes and herb pesto served on a side with excellent courgette broth, a dollop of courgette puree and shaved courgette skin – my favourite plate elevating the star vegetable perfectly. A buckwheat bread came with the large Mushroom stuffed with onion mushroom mince, a cream sauce and baby girolles mushrooms with smoky, dehydrated mushroom slices. Rich, earthy, deep soft yet crunchy. My favourite country bread accompanied the simple, super thin String beans cooked in salt water and seared with butter. The cheese course after was paired with a nutty country bread. One of my French favourites, the superb Brillant-Savarin triple cream cheese, a local pyramid shaped goat cheese, olive oil washed goats cheese, for 48 months aged nutty and salty Comtè, all excellent, but the fresh goats cheese from Marseille area was the most memorable sliver of cheese I had in months.

The desserts in the vegetables menu, did not betray its theme. The elegant, tender confit carrot was stuffed with vanilla cream, and served with poached vanilla carrot sauce and a carrot sorbet. Sophisticated, deeply rewarding but not too sugary. The veggie famous Dirt Candy in New York could aspire to this! From the à la carte, the Millefeuille we ordered was traditional but superb. In the signature tasting my husband had a dessert of milk soaked toast with vanilla ice cream, a rustic home recalling delicacy.

So we could not complain of not having enough, a refreshing bowl of iced mixed garden herbs and lemon infusion Baumanière style with a basil waffle and petit fours – candied jam beetroot, a mini Mont Blanc, basil with jelly and coffee cream tartlette – were served on a giant apple structure. Simply two spotless meals at L’Oustau de Baumanière.

The art filled interior feels cosy so if it gets too cool or the rare rain drops hit the terrace at L’Oustau de Baumanière, enjoy the dining under the arched ceiling. L’Oustau de Baumanière has also branched out to Courchevel. Inside the luxurious Le Strato hotel the winter mood gets further elevated by the impeccable Provençal dining. It was in this mountain resort where Andre Charial met his newest chef Glenn Viel.

Eating, cooking and learning about the Cuisine Minceur of Michel Guérard

The Time Magazine run a cover story with Michel Guérard title “Hold the butter” in 1976, long before the global culinary scene moved to lighter cooking. The healthy dining pioneering French chef trained hundreds of talented cooks, some later receiving three Michelin stars themselves. One of them, Alain Ducasse became the most published French chefs of today, and the other, Arnaud Donckele, stunned the rather dull and showy Saint-Tropez dining scene with his exquisite local Mediterranean cuisine. Here, at Les Prés d’Eugénie in the Three Michelin kitchen but also in the cuisine minceur backroom are their roots of success.

Next to the renown gastronomy of the three Michelin star chef Michel Guérard, the village of Eugénie-les-Bains attracts ailing visitors to its curative natural sulphurous baths. The area’s healthy mindset next to a coiffeur’s encouragement in Paris had inspired Michel Guérard as the very first three star chef to invent a lighter style of French cooking, the cuisine minceur.

The basic scientific foundations of Essential Cuisine Minceur

The award winning pastry chef at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris over half a century ago, Michel Guérard has a penchant for desserts, and he believes that everyone craves sweet taste daily. Therefore, each of the three daily meals in the Minceur Essentielle Program includes a sweet treat (sweetened either by Canderel, fructose, agave sirup or more recently by the more natural xylitol) with a reduced fat when feasible. In the preface to Eat Well and Stay Slim, his classic book of “The Essential Cuisine Minceur”, the chef writes: “Taste and enjoyment are at the heart of all French cooking, so I am drawn to conclude that any plan to reform eating habits must not loose sight of the fact that people want to enjoy their food. Any sort of cooking or diet is doomed to failure if it fails to give people pleasure.” As a foodie I cannot agree more. We, who love food and appreciate its beauty every single day and meal, need a balance that pleases, not a bland depriving diet. Still, I do not need sweets with each meal, do you?

Four decades ago Michel Guérard dove with his wife Christine into the scientific research on nutrition and taste. The results had formed his cuisine minceur, that has improved for over forty years of the nutritional science’s progress. We “may be emotionally attached to certain types of food, we have a DNA ‘food memory’, writes the chef in his book Eat Well and Stay Slim: The Essential Cuisine Minceur. Meaning that if you ate and loved cream when you were little, the texture and flavour of dairy had been imprinted in your brain and associated with pleasure. If you are French or German, you certainly indulged in lots of creamy dairy as a child. Now, you probably crave the smooth, rich texture, the fat, like I do. Have it, but less will do, than heaps of heavily processed low-fat foods.

What we want from diet, detox alas slimness assuring consumption today?

We want pleasure in life, don’t we? Food is one of the life’s pleasures as I wrote about in the science behind taste recently. Only if serious health, allergies, poverty, war or other quality of life threatening events limit our food choices, we wisely choose suffering over pleasure. Unless you enjoy restraint for some reason, there are also other motivations, more physical, that steer you towards a certain deprivation. Yet, eating healthy, balanced diet can taste very good, and Michel Guérard is not the only gastronomic chef today recognising the calorie-conscious gourmet food’s potential. The Beauty Farm in Capri serves impeccable Mediterranean light meals at their Michelin star restaurant, Jean Georges Vongerichten ventured into freshly sourced farmers ingredients in his first vegetarian restaurant ABCv that is packed daily in New York.

But there is more influence of Michel Guérard’s cuisine minceur across the contemporary culinary world then you may be aware of. Today, many chefs create a much lighter food, even more delicately balanced than was the groundbreaking French nouvelle cuisine that Mr Guérard helped to form and popularise. His minceur recipes today “fall naturally within the scope of contemporary grande cuisine”, but most are simple enough to suit any budget and skill level. I like the Chilled Melon and Basil Soup, Tomato and Strawberry Gazpacho, Terrine of Ratatouille Vegetables, but the Skinny Tomato Tarts while using puff pastry miss the olive oil generosity of his classic recipe. Some might miss the foie gras and bacon in the Chicken breasts stuffed with lemony herbs, but this plate despite its similar look tastes much more refreshing than Michel Guérard’s traditional recipe served at the Ferme des Grives. From the desserts the Poached Peaches with Fragrant Jelly and Lemon do not feel like deprivation at all, but the floating islands and the lower fat ice creams do not offer what their more indulgent full fat versions do, the rich mouthfeel. Sorbets using xylitol or fructose, while not to be devoured daily, offer almost half of the calories and lower glycemic index keeping your blood glucose stable without any loss of taste or texture.

The more festive Spicy Salmon with Coffee Sauce, and the heavenly Poached sea bass with garlic, teriyaki, vegetables and herbs (we prepared it during the cooking class I took there) are celebrations to these superb fishes.

Eating Cuisine Minceur by Michel Guérard

The beneficial spa cure at Les Prés d’Eugénie can be enhanced by Guérard’s “slimming cuisine” that is also served in the same elegant dining rooms as the gourmet menu, so any dieter feels included. Room service is also possible. Proteins like lean meat and seafood, abundant on his plates, keep you sated for hours. Perhaps what is missing for a complete and more diversified protein intake though is more legumes and less dairy on the daily set menus. Each time, you will know exactly how many calories the three course meal will give you. A super thinly sliced bread is served only with breakfast, so no extra calories bump you out. Unless you tolerate watching and sniffing the freshly baked bread on a tray swirled around in the hands of the waiters for the diners enjoying the gastronomic three star cuisine. Once we had the minceur menu for dinner, including an excellent lightly seared white tuna, we asked for the bread, and since we were not on a diet trip there, we were generously served. As a chocolate connoisseur craving other desserts rather occasionally, I found it too pushy to have the dessert with each meal. Meat was included also more often than I would prefer, so it depends if the preset menus suit your palate. The Lamb couscous and After Eight Floating Island were very far from the most enjoyable dishes of my weeklong stay.

The low fat dairy-based breakfast served with an organic bread, sugar-free marmalades, homemade muesli and cold pressed juice from Biarritz based juicery was not my cup of morning pleasure.

Cooking Cuisine Minceur by Michel Guérard

You can either travel to the Landes in Southwestern France to take one of the Cuisine Minceur cooking classes at Michel Guérard Culinary Institute or buy the newest edition of his bets selling book Eat Well and Stay Slim: The Essential Cuisine Minceur. Now also published in English, the cookbook and healthy eating manual covers briefly the nutritional theory that laid the philosophical foundations to his cuisine minceur. Accompanied by cold and warm starters, salads, meat and fish dishes, and for the sweet end inspiring for less calorific desserts, the recipes are described in-depth enough so you will be able to prepare them with ease. Measuring and weighing every morsel precisely, you will get the stated amount of calories, fat and sugar stated with each recipe so you can guard your daily allowance. Beware, this not a quick quirky diet book, but a manual to long term lifestyle changes where pleasure meets healthy nourishment.

The Essential Cuisine Minceur Toolkit introduces into your cooking “the tools of trade for my minceur, low-calorie approach to gastronomy.” The purées, sauces, stocks, vinaigrettes, will form the base of any dish you imagine to create in your own kitchen. The Vegetable stock is my favourite. Make plenty and use even as a warming (ginger, orange peel and spices) drink that nourishes without any necessary calories (the alcohol from wine mostly evaporates). It is made in a way to reduce vitamin loss, simmered on allow heat for two hours and what is not in the book but the chef taught us during the culinary class is to cut a circle with a small hole in the centre from baking paper and put it on top of the liquid in addition to the lid. Back home using late harvest wine no extra sweetener as per the recipe was needed. The Light vinaigrette turned a bit spongy, not to my taste, and so I was not all over the moon about the spicy sauce with saffron with the Crunchy vegetable spring rolls. The chef again used milk in the sauce which I find unnecessary both for taste, its lactose content and additional saturated fat.

Michel Guérard hints on the French paradox writing “any healthy regime must be rooted in social custom, which means that its meals must include an element of ritual and should be special moments of enjoyment, whether or not they are shared with other people.” Indeed, eating must feel special, so the joy from it sates not only our bellies but also our selves!

Michel Guérard at Les Prés d’Eugénie: the milestone for fine millennial tastes

With his three Michelin restaurant Les Prés d’Eugénie, the octogenarian chef Michel Guérard stands as one of the last iconic personas of the French nouvelle cuisine. Set in a remote Relais & Châteaux luxurious spa hotel that fell into his lap almost five decades ago through a happy marriage, the visual surroundings reflect the fine style of his wife. Madame Guérard embraced the original historic site, later expanded by a duet of white-washed wooden buildings, that she decorated with museum quality French antiques mainly from the 19th century. Her chosen fine art becomes yet another dining companion in one of the three elegant rooms where many youthful trainees tend carefully to the discerned palates of the international diners. Supervised by a pleasant maitre’d and a captivating female sommelier the synchrony of experience, gender and eagerness to learn serenades playfully here.

Although the ageing chef now sparingly appears in the kitchen (within the week we stayed he didn’t cook once but greeted guests by the entrance one late afternoon), his two daughters run the hotel, spa and winery, while the recently appointed head chef cooked with one of Guérard’s most famous pupils Alain Ducasse in Monaco. At Les Prés d’Eugénie, one feels more welcome in the family setting, and as the current chef confided “this is not Ducasse, his cuisine uses lots of vegetables, but this is Michel Guérard and I cook precisely that“. Naturalism whiffs from the garden herbs surrounding the property and wood smokes the lobster, onions, in leafs wrapped beef fillet, and the Pintade de Chalosse (Guinea fowl) in the hearth. The bird recipe is having a revival. Lemon verbena sneaks not just into sweet but also into savoury plates. The herb lifts up the cream sauce with the langoustines.

At the same restaurant the signature spa “cuisine minceur” meets the nouvelle cuisine popularised in the 1970s by Michel Guérard and some of his contemporaries like the recently departed Alain Senderens. The three Michelin cuisine, still a cream-laden detour from the even heavier classic French sauces, embraces exotic seasoning and less voluminous plates. For 40 years (since 1977) Les Prés d’Eugénie by Michel Guérard has continually held its cherished status.

Top French gastronomy between the Pyrenées and the Atlantic meets in the Landes

It is not an easy route to Les Prés d’Eugenie. Flying either to Biarritz (about 90min drive), Pau (45min) or Bordeaux (90min), the drive in the sprawling countryside taking you through authentic rural villages is pleasant. The luxurious hotel and restaurant are in themselves a destination worth visiting. Across from the village church Michel Guérard’s realm sprawls in a tree shaded parkland. His new cooking school and a small café line the main thoroughfare, yet his baby, the gastronomic restaurant hides in the impeccably manicured forestry and gardens. Ushered by a nondescript gravel road, Les Prés d’Eugenie is discreet and grounded in precision and perfection. The three star restaurant became the mecca for budding global chefs eager to be trained under the sharp eye of the French chef. Teaching the new generation of spotless cooking is now his legacy.

Beyond the professional zone of culinary mastery, the recently opened culinary school [my participatory review coming soon] equips the attendees with decades of kitchen experience though tricks, some skills, but mainly the theory behind the cooking à la Michel Guérard. Fire and gas fuel are the heat sources for Michel Guérard’s cooking. Easy to clean and safer to use, electric ceramic stoves glisten in the new cooking school, but one can never achieve certain flavours with the neutral, smoke-free electric heat. In his own house, a rural château nearby where the winery of Michel Guérard also dwells, wood is piled in the chef’s country kitchen to season the ingredients lightly as they pass from the chef’s hands through the stove or oven. When I saw the kitchen a vintage movie of an old castle scene flicked through my mind [sadly photos were not allowed]. The massive hearth next to a wood-fired royal blue ceramic clad Italian stove, a massive dining table in the centre facing antique cupboards stuffed with hand-picked porcelain collected by Madamme Guérard. The three star kitchen is larger yet similarly equipped, in contrast to the culinary school kitchen no Pacojets and vacuum cookers in sight.

Gastronomic cuisine by Michel Guérard

Bordering verdant Landes, the region of generously corn-fed chicken and foie gras, touching the Atlantic south of Bordeaux and deep in Gascony, the potent seat of Armagnac, the local produce has been enveloped in a generous dosage of cream. For a day or two you can enjoy it, but probably not more. The daily changing cuisine minceur menu comes handy then.

During our week-long stay, we were greeted each time with a different trio of amouse-bouche with our aperitif. All superb and very different, the Tarte fine chaude a la tomate stood out as the most carved morsel to me. This snack dating back to 1981 was inspired by his grandmother Aimèe. The family love showed on the palate, but the award-winning former pastry chef at Le Crillon in Paris, Guérard is also a known master of puff pastry. The warm, fine filo coin encircled with ripe tomato flesh was just so perfect – juicy yet dry, savoury yet not too salty, generous but not too rich. If time allows, take your aperitif in the Loulou’s lounge, the wood antiques dark room with refreshing garden views feels very special.

From the current menu featuring mostly Michel Guérard classic dishes (recipes in the book from edition by Alain Ducasse), we tried most of the “light, naturalist” as Michelin describes his, for millennial fine tastes still overtly buttery and creamy, plates.

My husband and one of the Guéard’s daughters voted as their favourite plate L’Oreiller Moelleux, which the chef describes as “silky and vegetal symphony” created in 1978 after a trip to China. The morrel and Mousserons mushroom pillow-shaped raviolo in a generous cream sauce was dotted with spiky seasonal green asparagus tops. Really indulgent!

The main course of Homard (lobster) roasted in the wooden hearth with onions and served in its shell bathing in a cream sauce was another generous delicacy.

Many love the Truffle zephyr with “ Surprise Exquise ” like a “snow” on the “délicate Vichyssoise”. Simply a luscious starter of creamy harmoniously delicate truffle laced on a heavier bed of yet another cream sauce. If I weren’t cooking, baking and eating butter and cream in almost every dish of the cooking class that I participated in that week, I would probably appreciate the extra whip of cream over my lips, but I was too overdosed on the final night when I ordered this majestic dish, so I switched plates with my grateful husband.

The lightest offering on the current seasonal menu is the fleshy white Landes asparagus served over a truffled cream mousse next to a vegetable velouté. Three tiny eek tartlets accompanied this most veggie plate of the chef. Surprisingly, I found the exact item on the room service menu so I had to try the difference. It was identical, a three star room service, bravo!

A more indulgent yet much smaller was one of the chef’s oldest signature servings, L’Oeuf Poule au Caviar à la Coque. An egg shell stuffed with eel, creamy egg scramble crowned by French Grand Cru Cristal caviar by Kaviari aged for 180 days and two green asparagus antennae sticking out like straws to sip from. The 1977 dish was served in a custom-made chicken foot form with three perfectly baked finger toasts and skin baked warm potato cut to host a dollop of cold potato cream. Love for eggs of a frequent dining client from Lombardy, who owned the famous cabaret Le Lido in Paris, inspired this Guérard’s fantasy.

Not just the Brittany lobster, but also the smaller langoustines taste best during the summer, so it was time to savour Les Langoustines à la Fleur de Citronnier with ‘‘Fine Gueule’’ potatoes. The perfectly soft sea creatures were freshened up with fresh baby tangerine, lemon verbena and chervil sprigs, much needed in the cream setting of the exotically fragrant plate.

It takes an intricate survey of the gastronomic menu to find a plate without cream or dairy. The house-made foie gras (Le Foie Gras Cuit au Coin de l’Âtre, Tastou à la Truffe Trois Gelées en Camaïeu) and the superbly tender and lean Boeuf (beef) medallions wrapped and grilled in leafs and grapes served with the both creamy potato mash and the airiest “soufflés” potato chips on side fit the search. If saturated fat is the demon, these animal indulgences should be directed to the lighter fish.

Honouring Michel Guérard’s own acheivement as the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) in 1958 the cheese is selected from two holders of this prestigious title – François Bourgon, the son of the founder of Fromagerie Xavier in Toulouse and Dominique Bouchait from Fromagers du Mont-Royal in the Pyrénées. The highlights of the cheese trolley were the blue veined Roqueforts and a sheep-based in wax coated Le Régalis. Or you can order Les Petits Soufflés au Roquefort from the kitchen, but beware while being airy textured, two fluffy cheese pots are served per order and they are quite intense, but superb so you may eat them all as I did. Desserts are a must at least once, so save some space. The chef’s sweet spot for verbena planted generously in his gardens pops in the Soufflé Époustouflant Rafraîchi à la Verveine du Jardin, on order made delicate soufflé with an exquisite verbena ice cream. Another seasonal treat La Pêche Blanche au Naturel, une Quenelle de Glace Crémeuse à la Verveine et le Coulis de Framboises d’Eugénie, is made with white peaches, verbena ice cream and raspberry puree. We prepared this delicately sweet dessert at my cooking class, and I tell you, I could have two servings how ravishing it was!

So what would be the dishes that were so special that we would come back for? The tomato fine tart, the langoustines and the beef, plus the mushroom pillow for my husband. The food was innovative, lighter at his time, but today it weighs more in the classic heavily creamy sauce repertoire than in the contemporary leaner cooking style of most gastronomic restaurants. Taking his former pupils – Ducasse (Monaco, Paris, Moustiers, Celle,…) and Donckerle (La Vague d’Or) as examples, their generation of cooks the easier to digest multi-course yet balanced millennial cuisine.

Loulou’s Lounge bar

At first I was disappointed to hear that the piano gets fingers clapping only rarely, but as nature played its concert humming through the open doors from the outside, I was fine to give in to its charms. For an aperitif the dry brut Champagne made for Michel Guérard gives off refreshing bubbles, but for more complexity go for the grower champagne Brut Nature Fosse Grely by Ruppert-Leroy. Its biodynamic subtle yeasty fragrance, light toast and mineral expression of the soil we slightly preferred. Wines by the glass come from the nearby Château de Bachen set on the land where the chef’s family house is built. A visit of the winery and tasting were included in my week-long cooking class, and I can recommend the round white wine made partially with the locally indigenous ultra rare grape Baroque. The string of familiarity extends to the head sommelier who is a wife of the current New Zealand-born winemaker at this winery owned by the Guérard family.
An intricate alcohol free cocktails make tea-to-tellers feel special. Here, an afternoon tea is being served in a classy yet relaxed environment. After dinner a digestif seals the special outing. Pick from the whiskies, cognacs and the local speciality, the barrel aged armagnacs.

Great Bordeaux collection with some centenary treasures

The wine list is an experience in its own merit. About 15,000 bottle cellar guards hundreds of Bordeaux of vintages so rare that the pupils of any wine aficionado widen at the sight if it. Magnums of Château Margaux or Mr Guérard’s favourite Petrus nest in dust next to more recent en-primeur purchased bottles. The chef is a close friend of the Moueix family (owners of Château Petrus), so despite the reasonably priced wine list, the Petrus peaks above the average restaurant listing. The cellar is well stocked with Burgundy, with DRC’s prominent presence. Our tendency for local picks we ordered Bordeaux most nights, except for one.

Encouraged by the slightly more favourable prices of the older vintages, we went for bottles that we otherwise could drink in the current global vinous frenzy. Château La Tour 1983 took almost two hours to shine, but got to treating us with earthly longitude of pleasure. Château Margaux 1985 was quite bloody at the start, but it loosened up before our main course arrived. Yet my favourite bottle of the week was a 1989 vintage Charles Heidsieck champagne. The ultra dry cuvée Diamond Rose tickled our tongues with still a refreshing well of bubbly effervescence, while the secondary honeyed tones of toasted brioche made it perfect for food pairing. The perfect wine to ease the fatness of the creamy cuisine. As our Roquefort cheese soufflés were served like twins in silver pots, generous as they were, the high acidity of the Champagne felt like a God sent.

Michel Guérard makes the perfect final fanfare to his country. After the meal, a trio of freshly baked, still crisp on the edges, and warm Madeleines is served to accompany tea (by Mariage Fréres), a fresh herbal blend piked in the garden, pure verbena infusion or a choice from Nespresso coffee range. Three perfect morsels of lemon, classic and my favourite cherry with an almond and rum infused creamy centre, that exceed any Madeleine I have been treated to across France to date. If there was only one souvenir from the week-long stay at Les Prés d’Eugenie I desired, it was the recipe, and I got it! The secret is using a pate sable with crystal sugar, semi-salty grain butter, Mimosa egg yolk and a raw yolk instead of the typical smooth grained sugar and whole egg dough. Now, also you can bake these delicate sweet molluscs of pleasure at home.

The chef has changed the form of the French gastronomy curiously not through his three star cuisine that today can be viewed more as the traditional, more heavy high cuisine style, but through his ahead of his time vision or perhaps a lucky coincidence with the contemporary lifestyles. Our sedentary habits do not stir the appetite for heavy meals. We desire more subtle and light hedonistic joy in a very similar tone as his cuisine minceur. In today’s kitchens, what you mostly eat is chef Gurérard’s fat and salt deflated cuisine where the aromas of herbs and the produce itself stand strongly to naturally charm you. Nostalgia for traditional French cuisine brings many of his fans into the gastronomic restaurant as well as the rustic Ferme Des Grives farmhouse, where generosity is plated in its own worth. The three cuisines at Les Prés d’Eugénie by Michel Guérard were born on the premise of love and thus love for the French food is what should drive any gourmand to this rare country retreat in the Landes.

Les Prés d’Eugénie, 334 Rue René Vielle, 40320 Eugenie-les-Bains, France
+33 5 58 05 06 07
Mon: Closed; Dinner: Tue-Sun from 7:30pm; lunch on weekends. Between July 10 and August 25th open daily for lunch (except Mon) and dinner.

CLOSED Nature Brute on the King’s table by Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée Paris

Barely touched nature in the three star restaurant by Alain Ducasse’s team at the Plaza Athénée hotel in Paris puts more sustainable dining on the luxurious plate. After a major refurbishment and concept change, Ducasse stars vegetables with a millennial touch at the eponymous Paris hotel. Like some of his three Michelin stared French colleagues, from Michel Guérard in the Landes, one of his culinary teachers, through the Paris-based Alain Passard, Ducasse also introduced his lighter culinary oeuvre in his vegetable and seafood centric tasting menu at the Plaza Athénée.

Naturalness, the “natural character of an element belonging to nature” conducts the subtle preparations that humbly respect the raw product. Created by Pierre Tachon, a cross between a fish and radish, the logo of the restaurant seals the veggie-focused deal.

**Redefining luxury: vegetables from Jardin de la Reine (The Queen’s Garden)**

The naturalist, vegetables celebrating menu is different from Passard’s more rustic take in his vegetarian tasting at L’Arpège. Ducasse’s take is more luxurious and attuned to the current tastes. Yet, at the Plaza Athénée restaurant, the chef redefines luxury.
Like at London’s Fera, no table clothes hide the artisan polished oak wood shining just under the fine porcelain and French earthenware introduced in sequential pampering by the waiters to entertain your palate. Passard’s organic gardens in the Eure and Sarthe regions have for decades supplied his menus, yet Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénée sources from the royal soil at the Château de Versailles! A magic stroke of marketing genie for the chef, sure, but the produce is superior to an average potager.

At the former Marie Antoinette’s retreat Trianon and Grand Parc de Versailles, the vegetables are biodynamically farmed at one of the three gardens by Alain Baraton. Originally, these gardens were commissioned by the Queen to imitate the French village lifestyle. Highlighting the farmers and fishermen’s produce, the MENU GARDEN ~ MARINE consists of three half dishes, cheeses and dessert. Some are vegetarian plates in their nature, but mentioning any dietary restrictions is highly advisable since bacon is Ducasse’s go to seasoning for vegetables and wild, sustainably caught seafood is included in this sea meets the soil menu. For €390 this is a festive epicurean journey.

The menu is presented only in French, but online you can find some hints. Still, daily, small adjustments introduce surprise dishes, so let it flow, but any request will be accommodated, including gluten-free pastry and purely vegetarian meals.

Dining at the Plaza Athénée on the World Environment Day, I went for a purely vegetarian tasting menu. Handpicked from the regular offerings, I started with delicately cooked seasonal Vegetables from Château de Versailles, beeswax, dandelion, buckwheat and continued with Hemp seeds, brown and blond morels and green asparagus cooked in Ducasse’s signature ceramic “cookpot” with a creamy morel sauce poured over to finish on the table, like the other most broth or saucy dishes. The best though came in-between. An off the menu vegetarian course of Primeurs of green peas and broad beans in “cassolette” with romaine lettuce velouté (velvety butter, flour and stock sauce). So satisfying, intensely concentrated, crisp green yet mouth filling with oomph creaminess – perfectly balanced.

If the rare La Bonnotte de Noirmoutier young potatoes appear on the menu (between 7th and 20th May), they are a must order. This delicate, hand-picked varietal is not just the most expensive potato cultivated today, but the fresh chestnut resembling round tuber was for the first time grown outside the famed French island in the Versailles gardens for Ducasse at Plaza Athénée. Not all is grown there though. The Puy lentils and other coveted French legumes, citruses, Hautes-Pyrénées peanuts and grains may grace the menu. The unexpected combination of Volcanic hill green lentils with a smooth farmed Chinese caviar by Kaviari, highlighted simplicity of the lentils converging in a sublime unison with the precious caviar. For self-defined gourmets the hand-picked Chickpeas form Hautes-Alpes mountains, sturgeon marrow bone and golden caviar.

Tanahashi-san, a shojin cooking specialist (shojin ryori is vegan cooking in traditional Buddhist temples in Japan) consulted for Alain Ducasse, who confessed in an interview with Laurent del Porte: “before the chef, there was nature. It’s nature that dictates the menus, and the talent of the chef consists in a form of self-effacement in order to exalt the true taste of what nature intended to give us. “ Such are the words of the mature and well-respected chef.

vegetarian by Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athenee

Healthy produce trilogy: fish, vegetables and cereals at the Plaza Athénée

The head chef Romain Meder brings Ducasse’s naturalness philosophy to life at the Plaza Athénée with his creative but respectful zeal. Like in the healthful Mediterranean diet he is encouraged to use France washing wild fish and organic ancient grains like the red corn from the Basque region, Khorasan wheat, buckwheat, and other nutrient-dense plants grown by small scale farmers. A fibre rich Psyllium husk is also used either as flour or additionally to some naturally gluten free flours. The seeded rice and psyllium bread served as the centrepiece in the bread service alerts deliciously that a naturally gluten-free loaf can be perfectly moist and crunchy as we like it.

The Atlantic sea bass, white asparagus and almond milk of my friends was the most disappointing plate for the stellar price tag (€140), yet despite of it being slightly boring, the fish was good enough to enjoy. The nut milk did not pay the best service to the sustainably caught bass. A fishmonger Gilles Jégo supplies seasonally the diverse line-caught species that are every morning freshly delivered from the small boats cruising on the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The Cotentin blue lobster, shellfish eggs emulsion and turnips was another game. Succulent, tender and light while generous, contrasts worked here.

For some tradition nostalgia, U stocafi à la monégasque brought Ducasse’s early success in Monaco to the menu’s consciousness. Any seafood can be also prepared in its simplest naturality, and meats upon request sate the wild spirited.

A bit of naughtiness to finish…

The cheese is served in two platings. A duo of by the chef picked cheeses at first, and later if you wish a carefully selected French cheese trolley rolls in for you to indulge your passion for artisan dairy. I requested a slightly oxidised Vin Jaune from the Jura region to be served with my cheese plate, and the sommelier happily poured some of the well aged Vin d’Arbois into my glass.
To a sweet finish, the desserts are in a contemporary fashion light except for the extra off-the menu treat of the classic Baba au Rhum, the traditional French sponge cake soaking in a prime quality rum. My Lemon picked in Nice area, kombu seaweeds with tarragon was refreshingly citrusy but the lemon sorbet was a bit too sweet, but he Burlat cherries from Lizac, pesto and watercress of my husband were exquisite. Simple while being originally flavoured with the savoury green pesto, a hit! Now chocoholics beware since the Alain Ducasse chocolate Manufacture creates extraordinary luxuriant cocoa delicacies specifically for the Plaza Athénée restaurant. After some quite good morsels of dark chocolate covered rice crisps, the gold of the Maya pops on the dessert menu as Chocolate from our Factory, toasted barley, cocoa and single malt sherbet. The whisky addition attracted our Chinese friend, yet she was disappointed not to trace much of the flavour of her favourite spirit (whisky) in it. Still, the best was the most natural plate of the night – the giant Versailles grown raspberries served in a bowl with their stems by the finale of our grand dinner. I just should not have to be paying the triple digit meal for all of it, well the atmosphere counts.

cheese at Alain Ducasse restaurant at Plaza Athénée Paris

dessert at Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénée

The wine list at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée Paris is not as extensive as at the most established three Michelin stared restaurants across France, yet many treasures take the stage like our favourite Châteauneuf du Pape, the rare Château Rayas. Not everything from the cellar is available. Mostly the wines that are ready to drink, while the rest is being cellared until the sommelier decides to price them. These have “e.v” instead of the price on the list. The wines are classified by their generation in the “Celebration” picks – 10, 15 to 55 years age according to the harvest vintage while À l’apogée (at the peak) is a selection of wines at full maturity. The sommelier will exclusively attend to the hull shaped Table Cabane table, where the Bordeaux know-how is the focus of the vinous indulgence. Jacket is required for gentlemen, so ladies pull your best robe out!
Plaza Athénée Hotel, 25 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris
+ 33 1 53 67 65 00
Lunch: Thursday & Friday: 12:30 pm – 2:15 pm
Dinner: Monday – Friday: 7:30 pm – 10:15 pm
ANNUAL CLOSURE Friday 21st July after lunch to Monday 28th August included. Friday 22nd December after lunch to Saturday 30th December inclusive.

Le Tilleul: indulging behind the stone walls in St Paul de Vence

Le Tilleul is a contemporary Provençal bistro set behind the stone walls of one of the most visited charming villages within the reach of the Nice – Cannes shores of Côte d’Azur. Saint Paul de Vence captivated Chagall, Matisse, Picasso, and many other artists during the liberal 1960-70s. Today only droplets of the convivial local sprit remain in by the tourists besieged hilltop village, so keeping it local at least art and dining wise allows for a sneak peak into its bygone era to any open-minded visitor.

Now, the charm game is on the musician pulling the harmonica as he straddles the medieval walls around St Paul. Shielded from the Southern sun the straw hats wearing tourists devour the daytime, while the evenings swap the white and blue linen shirts mingling under the centenary linden tree (Le Tilleul) for more local crowds. Unless we stay at one of the hotels nearby, we mostly eat lunch at Le Tilleul before checking the art at the hit and miss galleries lining the western wing of the old village.

Colombe d’Or, the inn and restaurant that accommodated most of the accomplished artists and starlets like Alain Dellon, is more famous in Saint Paul de Vence, but it is more so because of the original paintings gracing its walls. Nevertheless, the food is more creative at Le Tilleul and the desserts, oh la la, save some space!

Le Tilleul: a dessert picnic under the linden tree

The pastry chef is a magician creating irresistible sweet beauties with fruits, pistachios and cream served in glass verrines like the Tiramisu and mascarpone layered raspberry or passion fruit, strawberries with house made whipped cream, but also the tartes faites maison like a fine crust apple tart, Savarin au rhum, tarte du citron, tarte Tropèzienne, crème brulée, …, chocolate cake or the cocoa oozing fondant – the incest with sugar can go on and on. If you get the Café or Tea Gourmand, three tiny versions of these desserts will be served with your brew. You can just come for the sweet afternoon treat, but we prefer the long by wine empowered lunch under the linden tree. You can also pop over for a sweet breakfast to indulge in the exquisite homemade pastry.

You can eat inside in the countryside bright set up, but for the most St Paul de Vence experience, eat out on the cobble stone patio under the Le Tilleul sprawling branches. Now the food. The Michelin guide summed it up precisely: “Fresh ingredients, capably prepared: simply a good meal”. Although simple, the cooks play mainly with the Niçoise, Piedmontese and Ligurian traditional plates, adding a contemporary, more light yet wholesome twist. My favourite plates over the years were cheesy, literally the buffalo mozzarella with the rainbow of tomates anciennes and pesto, goat’s cheese and ricotta sneak in to many seasonally changing creations at Le Tilleul. Plus with the wine, the fresh & ripened cheeses served with a salad are win-win(e).
Handwritten on the chalk board or a printed insert in the regular menu, the daily plates can be ordered separately or as a menu. The three courses including a dessert for €29 are the best value here. Dinner introduces some fancier plates laden with truffles.
The seasonal menu keeps some plates unchanged. The staples include the Niçoise salad, the chicken and beef tartare have been on the menu for all the years that we frequented Le Tilleul. The Niçoise salad “in a different way semi-cooked tuna, sweet spices & poached egg” is always a good bet, while I only ordered the raw beef tartar at dinner. Prepared freshly cut with French fried potatoes and a salad, this is a red wine friend. The cured salmon starter also remains on the menu, but the plating takes on a chameleon coat. Once served like a carpaccio under salad greens, other time in a cake form with toast. If you are in doubt about the mains the traditional Farmers chicken supreme cooked with morels and mashed potatoes is a solid happy meal. The Scottish Angus beef, fillet of organic sea-bass, and other in the season caught fish get roasted potatoes to fill the starch gap. A very French sides – potatoes in all forms. After all there are over 170 types of them in the country, so forks in!

There is always a gazpacho that changes a bit each time, and so do the pasta. One day ricotta ravioli with dense basil tomato sauce are reshaped into linguini with porcini mushrooms or clams next to a vegetarian provençal vegetable lasagna. Recently the mellon season introduced sweet cantaloupe blended cold with spices and lemongrass…like a smoothie. Once three shrimps like drunken overhangs were about to dive into my superb tomato gazpacho. It becomes fun returning to Le Tileul! Well, the green gazpacho one day was a bit boring. Even the toast with lemon Ricotta cheese did not help since the creamy cheese was far from excellent. That blandness translated into the Fresh raviolis stuffed with ricotta, yet the tomato and basil sauce saved it, so much delightful umami. Everyone has a bad day. For lunch only a warm tart with cheese and eggs like a quiche is served with a side mixed greens. Courgettes played the seasonal flavour game in June, but any other vegetable can step in as the year goes.

The wine deal where you do not expect it

The wine list is well priced for such a tourist hotspot. Some gems pop out on the menu such as the perfectly crafted boutique champagne by Jacques Sellose. The deep honeysuckle and well sharpened toast of the Initiale brut sells for €146 per bottle. This wine does not appear on just any wine list and when it does, usually it will cost you at least a double. The grower champagne by Larmandier-Bernier Longitude for €65 was also a spot on for a family lunch with my sister sommelier and her wine expert fiancèe. If you are in the mood for a deep, slightly oaky Rolle-based white get the local Clos Saint Vincent. While any lighter meal will bear the ultra mineral Pouilly Fumé by the legendary house Domaine D. Dagueneau « Silex » now made by his son.

As the sun penetrates the lush branches of the linden mass, one gets rosé cravings. Domaine St. André de Figuière Première and the organic Jas d’Esclans will fit the demand, and there are other half, regular or magnum bottles changing regularly. From the reds the Domaine Trévallon IGP Alpilles in older vintages so its loud tannins won’t bark at your palate is highly advisable.
Organic fair-trade iced green tea or rooibos by Chari Tea or LemonAID passionfruit or lime lemonade make journeys safer for drivers. If you do not have time to linger around, this is South so slow down, ok but if you are pressed to go La Petite Vigne offers plenty of artisanal gourmand produce and a sandwich or wrap at Les gourmandises du Tilleul next door is better than Mr Donald’s food imported from America or anything from Quick, the Belgian fast-food chain popular in the Country of the Gals. When in France, get local and feel the difference. The water at Le Tilleul is served in the bubble blown colourful double glasses from nearby Biot, making it tastier than anything in paper or plastic cup sipped through a straw.
2 Place des Tilleuls, 06570 Saint Paul de Vence
+33 4 93 32 80 36
Daily 8am-10pm

Hostellerie de l'Abbaye de la Celle: Provencal retreat with Ducasse's cuisine

Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle is a French inn inside a verdant 12th century abbey surrounded by hilly forests where the neighbour’s goats trot daily for their green lunch. In a pure Provençal accent, the multi-Michelin stared chef Alain Ducasse created a cosy, five-star country escape for any savvy gourmet escaping the city noise. Like Ducasse’s first Provençal baby Bastide de Moustiers, the hotel cum locally sourcing restaurant is rustic, understated, but equipped with luxury amenities and offers a very professional, serious level of service. Both restaurants have guarded their Michelin star for their authentic, yet gourmet local cuisine for over a decade.

Although there are three distinct Provencal dining rooms inside, if weather permits eating under the leafy chestnut trees, shielded with the abbey’s stone walls, listening to the birds songs and the crickets’ serenades feels more special. When the warmth lures their voice cords to the new highs, you want to sit in the garden. Unless, as it happened in July, it is so hot that even the electric fans provided by the staff do not cool you enough, the scorching heat suppressing your appetite. The farmers and market-driven seasonal food at Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle is directed by recently appointed locally-raised chef Nicolas Pierantoni. His three-star experience at Ducasse’s flagship Monaco restaurant formed a delicate handling of the freshest local produce.

Flavours of Provence at Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle

Each table at the Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle is decorated either with a pot of fresh herbs, a sculpture or a decorative ceramic piece. Annually harvested local olive oil, accompanied by homemade crisp grissini, superb country (ancienne) and olive breads, vegetable crudités, all bring more substance to an aperitif. Expect Courgettes farcis Nicoise style, handmade pasta, bouillabaisse sauce, and other Southern French flavours. Seasonal mushrooms like chanterelles and other warmed vegetables rotate in the sharp-eared ceramic pot, the signature dish always on the menu. Late in spring Green Asparagus spears were cooked in this Ducasse’s “Cookpot” that preserves the ingredients’ essential naturalness (the chef’s penchant). Added coddled farm eggs and herb vinaigrette balanced the wholesome starter.

The ever changing La carte offered Légumes de Printemps (baby carrots, long beans, spinach and artichokes) perfectly cooked in olive oil, served with coriander and fresh cheese brousse des Roves. In summer, fennel, string beans and purple borage flowers float and swim in the elegant olive touched broth. Delicately handled Mediterranean prawns are also nice to start with. The handmade fresh pasta at the Hostellerie are exquisite. I had Ravioli stuffed with rocket, sautéed girolles and poured over with unctuous parmesan cream, just enough for thirty plus degrees in summer.

Mediterranean fish like John Dory (Saint Pierre) was cooked with stuffed courgette flowers one day, while other time Swiss chard from the abbey’s own potager accompanied the white-fleshed fish. The naturally fertilised garden hosts 25 varieties of tomato, 15 types of basil, four strains of zucchini, squash and eggplant, and also pepper, strawberry, persimmon, fennel, and beet.
All meat comes from France. A young corn-fed chicken from the Ducasse’s native Landes was served with fricasse of tights, whole flat snow peas (mangetout) and confit garlic. Lamb, veal or beef are accompanied by a changing rainbow of vegetables, slightly altering each plate so even the frequent local diners will not get bored. The surrounding orchards, vineyards, sculpture garden and the cooling Benedictine Abbey are ideal, character-rich venues to host weddings and other special events.

Market (3-courses €50) or Business Menu (perhaps the village’s police force snaps the 2-courses for €40) during working week allow for time-saving gourmandising in the midst of rural Provence, how ironic! A five-course Seasonal Menu picks bits from the changing carte, includes cheese and a dessert. Yet the crème de la crème is the six-course tasting Menu of L’Abbaye.

The wine list highlights local bottles such as the most expensive Vin du Table in France – Domaine Trevallon. Their red wine is quite strong, but not a beast as some Provencal reds can be. Older vintages rid of most of the youthful roughage and drink smoothly. We had the 2001 and 2004 vintages, when the older vintage was still in its nappies needing time to mature, the 2004 was drinking smoothly. It’s not about the age, but the vintage! By the glass, it is up to the sommelier’s daily whims. Recently he opened a magnum of a five-year old Givry Chardonnay, so mineral and only slightly oaky, thus the perfect aperitif.
Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle is surrounded with incredible farms and the high quality produce served there often comes from the region. Raw and aged cheese plate is served with a bowl of mesclun and herbs cut from the Hostellerie’s own garden, where in May and June cherries and strawberries ripen. My sweet red berries were served with shortbread and superb, refreshing and not too sweet iced nougat. House-made sorbets and ice creams change on a whim of the pastry chef as do the sweet creations inspired by seasonal fruit, traditional French pastry and chocolate from Alain Ducasse Manufactory in Paris.

Do not worry about calories here, as either before the meal or the next morning after the warm sun teases you out of the comfy bed you can hike it off on a well-marked trail taking off just around the corner (ask reception for directions). The steep incline gets more pleasant with each inhale of the natural fragrance of Provence Verte, the green heart of the region. I picked sage for tisane, and when my eyes tired off zooming in the signage on trees, I traced the trail by the occasional goats’ pearl-shaped poop on the dirt road. Stop by the goat cheese farm on the way for fresh produce as a souvenir from rural Provence or pop into the Roman sculpted (Via Aurelia runs nearby) boutique for a cookbook, kitchen towel, olive oil, local honey or jams with Ducasse quality seal.
Check the profile of the chef Alain Ducasse.
Winter : 12noon-2pm Dinner: 7:30-9:30 pm
Summer: 12noon-2:30pm Dinner: 7:30- 10pm

Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle: 10 place du Général de Gaulle, 83170 La Celle en Provence, France

+33 4 98 05 14 14

Deux Rocs: elevated Provencal village dining under centenary trees and live music of a burbling fountain

Les Deux Rocs is our favourite lunch bistro in one of the most beautiful villages in Provence. For almost a decade, annually our pilgrimage through in time perched Provencal villages passes through Seillans. This quaint, in stone carved village with a charming bastide and from the heat retreating houses has attracted artful minds to its residency. Doisneau, the dreams evoking French photographer quarried inspiration and peace here.
Hotel Les Deux Rocs Hotel des Deux Rocs nests on the crest of the old village, where you can drive through a narrow road or push your bicycle hard uphill and park right next to the restaurant cum sleepover. There, the beats of the Fontaine d’Amont, the violins of cicadas and chiming church bells conduct a live orchestra helped by the hands of nature. Under shade-casting plane trees spiking around the burbling fountain you will eat seasonally and well during the warm months. Cooler weather lures inside the Deux Rocs cosy dining rooms appropriate for the seasonal experience.
Chef Julien Beaudoire is “well-versed in the traditional cuisine of Provence” sourcing from selected local farmers, hunters and fishermen in the nearby Mediterranean. Depending on the mood the fresh food is served on colourful Fayence plating, spread on wooden trays or artistically elevated, like on a canvas, highlighting all its natural colours and sauces on pure white plates.

The menu glued on a wooden plank is written in French, but the staff will eagerly explain the plates in a broken english. The food tastes great, luscious yet creative while respecting the greatness of its ingredients, and that should be the main concern any honest diner should have. If you are an allergic, the meal at Deux Rocs may pose a challenge, but with Google translate one can climb mountains, navigate jungles, and stave off health threats.

Petites glass verrines of fresh foie gras, desserts, dips and olives spark any meal, while the daily changing lunch menu (starter & main or main & dessert) available outside of weekends and holidays, stirs curiosity, casts away boredom and for €22 in France is a great deal. I often start with a creamy velouté with seasonal vegetables and generous richness of an added fish or a piece of protein. In spring, green peas with pine nuts, asparagus or artichoke with hazelnuts grace this soup with a smoked fish or duck.
When the asparagus season still reigns the crème de parmesan accompanies their green crunchy spikes in another entrèe.
Local snails (Escargots) crawling on the lush meadows are served in small pots à la “montre moi tes cornes” meaning literally show me your antennas, don’t ask, I was scared of being served snails alive so never ordered them.
Fresh herbs from local gardens with a pop up of fried onions or roots decorate most of the generously flavoured yet smart-sized dishes at Deux Rocs.
The main plates are mainly meaty – local lamb, veal, duck, but also tender Landes chicken that we had most recently, are all small bites rather than hunting trophies of the paleo men. Rarely I see a vegetarian plate, but the starters, if not vegetarian in their nature, can be adjusted. Served with vegetables, confit of garlic or onions, herbs or like the chicken with its reduced jus, baby carrots and shelled peas. The supreme of roasted pigeon with its stuffed tights is not as bloody (more typical in France), but you can ask to have it cooked well. My husband relished it despite not being really a pigeon fan.

The Mediterranean (Var Department is the same department as St Tropez and is about one hour drive, Nice airport about 45 min) is within reach, so seafood pops on the menu too. I had the delicate cod Filet de cabillaud fumé sous vos yeux et légumes anciens meaning the fish is being smoked in front of your eyes and accompanied with superb local vegetables like artichoke, radishes, and roots. Saffron cream is also sometimes served with fish or rice.
For dessert we like the local goat cheese board or the fresh faiselle (similar to a creamy cottage cheese) served with honey from the beehives in nearby Mons. Sometimes we order the cafè gourmand with a changing trio of small desserts that perfectly accompany a pot of herbal infusion or coffee.
If you order a bottle of provencal white or rose, it will be chilled in the icy running water of the fountain. We like the local organic white by Jas d’Esclans or the rose by Château de Pampelone by St Tropez. Les Deux Rocs is the place where you must have some wine with lunch, the light summery intoxication just lingers in the air. The list is tight, but with dinner the Château des Sarrins or Cuvèe Eva by Val d’Iris just minutes away from Deux Rocs work just fine. Sip on the mighty beverage that sends your head into the clouds before the sun sets, while something in the air whispers: stop thinking, enjoy the serenades of nature and set your mind free by having a glass or two of by the sun blessed wine.

After the lunch meal visit either Val d’Iris or Domaine du Clos Notre-Dame, since both wineries front the village as you make your way back towards Fayence. Also, the artist studios in Seillans allow for chasing the Apollo’s Muses instead of the bacchanalian indulgence of Dionysus.
Off season, when the indoor restaurant operates closed from Sunday dinner to Tuesday lunch
High season (May-Sep): Closed Saturday & Tuesday for lunch, all day Monday

1 Rue Fontaine d’Amont, 83440 Seillans

+33 4 94 76 87 32

Le Gourmet at La Coquillade: Luberon cuisine set in the vineyards

Le Gourmet restaurant at La Coquillade village is now in hands of Alain Ducasse trained Michelin starred chef Thierry Enderlin. His culinary repertoire spans from Spain to Thailand, and you will taste these influences in the contemporary French cuisine here in Provence. Using mostly local ingredients and growing aromatic herbs, flowers and some vegetables in the organic garden of the Domaine, only light sauces accompany chef Enderlin’s by French tradition inspired plates of Le Gourmet at La Coquillade.

When the warm air graces the broad valley of Luberon with the eternal buzz of cicadas usher a relaxing mood, sitting outside on the terrace of Le Gourmet at La Coquillade is highly desirable. Flocks of vineyards surrounding the Provençal domaine, wooden furniture, linen and beams in and outside on the peaceful terrace set you in a lush countryside mood. Dress comfortably, yet not too casual since, despite being in the middle of nature, you are still dining at a Michelin starred establishment.

The food is artistic with vibrant colours and textures. The chef blends mostly Mediterranean flavours with exotic spices. Alluringly, the dishes include some vegetable or herb either playing the first violin or just tuning the other food instruments on the plate. The simple risotto is the chef’s signature plate, and if you do not order it, you may be treated to a small portion as an intermezzo, which was a welcome treat during our recent meal at Le Gourmet restaurant at La Coquillade. The food before the new chef’s arrival was also very good, much better than the nearby Michelin stared Le Phébus, but it was perhaps too Asia influenced and not fitting into the local scenery. You would be served something like Beignet de mini carotte fane au cumin, sauce thaï, a vegetable tempura with spicy, sweet-sour and soy-like varieties of sauces. Delicious but not the freshest expression of the Provence Verte.

In spring, the Green Pea soup with cream and fresh mint, borage leaves and its violet flower, was served with fried crispy raviolis stuffed with fresh ricotta-like cheese. The velvety soup was superb, light yet rich at the same time as the side dumplings, perhaps by mistake titled ravioli, were generous enough to satisfy a vegetarian craving. We caught the white asparagus season, here at La Coquillade celebrated like a design piece in a dome of sliced asparagus planks hiding a strong broth, covered by a crisp parmesan hat and fresh oregano. Now, I was not sure which of these vegetarian starters I liked more, both were so good!

Luberon culinary treasures served at La Coquillade

One of the chef’s specialities is pork from nearby Mont Ventoux. As if climbing the iconic Tour de France summit, the pork was long cooked as a confit, served with an organic white bean purée, octopus and Spanish piquillo chilli pepper, the pork jus and spiced with the French piment d’Espelette. While not being a fan of pork my husband liked its tenderness and unique spicy taste.

My Atlantic steamed half-salted cod topped with a praline of almond crust with organic curcuma, cauliflower, colourful young carrots and Greek style marinated mangetout, carrot and combawa (also known as Kaffir lime) foamy emulsion was delicately handled and the crunchy blanched vegetables juicy with their natural fragrance were better with the chef’s sauce than the fish itself. The cod was getting slightly lost in the fragrant sauce.
French cheese selection sourced from M. René Pellegrini was offered on a trolley for anyone to pick to his liking. I liked many and my plate was packed with eight slivers. A fig house jam was served with the cheese. Although mostly local ingredients are used in Thierry Enderlin’s cooking, in some, like the dessert of the sweet cross between the wild and big strawberries known as Mara des bois in France served with with Taggiasche olives, Bourbon vanilla ice cream, egg, and underlined by the Iranian pistachios. cheese trolley Burgundy wine
The tasting menu can consist of three, five or seven courses. Like the Alain Ducasse‘s “naturalness” his pupil promotes the best seasonal vegetables and herbs on his menu as well as the Landes poultry, but finding his own voice in the use of exotic seasoning and spices sets Le Gourmet onto its own gastronomic trail.
Inside, lavish chandeliers play the rural game under the beams of the farmhouse ceiling and natural hues of the furniture.
Drinks: From the very affordable Aureto wines made here at the Domaine La Coquillade through other local interesting wines to some of the French icons, the wine list has too little to offer from many French regions, and needs improvement. We found a pricier red Clos Vougeot from one of our favourite Burgundy producers the Domaine de la Vougeraie. Not for everyday drinking but it was perhaps the best bet on the otherwise very commercial wine list.
Cuisine: Provençal gastronomic
Visits: August 2012 & May 2017
Tue-Sat dinner seasonally from mid-April till the end of October; July-Aug also Mondays
+33 0 490 74 71 71
La Coquillade: Demeure de Prestige; 84 400 Gargas; France

Le 1947 restaurant at the Cheval Blanc Courchevel: guest the centrepiece, food the masterpiece

There are only five tables at the three Michelin starred Le 1947 restaurant. Not many restaurants can afford seating just a pinch of diners, but we are at the luxurious Cheval Blanc hotel in Courchevel, the high-flying ski resort in the Savoyard Alps. The luxuriating tasting menu without any beverages was in winter 2017 priced at €395 per person, so the math can equate any potential loss. Attention to the guest is taken into a new level in the intimate setting as is a more direct experience with your food at Le 1947 restaurant. Beyond seeing the cooks in the kitchen, you will be shown a close-up of the preparation of the elaborate dishes that in some instances took days to prepare and you are about to eat.

Three Michelin star Le 1947 restaurant at Cheval Blanc

restaurant at the Cheval Blanc hotel Courchevel

Michelin with benefits

So why the number in the name? 1947 is the most prestigious vintage for the top Bordeaux growth Château Cheval Blanc, and the hotel named after this legendary wine is owned by LVMH, who also owns the château. The head chef at Le 1947 restaurant Gerard Barbin, is a protege of the Paris culinary legend Yannick Alléno. His know-how and the patented approach to Modern Cuisine was imprinted in the three Michelin stared Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris and his elevation of Le Meurice that predestined Le 1947 restaurant to the new heights of success. Le 1947 was finally awarded its third Michelin star in the 2017 Guide, but the journey was not straightforward. You will see Alléno’s name on the menu, a franchise-like practice haloing also gastronomic restaurants today. I think, that it would be more fair to give also some visible credit to the head chef who actually directs the kitchen team. Reaching the third star in the Michelin guide is never an easy ride.

I have dined at the Cheval Blanc’s gastronomic restaurant for years and the transition was clearly illustrative of what separates one star from three star dining experience in France. The restaurant used to be in the large breakfast, lunch and dinner room all in one in this ultra-luxurious hotel. There, the attention to the diner as well as the experience itself were quite limited by the logistics. A couple years ago the gastronomic restaurant moved to its new, private room, lower down overlooking the snowy slopes on the chic Guerlain spa level. In its previous spot remained a casual brasserie filled with rare art pieces, yet suitable for any occasion.
Le 1947 was conceived with a totally open kitchen so, if you are curious, watch during your meal the happenings in the kitchen. You won’t hear any noise [and kitchen swearing] there though, as the acoustics are brilliant.
To spark our palates, a bubbly aperitif (vintage Dom Pérignon) was offered in its central space – the perforated Corian sphere – between the kitchen and the dining room, all while we were invited to peak around the kitchen with the chef Gerard answering any queries. Well-informed, we settled into the mountain softness of the fluffy white chairs. Leaning forward to savour my first amouse-bouche, suddenly, I stopped and wondered… Uttering an extra word revealed an intriguing design feature – the round, umbrella-like ceiling structure above each table creates an echo. The other person won’t hear it unless he bends forward as well. So everyone at the table must be in this private space where art and sound ushers the diners into their own little world. Soon we were to learn that each table at Le 1947 restaurant is treated as a private guest.

Le 1947 restaurant: A ‘caviared’ and truffled dining experience with accented terroir

A series of diverse canapés were delivered like a suite of gastronomic attaches presented to a diplomatic mission, each more intriguing than the previous. From the Tiramisu face of the foie gras mousse, through a spring roll dressed fish rilette in a crispy potato topped with clover, a popcorn with potato crisps, a firm jelly with creamy touch and cracking pumpkin seeds. Then came the Butchers’s bread with truffle dressing. Our waiter cut the fragrant bread bun in half and stuffed it with a truffled flesh that accompanied our first sips of Pinot Noir. A more classic pan de campagne (country bread) was also served. No choices, unless you request the gluten-free phenomenon, but the bread was served with a superb mountain butter next to the more awkward hay butter creation of the chef.
At the table was poured the Soup of stones with a delicate “Royale”. Accompanied by a seasoned stone that was to be be “licked” after eating the very reduced broth with tiny shavings of truffles and ravioli. A real terroir experience!

Some starters were not my cup of tea, but captured the contemporary dining trends. I got over the unethically produced duck livers on the gastronomic menus, so the Duck “Foie Gras” Terrine with seaweeds, smoked eel flavoured with orange and spaghetti squash sprinkled with yeast was out of question.
Aside this ethical slip, the choice was too appealing that each of us ordered two starters. I got Scrambled sea scallops cooked as “Lulu” does it, French toast topped with Osciètra Caviar (farmed as most legally have to be today). Outstanding! Lulu was a French lady who inspired the chef to scramble the scallops. The texture of the scallops resembled the creamiest scrambled eggs, the colour betrayed the by imaginative concoction though. The scallops looked more like a risotto, and although it was delicious, my mind kept going back to that “scrambled” concept on the menu.
My husband went for Bellon 000 Oysters in a crispy bread topped with caviar grains. The oysters were delicately baked into a fried bread-like cushion. Served with the seafood-friendly lemon and decorated with gold leafs, this was a small, yet decadent plate.
To follow, after the turnip was introduced to us in the kitchen, we both had to try the Turnip Confit during two days enhanced with mushroom extraction, stewed morels with wild garlic and crispy chicken skin. A mouth-puckering intensity of the extracted broth was supported by the honeycomb-shaped morel mushrooms and the very slowly, on low temperature, cooked turnip. The torn strips of crisp chicken skin were the cherries on the savoury tart of this plate.

Sauces and Terroirs in Modern Cuisine

My choice of the principal plate leaned towards the mountain zone. The Roasted fillet of Pike perch with a peppered bone marrow and Vin Jaune was impressive only because of its extractive sauce, but the weakest plate of the night. The answer may lay in myself not being a fan of the taste and mainly the jelly cum fatty texture of the bone marrow.

Le 1947 restaurant at the Cheval Blanc Hotel in Courchevel

The chef shared a recipe for Spinach and smoked Maviar “sandwich” served in the tasting menu that is utterly delicious as he treated me to. It looked simple enough for me to make at home. Imagine, rösti potatoes wrapped in greens with a dash or creamy ricotta. Now, I am warming my dehydrator to make the spinach ash.

Veggie spinach recipe:

serving: 2pax

6 spinach big leaves

1pcs agria potato

50g clarified butter

125g ricotta

100g spinach ash

Per memory nutmeg, espelette pepper, salt, olive oil

Wash, peel the potato then slice it thinly and cut as a julienne. In a non stick pan with clarified butter cook a thin pancake of potato julienne. Mix spinach ash with ricotta cheese, season with salt, pepper and olive oil.

Spread a layer of ricotta and spinach ash on a big leaf(washed)of spinach, then place a piece of potato pancake. Cover with another spinach leaf, grate on top some nutmeg and espelette pepper.

Eat it as a club sandwich with your hand.

The chef had also a surprise for my ‘Alpine Journey’ taking husband, whose “Precious piece of Wagyu beef cooked in the Fire” served with on our table mixed Barbot-style baked potato steamed with marrow and seasoned with cumin, got a bit of molecular cuisine touch. Watch in the video bellow how the liquid nitrogen is being used to cut the lettuces into a crispy sorbet-like side dish. I got a bowl too and the sommelier assisted on the preparation. The chef played the role of the director during the entire evening. He did not cook at that time, just finished all the plates with his fine touch.

The wine list sparks with vertical bottles in some mesmerising sizes of the Chateau Cheval Blanc red Bordeaux. This elegant beauty from the right bank enchanted me when tasting the 2009 vintage en primeur. Each year, a different vintage is served by the very pricey glass at the Cheval Blanc’s Bar from the enomatic dispenser, but at the Le 1947 restaurant we were granted an extra option, the grand 2005 vintage poured from the more advanced Coravin. This system does not let any oxygen into the bottle, while sealing the empty space with a protective gas so the bottle remains as if it was never opened. The thin needle like a bee sipping on the precious nectar of a blooming flower, just sucks in what is desired for the glass. Our bottle of Grand Cru Bonnes Mares, Burgundy Pinot Noir by one of our favourite producers Domaine de La Vougeraie was no less enchanting. The sommelier knew his carte des vins well advising on the vintage that was now perfect to drink.

Mesmerised by the vinous pleasure from the Cheval, my favourite glass that evening was a Vin Jaune that I decided to pair with the extraordinary cheese [the cheese made it!]. The rare, aged Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage 2015 vintage from the award-winning cheesemonger Fromagerie Les Alpages in Grenoble was oozing with joy when it found a friend in this nutty and super dry white wine By Domaine Labet from the Jura. They have an online store offering the best French cheese, oh lalaa! The limited selection of just four, superb cheeses was served with honeyed hazelnuts, a small lamb’s lettuce salad with freshly shaved black truffles and traditional Savoyard bread.

Le fil fouge sucré a concept of a Grand Dessert of 12 sweet flavours is part of the degustation menu, yet our experience at Le 1947 restaurant ended with in snow prepared ice cream, that we saw being churned by one of the cooks in the course of the dinner and small assortment of sweets to accompany a super green mountain herbal tisane. A great digestion was assured, and we are already excited about the next skiing season to indulge at Le 1947 restaurant again!

For a more casual taste of the Alléno’s cuisine I like the café at the Dior in St Tropez, and I am looking forward to the new opening of bistro Terroir Parisien in Paris and Hong Kong this year.

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