This is a fantastic, Michelin Star rated restaurant located south of Reims, France, along what you…read moremight call the Champagne Trail. There's actually a better sounding French name for the route, but I can't recall off the top of my head, and I don't have my map in front of me, so hey, you all get my lack of creativity. We went for dinner, which meant taking an Uber from Reims, because we wanted the full experience and didn't want to have to worry about alcohol. That being said, they do have lunch service as well, and that can be a great way to try a place like this. I can't speak to parking or anything like that, unfortunately, as there was a lot of roadwork going on right outside at the time.
That being said, you're greeted immediately as you enter in their sleek foyer. They check your reservation, then you're in. They have several tables, all of which seemed to have slightly different details, and some had better views of the outside courtyard than others. Carpeted floor, as seems to be the case for michelin restaurants. At least in our situation, we had pre-ordered the crustacean menu, which required pre-coordination at the time of booking, no big deal. A copy of our menu awaited us at our table, so they clearly pre-coordinated where everyone would sit. I appreciate that attention to detail, because it's indicative of all the other preparation that probably went into the meal before we arrived.
Our wait staff were very pleasant! We both speak French, and they picked up on this very quickly, right out of the gate, they asked if we preferred English or French. We chose French so we could practice, and they were more than happy to oblige. They helped us out when we needed it without judgement, and it was very enjoyable to converse with them. And i really appreciated how it felt warm and welcoming from the start. In other michelin starred restaurants i've visited, it felt quite intense at the beginning, and things didn't relax until the alcohol started flowing, but that was not the case here.
Each dish was introduced and explained, along with any nuances or special details. This particular menu struck a nice balance between raw and cooked dishes, which is to be expected with langoustine and lobster. The dishes were absolutely amazing, with great flavor, and fantastic use of ingredients to balance one another out. I especially appreciated the heavy use of caviar in some of the dishes. Multiple desserts as well. The pavlova was excellent, and not overly hard, and the mignardises were delicious! The wine pairing went very well with this menu, and i appreciated the brief education on the wine prior to service.
One other aspect i really appreciated was knowing what we would be getting. Some places use a blind menu, where you pay for a set number of courses, then yolo after that. That can be fun, but it can also set you up for failure if you get a course you don't particularly like and would've otherwise steered clear. But, with this, you know what you're getting, and that's great.
Overall, this is a fantastic restaurant, with fantastic food, ambiance, and location. If you're staying along the champagne trail, this is a must try, and even if not, it's worth doing what you can to check it out. Reims has a lot of fantastic places, and this one is perfectly suited if you plan a day of champagne tasting between Reims and Epernay.