As a MICHELIN Guide Inspector, I always look forward to our annual ceremony, when we honor the best restaurants all around France. This year, Christopher Coutanceau's restaurant in La Rochelle was awarded Three MICHELIN Stars for its simply superb dining experience. For those of you who aren't familiar with French geography, La Rochelle is located between Nantes and Bordeaux and is one of the gems of the French Atlantic coast. Fully open to the ocean via the Bay of Biscay, it attracts foodies galore for its seafood-centric gastronomy. Christopher Coutanceau is central to this appeal, drawing on his family's history as fishermen and using this expertise in his cooking. Here, I take you through a step-by-step account of my visit to this Three-MICHELIN-Star restaurant.
Arriving Via the Beach
Getting to the restaurant is an experience in itself: you exit the Old Town through Porte des Deux Moulins, a gate in the old city walls, before following a coastal path to the lively beach, Plage de la Concurrence. As I approached Christopher Coutanceau's restaurant, I was struck by the stark contrast between the slightly retro 1980s building and the hushed elegance that awaited me inside. From the moment you enter, you see that the interior design is an ode to the sea: a deep-blue carpet inspired by nautical charts, pillars in shades of sand, a breathtaking view of the ocean, a wavy ceiling design inspired by the seabed, and hundreds of glinting pendant lights that evoke the way the sun's rays dance on the water.
Simply Charming Service
The hallmarks of the excellent service, led by Nicolas Brossard, are a rigorous approach and a focus on the guest. Each member of the team has an in-depth knowledge of the ingredients, from their provenance to the transformation they undergo in the kitchen.
It was a pleasure to see the whole team's dedication and enthusiasm, which made for smooth and precise service. Every dish was presented to me with a detailed and accurate description of its make-up. Crucially, there was not a whiff of rigid formality, but an air of ease and charm. The well-orchestrated service I witnessed played a key role in ensuring a seamless dining experience.
A Gourmet Seascape
I sensed early on in my meal that Christopher Coutanceau was not trying to please anyone by latching onto fashionable trends or external expectations. You feel that he cooks what he loves, and does so with sincerity and commitment, remaining true to his culinary identity. Each dish reflects his love of the sea and his respect for the ingredients, and he eschews compromise and artifice. In keeping with the chef's sea-forward culinary style, the set menu is exclusively based on marine animal and plant life, leaving no room for meat in the chef's respectful and coherent approach to the ocean terroir.
A Taste of the Sea in One Dish
The "bouquets vivants" were a real revelation for me: a dish that cleverly recreated the ecosystem of the shrimp with a delicate shrimp jelly that was subtly infused with lemon tree leaves, seaweed from nearby Île de Ré (sea lettuce, dulse, small bunches of sea grapes, kombu royal), and presented a striking contrast of textures between the marinated body and the crispy heads of the crustacean. To complete the illusion, a tapioca starch powder flavored with shrimp oil and bird's eye chili imitated the texture of sea sand and added a kick to counterbalance the briny notes, further reinforcing the sensory immersion. As a whole, the dish was a delicate tribute to the sea and its biodiversity.
A Seafood Tour de Force
I thought that the "scallop pithivier" was particularly magnificent. Presented in its entirety then expertly sliced tableside, it provided the perfect illustration of the spirit of this restaurant. The tender and subtly aromatic scallop was nestled inside crisp, golden puff pastry. A filling made from the beards and coral of the scallop accentuated the saline richness, without overpowering it. A poultry jus infused with candied lemon added a layer of depth, emphasizing the finesse of the dish as a whole."
A Light-as-Air Finale
Before moving on to the main dessert, an unexpected and fascinating pre-dessert kept me immersed in this seaside environment: a quenelle of haddock ice cream combined with fresh citrus fruits (grapefruit, blood orange, and clementine) and topped by a toasted meringue. This bold marriage of flavors, in which the slightly smoky sweetness of the haddock met the acidity of the citrus fruits, created an exceptional effect that was both surprising and balanced.
Extremely light and delicate, the main dessert, a pear infused with candied lemon and sea fennel, continued in the same impressive vein. This highly subtle dessert had a natural sweetness and boasted refined flavors that also went well with the granita flavored with Vendée pear liqueur. To round it all off, the petits fours: a caramel with Île de Ré fleur de sel and a chocolate and Kamok confection (Kamok is a local specialty, a coffee liqueur from the Vendée), which provided a final flourish of indulgence as well as a nod to local traditions. A clever touch.
A Restaurant for All Seasons
This restaurant can be enjoyed at any time of time of day and any time of year, and has a loyal clientele throughout the seasons. Granted, I have a soft spot for dinner as the sun sets on the horizon, casting its light on the Plage de la Concurrence; but lunch is just as pleasant, and then you can take a stroll along the beachfront walkway after your meal.
Here, you don't merely savor a meal; you are treated to a sensory experience in which the sea is omnipresent, on your table as well as in the atmosphere. And therein lies the very brilliance of this restaurant.
Hero Image: © Philippe Vaurès Santamaria/Christopher Coutanceau
