March 2016: Do you rely on the
Michelin Guide to make your restaurant choices when you visit a city that is
covered by the Guide? The Michelin Guide started publishing in 1900 in France,
as a guide with maps, given away free of charge to motorists so that they could
locate local mechanics, hotels and petrol stations. In 1926, the Guide started
awarding stars to dining establishments. In 1931, the hierarchy of one, two,
and three stars was introduced and at the same time the cover of the Guide
changed colour from blue to red. In 1936, the criteria for the starred rankings
were published:
*: "A very good restaurant in its
category" (Une
très bonne table dans sa catégorie)- **: "Excellent cooking, worth a
detour" (Table
excellente, mérite un détour)
- ***: "Exceptional cuisine, worth a
special journey" (Une des meilleures tables, vaut le voyage)
Later, the Guide added
the Bib Gourmand feature, listing restaurants offering “exceptional good food at moderate prices”. So what prices are deemed moderate? The menu items must be priced below a
threshold determined by local economic standards. (Wonder how often these economic standards
are reviewed?) “Bib” is the company’s nickname for Bibendum, the Michelin Man,
the corporate logo.
I was driven to
research the above guidelines as I am increasingly confused by the standards
represented by various rated restaurants. My experiences at equal-ranked restaurants
in different cities have certainly been varying – for example, compare Hong
Kong and London. There seems to be a
lack of global consistency. Some restaurants should be really categorized as
Bib Gourmand, rather than the venerable starred restaurants. At least for Hong Kong, the presence of a
star does not mean much in terms of quality of food, and the rating rather
equates to the degree of difficulty in making a reservation. For example, ‘three stars’ means close to
impossible, unless you try many months in advance or you have special
connections. (Having said this, Richard
is a loyal ‘collector’ of the Guide and he buys all the European Guides and the
rather unhelpful HK Guide every year.
What is more, they usually make up a reasonable percentage of luggage
weight when travelling to Europe.)
During the week of Les
Grands Jours de Bourgogne (21 - 25 March 2016), we had the opportunity to dine at a few restaurants
in Beaune which boasts a couple of one-Michelin-starred restaurants (the city
has 4 altogether, with no higher rated restaurants), as well as a number of
casual places.
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| Our Poulet de Bresse being prepared. |
The Bistro de L’Hotel was
our first dining venue. It produced good
honest bistro cuisine, with consistent quality, from potato cream soup,
deep-fried artichoke, to ris de veau and a perfectly roasted Poulet de Bresse,
complete with crispy skin, succulent meat and tasty garlic-flavoured jus. One could describe it as gastro-bistro, to
justify the elevated prices for a Poulet de Bresse (EUR 90 per Poulet to be
shared by two or a Poularde de Bresse at EUR 110). The main course of ris de
veau was EUR 42. The starters were relatively less expensive, with the
Vichyssoise at EUR 16 and the deep-fried artichoke at EUR 17. These prices matched those of the city’s
one-Michelin starred restaurants, as we will see. (I was told it was frequented by a number of serious
wine collectors, from the US as well as Asia. One might draw comparison with
another famous bistro in Paris: L’Ami Louis.)
And not to forget ‘les frites’ (the French fries). The wine list was
extensive (especially for the Bourgogne selection) and included a number of
vintages, which was a plus for their targeted clientele as most restaurants in
Beaune would typically feature wines no older than 2007/2008, and even then
would only be less than 5% of the selection, with the majority being 2011 –
2014. (The Michelin Guide did comment on
the impressive wine list.) Service was impeccable and Jeremy the sommelier
looked after us and the bottles of 2005 Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de
Tonnerre (EUR 210) and 2002 Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Goulots (EUR
385) drank brilliantly. Both bottles
were chosen from the restaurant wine list.
The champagne by the glass was a grower blanc de blancs, perfect for the
job at EUR 16 a coupe. Approximately EUR
250 per head including the wines mentioned. The restaurant allows brought-in
bottles and corkage is EUR 50 a bottle. Sounds like a fair deal.
The following evening we
dined at a similar convivial set-up: La Maison du Colombier set in a building
that dates to 1574 and includes a charming hexagonal turret. Chef Roland
Chanliaud formerly ran the kitchen at Le Jardin des Remparts is at the helm at
La Maison du Colombier producing seasonal dishes and creations of the moment.
We actually returned a subsequent evening for an apero before dinner. We were five people and were assigned a nice
table upstairs. Downstairs is a lively
bar area made up of 3 vaulted cellars where people just come in for small
bites/tapas, washed down with a nice selection of reds and whites by the
glass. At the time, they offered 2
crémants and 2 champagne by the glass (an Extra Brut (EUR 12 a glass) and a
Bollinger). When we were there, there
were a 2013 Ladoix (Camille Giroud), a 2011 Volnay (Thomas Bouley) and a 2013
Auxey-Duresses blanc (Benjamin Leroux).
For our dinner, we shared a few tapas (excellent mackerels poached in
white wine and vinegar, mini sardines on Poilâne toast, smoked salmon rillette
and monkfish liver with piment d’Espelette, a plate of Bellota ham). All were
about EUR 8 to EUR 16 per dish. For main
courses, I had 3 plump scallops (with coral), grilled with chorizo crumble and
garlic butter (EUR 7 per scallop). The
others had a creamy gâteau de foies (like a mousse), with langoustines and a
lamb stew (about EUR 15 – 17 per main course).
Portions were moderate and designed to be preceded by a few tapas. I loved the atmosphere, the ambiance and the
efficient and charming service. For
wine, we had a bottle of 2012 Hubert Lamy Saint Aubin 1er Cru Clos de La
Chatenière (EUR 84) and a 2010 Hubert Lignier Morey St Denis 1er Cru La Riotte
(EUR 142). Roughly EUR 85 per
person. Somewhere I definitely look
forward to returning to…and they even have a few apartments/suites.
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| Le Jardin des Remparts |
The following evening,
dinner à deux at Le Jardin des Remparts, a one-Michelin starred restaurant, set
inside a lovely 1930’s villa bourgeoise with the remparts behind. In the
summer, the terrace is a lovely spot for pre-dinner cocktails. We arrived about 8:30 pm and we finished our
meal around 10 pm. We only delayed
departure so that we could finish our bottle of 2008 Marquis d’Angerville
Volnay Taillepieds. The amuse-gueles arrived in a hurry, even before our white
wine was served. They showed creativity
and the boudin noir and mushroom ball was rather delicious. We decided not to
have an aperitif as disappointingly they only had one choice of champagne by
the glass, a Veuve Clicquot yellow label, nothing wrong with the consistent
quality of the Grande Marques, but one would expect a restaurant of this
quality to feature a more eclectic option to excite the palate. The chef’s
welcome dish also arrived rather promptly. This was not as interesting as the 4
little amuse-gueules earlier. In fact, I could describe it as a plate of two
large and bland-tasting beans – we could not see the point in this welcome
dish. I ordered a small salad to start –
the chef was kind to accommodate my off-menu order but my first few mouthfuls
of lamb’s lettuce (mâche) were filled with grit. Richard’s white asparagus was much more
successful and up to standard, as was his sirloin beef main course was
excellent, perfectly executed, tender and juicy (The dish was Pièce de Bœuf Rôtie, Pommes de Terre Fondantes et Condiment
Échalote, Kumquat de Michel et Bénédicte Baches, at EUR 45). I ordered another starter as main course and the
concept behind this creation really eluded me: the over-creaminess (taste-wise)
of the avocado cream rather exaggerated the blandness of the squid confit
(tasted more like steamed). It definitely needed lots of black pepper! (The dish was: Crémeux
d’Avocat, Encornets à l’Huile de Genièvre Frais des Hautes Côtes de Nuits et
Bergamote at EUR 35.) According to
the sommelier, she only had one bottle of Bourgogne red wine from a vintage
older than 2007 – it was 2006. We asked
for a 2007 bottle and it was already sold out.
The selection of Bourgogne reds spanned about 3 pages, but did not feature
that many appellations, with very rare appearance from the Côte Chalonnaise or
even some Côte de Beaune emerging appellations (Pernand-Vergelesses, Savigny,
for example). I thought it was a
slightly feeble attempt to feature a single Fixin, after the
Gevrey-Chambertins, and it was from Domaine Leroy, vintage 2009, priced at almost
EUR 280. They did not clean the table (clearing away the crumbs) before serving
the cheese course either. The cheese
platter here was EUR 14 (compared with EUR 15 at Bistro de L’Hotel). The
sommelier looked hassled and uninterested to entertain any discussions about
the wines. She didn’t look as though she
was enjoying herself as all she did the whole evening was going round the
tables, topping water and wine and opening bottles. Service lacked charm and I couldn’t help
feeling like being ‘processed’ in a factory.
It was about EUR 230 per person with wine included (think the 2008
Angerville Volnay Taillepieds was around EUR 150).
The evening before we
left Beaune, we tried another one-Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Carmin. We heard great things. The chef Christophe Quéant was previously at
Michelin-starred Château de Pommard. Le Carmin has a great location, right on
the Place Carnot and very close to L’Hôtel Dieu. I liked the modern chic and
clean décor, using grey and red colours, with contemporary lighting
fixtures. I often find the amuse-gueules
served with aperitif exciting and innovative creations by the chef. However, here they seemed rather mundane and
disappointing, compared to those served at Le Jardin des Remparts. The cold and soggy gougère was particularly
off-putting. To accompany the
amuse-gueles, we had a glass of Henriot champagne (EUR 12 a glass). The rest of
the food was tasty but did not hit high notes.
Richard had a slow-cooked egg with morels and green asparagus (EUR 33),
followed by a simply grilled pork chop, served with rich mashed potato (EUR
36).
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| Steamed monkfish with carrot and ginger jus |
I tried the salmon, smoked with vine ‘sarments’, served with lemon cream, white
toast and a small salad (EUR 21), followed by steamed monkfish with carrot jus
and ginger (EUR 44). It sounded a lot more exciting than it tasted. It was not a harmonious creation – while the carrot
and ginger enhanced the endive that wrapped the monkfish, these two flavours
did not make great company for the monkfish.
Richard ordered a tarte fine aux pommes (EUR 12) which strangely arrived
cold – normally, it would be made à la minute, served hot with the ice cream
just about to melt on top. The service
was charming and professional. The wine
selection was well-appointed, with offerings across a number of Bourgogne
appellations, with price per bottle ranging from EUR 40 to 400. There were good
showings from Auxey, Ladoix, Marsannay, Beaune, Savigny, Chorey, Nuits, Pommard
and Volnay, just that the vintages tended to be rather young – 2013 and 2014.
(Big tick from me!) We ordered two half
bottles: a 2010 Louis Jadot Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot Clos de La Chapelle,
Duc de Magenta and a really yummy 2011 Bouchard Beaune-Grèves Vigne de L’Enfant Jésus (the
latter EUR 67 for half bottle). I was
very impressed by the manager/sommelier’s immediate acknowledgement of the
white’s prematurely oxidized state (when he poured for us to taste before
serving) and prompt recommendation of a 2014 Rapet Pernand-Vergelesses Clos du
Village (EUR 37 for half bottle). When
asked if it would be too young, he assured us of the accelerated development in
a half bottle and that 2014 would not seem young at all. (Sad to report) he was absolutely
correct! The red was really delicious
with silky texture and harmonious mouthfeel, beautifully integrated flavours,
and not too young to enjoy either!
About EUR 140 per person. We were
not convinced about its 1- star award.
As mentioned above,
1-star means the food is very good in its category, according to the
Guide. Le Carmin is listed under Cuisine
Classique and Le Jardin des Remparts Cuisine Moderne. The differences in these category definitions
are a little too subtle in this case.
Earlier in the day, we
made room for lunch at Caves Madeleine. I had exactly the same dish that I had
there 3 years ago. It was a warm cabbage salad with bacon. It was simple but really tasty. Richard said he had the best cabillaud ever,
served with olive oil from the Douro, and a tasty Vichyssoise to start. (He
said the cabillaud was far better than the fish course he had at a 3-Michelin
starred restaurant in the Black Forest where we were 9 days ago, on this same
trip.) Our guests had a lovely endive salad, a suprême de canette in a nice
broth and a great vegetarian pot-au-feu.
Portions were well-measured, and prices were reasonable. EUR 12 for my salad. EUR 28 for the daily menu. Caves Madeleine features a classic selection
of wines, as well as paying attention to interesting new domaines, natural
wines and even a biodynamic beer. We had a gorgeous bottle of 2012 Lafon
Meursault Désirée and a 2008 Lafarge Volnay Clos des Chênes – a great
comparison with the Angerville Taillepieds from the previous evening. I found the Angerville more appealing at this
stage while it seemed a bit precocious to enjoy the Lafarge now, given its more
serious structure. Convivial ambiance,
friendly service. Definitely a place to
return to.
Both the Caves
Madeleine and La Maison du Colombier are not listed in the 2016 Michelin Guide.
We would have loved to
try La Dilettante (also not listed) if we only we could get in! I was also
recommended Bissoh for great yakiniku and sushi, if you felt like a late supper
and the chef would just prepare in front of you. It would be ‘mission
impossible’ to convince Richard to go to a Japanese restaurant in Beaune
though.
Just before Beaune, we
spent 5 days in Germany where we tried a number of restaurants, including a
couple of 3-Michelin starred restaurants within 6 km of each other within the
Black Forest.
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| The very charming dining room at Hotel Bareiss |
The gastronomic restaurant
of Hotel Bareiss in Baiersbronn-Mitteltal is a paragon of 3-star holder. It got
its first star in 1984; a year later the restaurant was awarded one more star
till 2007 when it was awarded 3 stars and has been since. Everything is impeccable here, from service
to ambiance to quality of food. If you
had to criticize something, you could argue their bread selection is rather
limited. It is a lovely dining room, not
too big, with classic upholstery, a warm crimson colour, and a beautiful large
chandelier as centre-piece. The ambiance
is cosy and romantic. The prestige cuvée by the glass was a Pommery Cuvée
Louise 2002 (EUR 25 a glass), and a very delicious one too!
They very kindly accommodated my request for a small salad to begin,
followed by what I thought was the best sole dish I have ever had in a
restaurant (bravo to Chef Claus-Peter Lumpp).
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| The pan-fried sole with croutons |
It came in 3 ways: 1) pan-fried
with croutons, served with asparagus tips and Béarnaise sauce, 2) gratinated sole cannelloni with asparagus noodles and grape seed oil vinaigrette and asparagus consommé with strips of sole and small spring vegetables. It tasted fresh, and each way of cooking as exciting as the last, with the firm texture of the sole forming a great contrast with the soft texture of the white asparagus, and the flavours melted into one harmonious assembly. This dish was EUR 76. Richard rated his turbot middle course equally highly:
Breton turbot, semolina with sorrel lemon powder and lemon butter sauce. The lamb dish was perfectly executed (
Cassolette of milk-fed lamb with raw marinated artichokes fregula sarda and wild garlic). Dessert is a highlight here – the pastry chef does a really fine job if you still have room. Otherwise, the petits fours are quite divine too.
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| The dining room at Schwarzwaldstube |
6 km
away in Tonbach, the Schwarzwaldstube has continuously been a 3-Michelin-starred restaurant since 1992.
We were greeted by both the proprietor and the chef Harald Wohlfahrt
separately. We went for lunch – therefore it was not a direct comparison. Perhaps it was lunch, the clientèle seemed
more business-like and the décor of the dining room is an interesting mix of
country wood panels and fine chandeliers.
The colour scheme here is mauve blue. They have a vegetarian menu which
is every bit as exciting as the normal gourmet menu. I actually took 2 dishes from the vegetarian
menu for lunch: a salad with cereal grains and artichokes followed by the
mushroom tart with truffle. Richard had
the same mushroom tart, followed by the sole.
I thought the mushroom tart was perhaps not their finest creation, as
the tofu in the middle was moist and let out quite a bit of moisture into the shortcrust pastry, which was a bit too thick for our liking and absorbing the moisture
from the tofu, it turned a bit soggy.
The salad of grains was really delicious though. Richard’s sole was over-cooked and not quite
a 3-Michelin star quality dish. Another
great feature about this restaurant was its wine list. There were some great (reasonably-priced) gems
here, especially from France. Something
we started noticing was that the prices of top German Spätburgunders on wine
lists were very similar to some Village/Premier Cru wines from top domaines in Bourgogne.
The Bareiss was
definitely a 3-star experience, but we need to return to Tonbach to have dinner
for a proper verdict. Based on the lunch
experience alone, it did not quite merit 3 stars.
In Baden-Baden, we
visited 2 restaurants, one with 2 stars (Brenners-Park) and the other with just
one (Le Jardin de France). There was one
really positive thing about the Park restaurant was that there was one
whole page of vegetarian menu and one whole page of gluten-free and
lactose-free menu, out of a 4-page menu!
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| A very fine vegetarian starter |
I did not feel that my dishes lived up to the Michelin star standard, in
fact, my monkfish was rather unexciting.
It did not help that I had to have a long discussion with the
manager/sommelier that we didn’t like the wine he recommended, that we all
thought it was too ‘bretty’ and simply not enjoyable (it was a 2005 GG
Spätburgunder), and I didn’t react too well when his only comment was that he
had sold a few bottles of this wine and nobody had complained before. In the
end, we just paid for it but also ordered another bottle of a much younger
Spätburgunder. Aside from this
interlude, the service was generally friendly, but I did not feel that we had
any high points. Richard was indifferent about his turbot main course. Approximately EUR 230
per head. I don’t particularly feel a
hurry to return. It would be hard to
call this worth a detour, as it was right in the heart of Baden-Baden. Perhaps the Guide has another definition that
they internally use.
Le Jardin de France on
the other hand is a small restaurant run by a couple. The room is not particularly charming, in
fact, with the conservatory-like exterior, it felt a little ‘cold’ and
‘impersonal’, compared with the warmth of the old world décor at the Brenners
Park. The food was classic French, with probably
too much cream in a few dishes, but tasty and suitably salty. It was asparagus season and 4 out of 5 of us
had the stir-fried white and green asparagus in a parmesan cheese cream sauce,
with morels. I had that as my main
course and started with a cappuccino of asparagus velouté above a tasty green
pea mousse. Richard’s main course of
rack of lamb was perfectly executed while others enjoyed the monkfish and
lobster casserole in a rich lobster sauce. We returned to a French wine
selection of Condrieu followed by Pichon Baron 1999. The patronne served us herself and she was
charming and friendly. Bread was very
good here, with the potato bread being particularly recommended!
Did they live up to
their Michelin star award? I thought the
Park’s 2-star award was questionable and Le Jardin de France deserved its star
for tasty classic cooking that delivered consistent quality each time we
visited (we have been 3 – 4 times) but lacked creativity/innovation.
A bit like wine-tasting
I suppose, a lot of factors could affect our dining experience: mood, ambiance,
company, freshness of ingredients, execution (often less is more!), and
expectations based on food critics and guides.
From our week in Beaune, I felt that we had far better/more satisfactory
experiences at places that don’t even feature in the Michelin guide and
certainly without a star. And as a
consumer, my first question is always: “Would I return to it?”, recalling the
Michelin Guide’s definitions of the award system. For me, it has to be more about the food –
the food is but one aspect of the entire experience. Sometimes simple honest food, well-cooked
with quality ingredients, with friendly and charming service, combined with the
ambiance of the room, is well worth a return.
