This highly publicized star chef arrives at Mont-Saint-Michel. The opening date is imminent!
Mont-Saint-Michel attracts more than two million tourists every year who come to admire its unique architecture in the world. And to feed all these pilgrims in search of good food, there is no shortage of restaurants within the ramparts, most of which offer breathtaking views of the bay. Among the notorious restaurants, we cannot ignore the Auberge de la Mère Poulard, a true institution since 1888 whose reputation for soufflé omelettes goes beyond borders, or the Ferme Saint-Michel renowned for its local products or the ‘Auberge Saint-Pierre for its warm atmosphere. But in this well-established culinary landscape, a new restaurant announces its arrival and it will be led by a famous figure of French gastronomy…
It is in the former Logis Sainte-Catherine located at the foot of the bay, which until now housed a fire station, that the new establishment with around 80 seats will be located, half of which are on the terrace. At the helm, the Manche company Mauviel 1830, a renowned manufacturer of high-end kitchen utensils, has joined forces with a highly publicized starred French chef, whose name was kept secret until now.
Trained with Paul Bocuse and already chef of his own restaurant L’Acajou at just 22 years old, he was made famous by winning season 3 of Top Chef in 2012. He has since become the starred chef of the restaurant luxury Parisian hotel, the Plaza Athénée, while signing the cards of major houses, from Paris to Cannes via Saint-Barth’ or French Polynesia. He surrounds himself with the biggest stars, from Zinédine Zidane to Jay-Z and Beyoncé via Marion Cotillard. Did you guess? It’s Jean Imbert!
The opening of his restaurant, of which we do not yet know the name or the menu, is therefore scheduled for Thursday, January 16. “It will not be a starred restaurant. The objective is to have something for all tastes, accessible I hope to as many people as possible also from a price point of view” confided to France Bleu Thomas Velter, the director of the public establishment Mont-Saint-Michel. An affordable table, with “the widest possible opening hours”, and run by a great chef… What more could you ask for?
And on the menu? The secret has not yet been lifted. But perhaps Jean Imbert will offer, as in the brasserie at the Plaza Athénée, his revisited sea bream gratin, his grandmother’s signature dish? Norman products should in any case be in the spotlight: “We have set fairly clear specifications. Give pride of place to local products” Thomas Velter further confided. Among the bay’s flagship dishes, we include pre-salted lamb, shallot soup, bouchot mussels, oysters, le travail… The menu looks promising!