After learning from important French chefs, Christophe Pelé successfully launched a 24-seat upscale bistro where he proposes a menu at a fixed priced exclusively inspired by creative cuisine. This speaks volumes to his virtues: reasonable price, self-confidence, total freshness of the products, well-balanced profits… These abilities deserved him some recognition: two Michelin stars and two Gault Millau hats; two distinctions we actually agree with. If we analyse the final result, that is to say the experienced pleasure, the mark can reached around 7,5/10. As long as personality, technique and refinement concerns, it is clear that the visions of future are huge. The chef’s qualities are unquestionable, that’s a fact, but there is a lack of materialization. The artistic constructions, clearly original and remarkable, do not always reach the desired distinction. In many cases, we do not find the common thread; although the involved elements are very worthy separately, their combination, succession and leitmotiv leave much to be desired. When all this is solved, along with the intellectual maturity of the cook, his work can make a considerable qualitative leap. It is really likely to do so. It is just a question of time.
The appetizers are all served at the same time in three different plates: a thick cow and tuna carpaccio with chickweed; clams with Tatsoi cabbage and onion juice; peas with smoked eel and red pepper juice. Although these proposals were –obviously– good, their intellectual audacity and exquisiteness were not really distinctive. Almost raw, pure and utterly juicy, the sardine is garnished with spring onion flowers and accompanied with an excellent caramelized carrot, really tasty and tender, with fills the palate with sweetness to counterbalance the dry and salty touch of the fish. The cuttlefish with Collonata belly pork and snap peas is minimalist, but not very substantial. The essential style is also expressed through the white asparagus, really thick, al dente, bitter, garnished with smelt roe, lobster, royale of the crustacean and fennel emulsion, which do not shade the main ingredient and give it some enriching touches. The monkfish, reinforced with capers, pine nuts, anchovy and caramelized lemon, is really delightful. Rather than being an unquestionable pairing, the pigeon, accompanied with Aquitaine caviar and spinaches, is characterized by its doneness, neatness, tenderness and juiciness.
The infinite series of desserts, faithful to the French tradition, offer a high general level and some stellar moments, like the frozen pineapple juice with grilled pineapple and thyme flowers; the lemon cream with baby beans; the fruit salad with spiced biscuit; the rhubarb juice with raspberries and meringue; the caramel with salted butter served with asparagus, muscovado sugar and white cheese; the chocolate ganache with cucumber and caramelized black olives, chocolate cake, … A paradise for the lovers of sweet delicatessen.
This cuisine is able to progress and reach very high levels.
