There’s something new in Chablis! Fabien Espana handed over the keys to his restaurant Au Fil du Zinc to Mathieu Sagardoytho, the former chef at Agapé in Paris. You won’t find any major changes to the dining room (exposed stone walls, whitewashed rafters, pistachio green velvet armchairs) with the Serein River babbling away peacefully down below… But the dishes really shake things up! The day we went for lunch, the €34 menu included: a masterful duo of sardines from La Trinité-sur-Mer (the first prepared as a crispy yet tender fillet breaded in cornmeal, the second served raw in a very tangy marinade), paired with a green curry gazpacho with cucumber, coconut and basil; a cheeky pigeon (thigh confit and roasted breast meat) with Mirabelle plums, chard leaves and root, plus pigeon liver cooked in butter and Vietnamese pepper; before a very harmonious dessert of white peach slices and white peach sorbet, with a hibiscus and Sichuan pepper cream, meringue petals and whipped cream – a stunning combo! FYI: the chef also offers up five- or seven-course tasting menus. // G.D.
FEELING THIRSTY? A hundred Chablis wines for all budgets (Bouchard at €6 a glass, Durup at €30 a bottle, Long Depaquit at €176…), and so much more: a Morgon from Jean Foillard (€28), a Bandol red from the Château de Pibarnon (€45), etc.
PRICE: Menus €34 (weekday lunch), €38 (Saturday lunch, dinner except for Friday and Saturday nights), €49 (except for Friday and Saturday nights) and €64, food and wine pairings +€24 and €36.
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