Dijon, its city, its success
The forecourt of the city of gastronomy © city of Dijon
It opened its doors on May 6, as planned, inaugurated not by the current president Emmanuel Macron, but by his predecessor, François Hollande, gourmet (he did honor to the cakes of Nicolas Bernardé!), bon vivant and friend of the mayor François Rebsamen, who was once his minister. In short, Dijon has indeed created the gourmet event before the summer, with its International City of Gastronomy and Wine of Dijon rising from the ground, on 6 ha, in the former Hôtel-Dieu enhanced through a audacious architectural rehabilitation, multiplying varied experiences and quality exhibitions (including one devoted to pastry). The place impresses, mixing the old and the modern with audacity, built and rebuilt by Eiffage, with the architects Anthony Béchu, eminent member of the Club des Cent, and Alain-Charles Perrot, sheltering a school of cooking stamped Ferrandi, a school of Burgundy wines, food shops, a gourmet bookstore managed by Deborah Dupont, plus a major cellar and three restaurants signed Eric Pras, the three-star MOF de Lameloise in Chagny, managed by the Epicure group. There are still nine Pathé cinemas, start-ups from Village by CA and its Vitagora locomotives, plus Foodtech Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and apartment buildings, signs that a new district is emerging around the Cité. This huge project, which will have cost some 200 million euros (including 30 for the City alone), has put all the assets on its side. After the sinking of that of Lyon and before those of Rungis and Tours, Dijon took the lead with its city by betting on the future, devoting itself not only to the influence of Burgundy on the edge of the great coasts, but to that of all French delicacies highlighted here with clarity. A Hilton-labeled hotel should see the light of day within two years in the historic premises of the former hospital.
Inauguration of the CIGV © DR
Philip Chronopoulos, the Greek Angel of the Royal Palace
Philip Chronopoulos © GP
He is the Greek angel of the Palais Royal in Paris, its zealous magician, its virtuoso cook, now awarded two stars, who builds his culinary style with gourmet, subtle and creative advances while paying homage to his roots. Philip Chronopoulos, 34, a native of Athens trained in Parisian catering, with Alain Passard at Arpège and Joël Robuchon at his Atelier de l’Etoile, has been the chef of the Restaurant du Palais Royal for seven years now, also playing the chief executive of the Evok group (Brach, Nolinski, Sinner), which is preparing to establish itself in Venice. The service is led with dexterity by Ahmad Hamouni, who we once knew at the Royal Monceau and at the Meurice, and the decor has been revised with sobriety and warmth by the decorator Christophe Tollemer who also designed the colorful lounges on the first floor facing the gardens. . There is a slight air of Venice in this table opening onto the columns of the Royal Palace which make one think, without much effort of the imagination, of the edges of Saint Mark’s Square. On the plates are revealed lively, fine, complex things, like these fine neo-Hellenic appetizers which reconnect so nicely with the roots of the brilliant Philip. Thus the ‘spanakopita” – a tart with fresh herbs, spinach, coriander, mint, tarragon, parsley, feta cheese and yellow wine, which turns out to be overwhelmingly simple. Or the crispy buckwheat, tarama, black Kalamata olives and grated foie gras. We tell you everything very quickly.
Olivier Bellin in Singapore
Olivier Bellin © GP
He is the conquering Breton chef of Finistère at Les Glazicks de Plomodiern, where he is twice starred, from l’Etage in Brest, from Mersea in Paris, Olivier Bellin, who was starred chef in Hong Kong, opens “Ocean” immersive restaurant in Singapore, with its aquarium, in the Equarius Hotel – WRS – World Resort Santosa –, its excellent dining and kitchen teams, its reception bar with a mixology champion bartender, its wine list and its rich cellar, in particular, large bottles from Bordeaux and Burgundy. Sleek setting, well-spaced precious wooden table (twelve in all), menus between €65 and €195. Stars in sight…
A table © GP
Didier Anies in Cannes
Didier Aniès © DR
This discreet and traveling MOF, we followed him everywhere: in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, at the Grand Hotel, in Monaco, at the Nikki Beach and at the Fairmont, in Switzerland, at the Glion school, last year . Here is now Didier Aniès back on the Côte d’Azur, responsible for giving punch to the cuisine of the Château de la Tour in Cannes, bought by the Groupe Nova Ace group, established in the Bordeaux vineyards, owner of the Château Tour Saint-Fort in Saint-Estèphe and Château Grand Ormeau in Lalande-de Pomerol, eager to make a good impression in the city of festivals. The director of the Château de la Tour, Audrey Navarro, formerly of the Grand Hôtel du Cap Ferrat, finds here a talented accomplice capable of winning the star here.
Eric Trochon at Otto
Eric Trochon, © Stéphane de Bourgies
MOF 2011, teacher at the Ferrandi school, former chef of Sémilla, now self-employed and starred, in the 5th in Paris, with his Korean girlfriend Mijin Ryu, under the sign of Solstice, Eric Trochon will sign the menu of a new restaurant on rue Mouffetard, located at n°5 and created by two wine and cooking enthusiasts, Stéphane Offner and Tony Alvarez-Parage. The place will be called “ Otto“’. On the program, small relaxed tapas-style dishes called “after-work” and dishes cooked over Japanese charcoal, the binchotan, plus an extensive wine list. The artistic direction of the place will be signed Helena Ichbiah, who has already worked at Sketch in London and at Troisgros in Ouches. Planned opening: July 2022.
Federica Ritteri, Princess of Tuscany
Federica Ritteri in the kitchen © GP
She is the new rising chef in Tuscany. Federica Ritteri, 34, purely self-taught, has made Amor Vino, a modern trattoria located on the ground floor of the Tenuta Fertuna, in Maremne, this Tuscan Camargue where great wines such as Lodaï are produced, an elite table . She revisits, in the kitchen, traditional dishes in her modern, lively, funny, light way. His companion and partner, Silvia Sarcoli, enlivens the room with enthusiasm, and breathes a beautiful energy into the place. There is the contemporary setting, the unlined wooden tables, the wine racks, displaying the wines produced and sold by the Meregalli family, plus, on the plates, products from the maritime and land Maremne, gleaned from the surroundings and, artfully selected by Federica. We delight in this way exquisite marinated sardines flanked with caramelized onions, celery and pistachio, a traditional tomato bread soup called “pappa al pomodoro”, seasoned with crunchy pancetta, burrata and basil or vibrant spaghetti ” aglio, olio and peperoncino with slipper lobster, which contribute to enriching the regional repertoire. Here is certainly the good clear and new table to discover during a journey in Tuscany on the South side.
Roberto Rispoli in Dubai
Roberto Rispoli © Maurice-Rougemont
He was our foreign chef of the year at Pudlo 2011, was starred alongside Alain Ducasse at Andana, in Tuscan Maremma, obtained a star at Il Carpaccio du Royal Monceau, where he lived for more than seven years. He learned Greek cooking alongside Andreas Mavrommatis, with whom he also won a macaron in the large Hellenic house bearing the name of Andreas and his brothers Evagoras on rue Daubenton, before opening his own house “Mulino Muline” in the 10th. He had left Paris without drums or trumpets and we had lost track of his Italian leprechaun, greedy, creative and talented. Roberto Rispoli, a native of Pompeii in Campania, replaced his compatriot Marco Garfagnini (now “culinary artist” of the Airelles group) as executive chef of the Jumeirah group in Dubai, headed by José Silva, the charismatic former general manager of the Four Seasons George V in Paris. Roberto is notably in charge of “Shimmers“, a table dedicated to Mediterranean cuisine, where Italian and Greek flavors meet.
In Gassin, two tables for the Villa Belrose
The Duc Ngo and Jimmy Coutel © AA
Overlooking the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, on the heights of Gassin, Villa Belrose is worth the charm of its panoramic location. But the gourmet pleasures are not forgotten there, far from it. The residence, which was once starred under the seal of Thierry Thiercelin and had the talented Pietro Volonte as gourmet watchtower, offers itself this year two cooks for its 2022 season. First, Jimmy Coutel, 36, who was sous-chef right here from 2009 to 2014, then chef de la Palmeraie at Château de Valmer, starred in 2017, and who ran his own restaurant, Bergamote in Cavalaire-sur-Mer, became the executive chef of the house, offering his cuisine under the name of “Petit Belrose” by the pool. The German group Althoff, owner of the Villa Belrose, also asked the Berlin chef of Vietnamese origin The Duc Ngo to discover, every evening, within the former restaurant Belrose, his concept of ephemeral restaurant “Club l’Indochine”. , combining French gastronomy and flavors of Indochina. We’ll discuss it again later.