TOP TABLES ❘ À LA CARTE
a simple tavern frequented by painters such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet, and now a luxury auberge. “What I really wanted to do was cook good country food like you might eat if you were invited to dinner at the home of someone who lives nearby,” he says, explaining his decision to move to L’Auberge de la Source. “I wanted to make everything to order using the best seasonal produce,” he adds, which accounts for the short, regularly-changing menu.
Staying here for the weekend as a guest at nearby wedding, I invited friends from Deauville and Trouville to join me for dinner. They groused about the 20-minute drive, but I assured them it would be worth it. We all chose the €56 discovery menu, which began with mackerel tartare with horseradish, a lovely light dish, followed by trout with baby peas in an apple-vinegar-spiked beurre blanc, another beautifully made dish with a subtle regional signature.
A main course of braised beef shoulder with tomatoes, basil and puffed rice delighted everyone and was followed by warm Camembert with green apple. An apple tart flamed with Calvados at the table concluded this excellent
“THIS PLAYFULLY INVENTIVE MEAL CONCLUDED WITH A DESSERT OF LENTILS AND RHUBARB WITH CHAMPAGNE FOAM”
meal, and it was gratifying to hear the enthusiastic compliments my friends paid to the chef when he stopped by our table while we were having coffee. L’Auberge de la Source, Chemin du Moulin, Barneville-la-Bertran, Tel. +33 02 31 89 25 02,
www.auberge-de-la-source.fr. Lunch menu €42, dinner menu €56, average à la carte €65.
LA TABLE DES CHEFS, REIMS Since it’s so challenging to get a reservation at Racines (book as far in advance as possible), which is my favourite restaurant in Reims, I’m always glad to have another good table to suggest in the champagne capital.
A recent newcomer I very much enjoyed is La
Table des Chefs, which the G.H. Mumm champagne house launched this past spring with a residency by talented young Parisian chef Mallory Gabsi, who has a Michelin-starred restaurant in the French capital’s 17th arrondissement. The idea of the restaurant is to discover that champagne is not only a delightful aperitif, but a superb wine to drink throughout a meal, and also to show how different vintages and cuvées produce champagnes that pair well
Oct/Nov 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 63
with specific foods. Stopping by in mid-August to sample chef Florian Barbarot’s superb four- course €55 lunch menu (which runs to €95 if you opt for the wine pairing – something I can heartily recommend), we were immediately intrigued by a first course of herring ‘sea foam’ with frozen peanuts and Cordon Rouge champagne foam, a fascinating medley of flavours. We also loved the next course – roasted Japanese mushrooms with coffee butter. A succulent main course of trout came with panisse (chickpea-flour bonbons), and this playfully inventive meal concluded with a dessert of lentils and rhubarb with champagne foam. Since this restaurant is based on the model of an artist residency, a new young chef will take over the kitchen every three months. This chef residency will be open all year round to offer champagne lovers and gastronomes a unique experience of sharing and discovery. 31 Rue du Champ de Mars, Reims, bookings only on G.H. Mumm website,
www.mumm.com. Open Thursday to Monday. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Advance reservations required. Prix-fixe lunch menu €55, four-course prix-fixe menu €75, six-course prix-fixe menu €115. FT
Below: Pigeon at La Table des Chefs; chef Mallory Gabsi during his residency
IMAGES © L’AUBERGE DE LA SOURCE, LA TABLE DES CHEFS - MUMM
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