Lottery-winning, fish-eating vegetarians will be clapping their hands because this is one restaurant where the meat-free diet is celebrated. Scratch that. Out went the meat, in came seafood, grains, vegetables and a largely organic offering. It opened in September last year, after being excluded from the Michelin guide during refurbishment. It took a one-star hit on re-opening. I hopped on the Eurostar at St Pancras to have lunch and a wander around the streets of one of my favourite cities in the world.
The decor is other-wordly from the Murano chandeliers to the polished cloche banquettes each took hours to make. All tables are left bare to show their beautiful wooden grain. There are no flowers, on strict instructions of Mr Ducasse, any scent would destroy the palate.
The meal starts with a bright green juice, which tastes way to healthy for my liking, plenty of iron-rich vegetables and a large globe of ice. Bread is seed-rich, one a galette of nuts and grains, the others traditional French and a treacle-rich brown, all made on site.
Then came a deep-fried sardine, the whole fish ready to be slipped down the throat, bones included. The baby gem lettuce was sublime, crunchy and chargrilled, I chickened-out and left the bones and head but the fish was so tasty. Then ensued a delicate balancing act stacking the various ingredients on the pancake topped by the thick cream without it making a mess on the deep-pile wool carpet.
Black rice with scallops and samphire was prepared at the table and was nutty, fishy and moreish. Confit clementines brought a sharp but perfect balance of sweetness and acidity along with a tender white asparagus.
