There is no menu here
The room offers a cozy and intimate atmosphere. The round tables, set in the middle of the architecture designed by Bruno Borrione, are illuminated with subdued light as the evening progresses. On sunny days, a terrace offers you a peaceful atmosphere and a magnificent view of the garden, as well as the emblematic Canche lighthouse. Inside, the room is subtly decorated with small details reminiscent of a library, while the majestic animal works of Paul Jouve, which refer to the golden age of the 1930s, add a side that is both chic and modern.
As soon as we arrive, we are seated at our table and we are offered a glass of champagne, before explaining to us how the meal will take place. In this gourmet restaurant, chef William Elliott does not offer a “signature” dish. There is actually no menu. His desire is rather to have a menu that is renewed very regularly – if not daily -, depending on the products on the market and his inspiration. He also ensures, in this way, that returning customers never eat the same thing.
It is therefore possible to choose between a five or nine course tasting menu. The chef obviously adapts to your diets, allergies or intolerances and even to your preferences. So you may not be eating exactly the same thing as the table next to you. On our plates, we find exceptional products, from the local region. This is particularly the case for Audresselles lobster, Gariguettes strawberries and even Oscietra caviar.
Art on the plate
The tasting begins with three appetizers: a tarama and lemon caviar tartlet, a beetroot meringue garnished with haddock and a langoustine, lobster and saffron cromesquis. Another appetizer is served afterwards. It was crab accompanied by apple and fennel siphon. Surprising flavors from the start, which we don’t necessarily think we’ll taste together, but which match perfectly in the mouth and whet our appetite for the rest of the meal. Already a successful bet for chef William Elliot, who says: “If this dish makes you discover unknown flavors, then I have kept my promise to make it unforgettable for you”.
Then came the starters, always perfectly presented, with different dishes and arrangements for each dish. We started with a D’Audresselles lobster, accompanied by cherries, almonds and a jus spiced with Acetaia Di Terga vinegar. Then, we tasted a raw langoustine marinated with melon and yuzu as well as a mayonnaise with squid ink and lemon verbena from the garden.
For the dishes, we started with wild sea bass and cockle marinière, all topped with caviar and agastache juice, an herb with an aniseed flavor. The next one left room for meat, with sweetbreads, accompanied by glazed turnips and onion and black garlic paste as well, with a barolo vinegar jus. To accompany the different services, a food and wine pairing is offered. The sommelier had prepared a selection of wines for us which perfectly accompanied each plate. During each service, he obviously presented each wine to us, while making a point of introducing us to little-known grape varieties and areas.
We then move on to desserts, starting with basil ice cream, with apricot and a garden honey cookie. We then enjoyed a second dessert, composed of nectarines, an ice cream with olive oil and rosemary and vegetable charcoal. To finish on a high note, with coffee or tea, we were again brought a small bowl containing sweet treats: a dark chocolate and peanut truffle as well as a blueberry fruit jellie.
If you like to discover new flavors, enhancing local and seasonal products, while tasting refined cuisine, be sure that Le Pavillon and chef William Elliott will delight your taste buds. Please note that the dishes you will discover there will obviously not be the same ones we tasted. If you don’t really like fish, surprising pairings or sweet and sour, you may not find what you’re looking for on your plate, even if you might be pleasantly surprised by the technique and harmony that emerges from the dishes.
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