La Grenouillere

I can't really find the words the explain the reason I found myself here. In short, my company away day consisted of a private jet over to France. So yeah I'll take that. After landing and jumping in a local taxi, we were delivered to this delightful place tucked away in the delightful French countryside. I still had no idea where we were, but spent some time walking around the grounds to try and work something out. Quaint cottages were surrounded by freshly budding flowers and of course there was a slowly running stream flowing through it all. Just great. The first point I'd say here is the service. Our personal waiter and sommelier came out the front to great us personally and take us through the next few hours (and feast) that awaited. We were then taken in and sat down, presented with the menu and asked to delve into the wine list. To say something about it, it's bloody massive. The wines on offer seem endless but all are just as good as this amazing location. The decor was classy, very modern and comfortable. Handy given we were set for a couple of hours here. The food then. Where to start. We were tasked with the tasting menu, a six course journey through seafood, sweets, savoury and everything in between. Highlights for me included a beautifully soft pea and crab ball, almost like a truffle but just melt in your mouth excellence. Another was the ravioli. Lobster stuffed of course but to be honest the best pasta i've ever enjoyed. The wait between each course was again brilliant. You need the time to get over the course previously and prepare for the next. The food kept on coming in and yes it was a delight to take down. We finished with fresh honeycomb cut table side and then a small glass of mead to accompany. Such great thought goes into this menu. On the drink menu, I swung toward a locally sourced cider. Very subtle fizz but so fresh you could almost pick out the apples to the tree. The bottle was a huge serving and opened to finish in one sitting which i was totally fine with. Between the final course and coffee, the team at the restaurant and the chef took us for a tour of the grounds. It was such a beautiful afternoon with cider in hand we were shown the ingredients growing that we just ate and how each course was constructed. I see this trip and a total one-off and i'm more than lucky to experience such a thing. If you're ever within the chance to go here. Go here. It will be DOPE. 5 star blammy

Alexandre Gauthier is an up and coming chef that was prominently introduced to the food world by Alain Ducasse. La Grenouillere received its Michelin Star in 2007 with his combination of Japanese and French styles. Similar to that of David Kinch, Chef Gauthier brought his cooking to Manresa's kitchen in a weekend of excellent dinners. As with most progressive cooking, sometimes it's hard to find a point of reference. To relate a chefs vision to something you had before or at least something similar. I'm currently very enamored with this movement which has brought me new experiences and made me think what food could all be about. With that, onto the Gauthier/Kinch menu, in which you will probably need some translation unless you're fluent in Francais... Tasting Menu: Amuse bouche of sea bream, shellfish Tasse d'eau de mer, Corn and tomato salad Huitres grilllees, jeunes courgettes et herbes du jardin Kin-medai, vivhysoisse of coastal herbs and green grapes, crisp green vegetables Ormeaux cuits aux pedoncules de tomates, tomates.... Farm chicken roasted with pine, matsutake mushrooms, summer corn with wild huckleberries ...Ferres, ail et girolles blanches Bulle d'oseille Goat cheese with port, walnuts, pain d'epice, figs Schistes de NIosettes Wines: 2005 Les Verges, Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard, Chassagne-Montrachet 2006 Mas Amiel, Vin Doux Naturel, Maury, fortified Grenache Chateau de L'Aulee, Cremant de Loire, Touraine, Sparkling Chenin Blanc. As I do with most of these dinners, I get very analytical. Everything is tasted, studied, savored, thought over. At the end of the meal, it is just food and you have to decide whether it tastes good. As some of you may know I don't care for zucchini. Somehow Chef Gauthier made it ok with his oysters on the plancha. Now I didn't love it, but I wasn't opposed to it either. The 40 day aged beef, however was insanely mind blowing. I could have sat there all night eating that Rodizio style. The chefs came out at the end of the night and we got to chat about the food, what they were doing, and how they would ultimately enjoy themselves after the cooking was all done with. I'll quote what others have said of Gauthier's skills: "precise, delicate, elegant yet provocative, wild, and robust."

Nous y sommes allés du 23 au 24/09/2023 pour fêter nos 30 ans de mariage. Nous y avons été vraiment très bien accueillis. Le repas était plus que succulent. Chaque bouchée était un régal pour les yeux ainsi qu’un délice, une explosion de saveurs en bouche. Le « ballet » des serveurs étaient très impressionnant. Chaque serveur était très sympathique et bienveillant. Nous avons même eu droit à un petit gâteau d’anniversaire auquel nous ne nous attendions pas et cela nous a beaucoup touché. Le décor est magnifique et la petite maison où nous étions était très jolie et très confortable. Certes, cela a un coût mais c’est justifié. Bref, nous avons passé un week-end MERVEILLEUX !

Le cadre est enchanteur, superbe accueil. Des petites attentions tout au long de ce séjour hors norme. Et la cuisine est juste parfaite ! Que de belles découvertes !

un moment exceptionnel: le dîner est un émerveillement du début à la fin : l’accueil et le service sont chaleureux, fait de petites attentions et toujours souriant. les mets de saison, entre terre et mer sont associés avec talent: un régal visuel et gustatif. La chambre dans son écrin est hors du temps à faire et refaire ++ merci

Que dire ! Les mots, le vocabulaire et les verbes ne seraient pas assez puissants pour exprimer le moment de bonheur passé dans ce restaurant. Nous étions dans notre bulle. Une farandole de plats exceptionnellement exquis. In service remarquable à la hauteur des mets servis. Une vaisselle magnifique. Un cadre bucolique. On est sortis du restaurant et on s'est dit "mais c'est quoi un 3 étoiles alors ?" Allez y (mais pas les yeux fermés ce serait dommage) en toute sérénité. Nous reviendrons.

Le sommelier a toujours raison, certes. J'ai 2 remarques constructives : je peux ne pas aimer un des vins proposés en accord avec les plats, j'aurais aimé qu'on m'en propose un autre ; J'aurais aussi aimé qu'on me fasse goûter les vins proposés avant qu'on m'en emplisse les verres, cela aurait évité ma déconvenue précédente. Sinon, au niveau plats, nous avons été enchantés.