restaurant

Auberge de la Quintessence

Auberge Quintessence

  • Date
  • share

You’ve got to climb up to the top of the Col de la Couillole in the Parc du Mercantour if you want to reach Auberge Quintessence’s huge chalet. There’s a cozy lounge-bar area and a restaurant with huge floor-to-ceiling windows and wow-inducing views! The neo-innkeepers? Pauline and Christophe Billau, the chef, who collects herbs from the mountains and explores the local terroir looking for the best of the best – Terre de Toine poultry from Pierlas, trout from the Écrins farm in Châteauroux-les-Alpes, olive oil from Jean-Pierre Tichadou in Falicon… The night we went: a plump zucchini blossom stuffed with brousse cheese from the Ferme de la Ribière; a perfectly prepared trout from Le Cians marinated in juniper berries, citrus from the Domaine du Jasson, fermented vegetables and a sorrel coulis; roasted pigeon supreme and pigeon leg confit from Racan that was incredibly tender, with smoked beetroot from the Lavancia farm in Puget-Théniers; cheeses from Maryse in Beuil and Didier Gastaud in Saint-Antonin; apricots from Volonne and almonds from Valence prepared like a contemporary vacherin to round out the meal. // L.S.

FEELING THIRSTY? A Saint-Véran Clos de la Boisserolle (€9.50 a glass), Rebelle, a rare Cornas from David Reynaud (€68 a bottle), and local options like a Bellet blanc from the Clos Saint Vincent (€46) or the Cuvée Longo Maï red from Georges Rasse in Saint-Jeannet (€54).
PRICE: Set menus €67.

Save this spot in the Fooding app, available on iOS! Download it now in the app store.

The Belgium Guide 2024 is out of the oven!

Discover the latest selection of the Kingdom’s 350 best addresses (restaurants, bars, cellars, shops and bedrooms), an award’s list celebrating this year’s favorite spots, and a magazine section featuring « Belgium Underground » exploring the margins of the food world, its hidden stories and some of its most taboo subjects.

2024 Le Fooding Belgium guide frontcover
I want it!
About

Le Fooding is a print and digital guide to all the restaurants, chefs, bars, stylish hotels and B&Bs that make up the “taste of the times,” plus an annual awards list for new establishments across France, a series of gastronomic events, a tool that allow you to make reservations at some fantastic bistros, and an agency specialized in event planning, content production and consulting… And after conquering France, Belgium is Le Fooding guide’s latest playground!

Fooding® is a registered trademark.