Located high in the hills of Chaudes-Aigues and eponymously toqued by 2005 Bocuse d'Or winning Chef…read moreSerge Vieira, it was several hours after finishing lunch at Le Suquet that I sat down amidst the modernized confines of Le Couffour, and with a windowside view of the slowly setting sun it was to a combination of deft cuisine and mostly excellent service that evening would take place, the unseasonably high temperature and sluggish pace despite a half-full dining room the only thing preventing the experience from being world-class.
Truly a beautiful setting, the renovated stone tower looking down on a city of hills, cobblestones, and brick, there are some who say that the 2* restaurant run by Vieira and his wife has in some ways surpassed that of 3* Bras up the road, and although the rich wood confines similarly fuse to the nature just outside windows the cuisine itself trends a bit more 'current' with the occasional bit of modernist technique creeping in by way of spherification, ISI-whip, and foam.
Served as two menus, both focused on seasonality but entirely different, it was in the 125€ Menu "M" that my decision was made and requesting a supplemental dessert from the 76€ "S" it was not long before bottled water was served, despite house-filtered flat being offered to others, the 8€ addition admittedly a minor annoyance while the creamy house mocktail was an unexpected surprise.
Starting first with a trio of savory 'toasts,' from which both the mushroom and dried beef were memorable bites rich with earth and umami, it was next that the omnipresent centerpiece was used to deliver a quartet of canapés atop a long metal plate, and although the tartare of trout was a bit overwhelmed by the aromatic jam atop it would be difficult to call any of the other bites less than exemplary - the cruidte tart a perfect bite of summer while the supple salmon and tube of cream melted almost equally on the tongue.
Offered bread but no butter, an oddity that at least prevented one from overindulging on a toothsome pain au cereal, the menu officially began nearly an hour after taking a seat and starting off with a caramelized slice of foie gras paired to nothing but bitters and herbs a strong precedent was set for flavors to follow, the sweetness almost always restrained with proteins instead highlighted by acid, light sauces, and produce gently manipulated to extract flavors at their very best.
Having already mentioned the unhurried service, plates presented at an average interval of thirty minutes in between, courses two and three were offered as the Chef's daily interpretations of the sea, and with the well-cooked crustacean snappy and supple amidst a clear yet complex broth the followup of turbot was even more exemplary, the flesh featuring a translucent rainbow glow beneath the lightest of sears while textures of artichoke and bitter vegetables found their balance in a brown butter foam.
Seeing portions trend similar in size to Le Suquet, and thus happy to not see the menu run too many courses given the increasingly late hour, the menu's final savory once again eschewed heavy meats in favor of Guinea Fowl from a local farm, and lightly tinged in citrus alongside multiple styles of squash plus a tarte of stewed onions the dynamics of the dish proved not only delicious on their own, but a perfect transition to cheeses paired to several more style of bread plus house cultured yogurt and jams.
At this point admittedly finding the room a bit uncomfortable as temperatures trumped 85F with virtually no circulation of stagnant air, it was with good fortune that pasty at Serge Vieira proved well worth the investment of time, and with both the option from "M" and "S" served in sequence the decision of which was 'best' would prove a virtual stalemate, the peach tube without a doubt the lighter and more elegant while the cherries and chocolate presented a study of textures with taste not unlike that of a black forest cake.
At last served a second decorative metal plate of mignardises in the cone that sat tableside throughout the course of the meal it was with the bill paid and coffee declined that a somewhat expedited exit was made, the air outside trending far cooler than that within while a meal very much worthy its considerable acclaim lingered in memories, though a slow descent from the hill via unlit dirt roads was indeed slow and fraught with several wrong turns.
