It’s a unique Parisian venue, thanks to its history and the chef who cooks there. The origin of the modern restaurant, Le Grand Véfour is today more than ever a Mecca of Parisian gastronomy, and presents the almost unique case of surviving in the ancient art décor where thousands of gourmets have sat for over two hundred years.
I remember my many strolls through the Jardin du Palais Royal, contemplating the magnificent sign and telling myself that one day I might have the honor of eating from this magical place.
A few days before the holidays, I was able to make this dream come true.
My phone had rung a few days earlier, proposing a culinary workshop on caviar with Chef Guy Martin in the early morning. Obviously, this kind of proposal is not to be refused. So it was with undisguised excitement that I headed for one of my favorite places, the magical and peaceful garden of the Palais Royal. I stepped through the door, not knowing what kind of surprise I was in for for the rest of the afternoon.
For the festive season, Chef Guy Martin, owner of the restaurant since 2011, had invited a small group of food bloggers to create a simple recipe around scallops and caviar. We sat down to listen to Chef present his recipe. The result was Carpaccio de Saint Jacques with cockle mousse and Kaviari osciètre caviar. The freshness of the scallops, with their lightly perfumed cockle juice, was a perfect match for the iodized taste of the Osciètre Caviar. We were able to observe the differences between the different types of Caviar. Following Chef Guy Martin’s orders, we engaged in an assiduous tasting of the two magnificent boxes of Kaviari Caviar provided, delicately accompanied by Ruinart champagne.
We were simply in paradise.
During the tasting, we were able to talk at length with Chef Guy Martin about how he chooses his products and suppliers. In fact, his official truffle supplier had just arrived and presented us with some magnificent truffles. But Chef Guy Martin is no stranger to surprises. This Savoyard was keen to introduce us to one of the rarest and purest cheeses in the world: Bleu de Terminion. A delicate cheese with a unique taste, produced in a nature reserve.
But the Chef’s generosity didn’t stop there. The mood being right, he decided it was too early for us all to leave. And in the simplest possible way, he offered to let us stay for lunch. Suffice it to say that lunch at Le Grand Véfour, invited by the chef, is an invitation not to be refused. No matter what appointments you have this lunchtime, no matter if your afternoon productivity will be more than limited.
The king’s feast was about to begin under the orchestration of maitre d’hôtel Christian David, who recounted the history of this highly historic site and the surrounding area.
We start with the marinated tuna guacamole de sèche.
Then we tasted one of the house’s great classics: foie gras ravioli with truffled crème foisonnée. Melt-in-your-mouth, with a marvelous smoothness and finesse.
Before moving on to Urchins in a fine velouté, quail egg and caviar. A firework in the mouth, an explosion of flavors.
Then poached brill, sweet potato and fennel with galanga and cardamom juice. Delicate and subtle.
A light and delicate pre-dessert: Pineapple panacotta
We finished with a hazelnut and milk chocolate palet, brown caramel ice cream and Gérande salt. Spectacular!
But no meal at Guy Martin’s is complete without the famous Savoy cake.
But let’s take a closer look at this chef. Born on February 3, 1957, in Bourg Saint Maurice, Guy Martin grew up in a family who passed on to him the pleasures of the table. Educated with no restrictions, he lived by the rhythm of the seasons. To earn his living, he became a pizza maker in 1976. He confided to us that he was a rocker at the time, but unfortunately he wasn’t successful enough to make it his sole profession.
By chance, the book Gastronomie pratique d’Ali-Bab fell into his hands. The book was a revelation for the young man, who each evening experimented on his own with some of the 5,000 recipes presented. With this knowledge in hand, he landed a job in a restaurant in Annecy. He continued his career in Relais & Châteaux, first at the Château de Coudrée, then at the Château de Divonne, where he became director and head chef at the age of 26. He was awarded his first star six months after his arrival, and his second in 1990.
Alongside Le Grand Vefour, he has created the restaurant Le Sensing (75006 Paris), L’Atelier Guy Martin, a school offering cookery courses and workshops, and the restaurants La Cristal Room in the prestigious Baccarat house (75016 Paris) and most recently Le 68 , by Guy Martin in the sublime Maison Guerlain (75008 Paris), which we tested that very evening, and for the last ten years, he has been signing the dishes on Air France’s first flight.
Keen to pass on his knowledge, he has written a number of cookery books, including “La route des étoiles” (Hachette, 2006) and “Les sauces indispensables” (Minerva), and this year, to celebrate 230 years, a book retracing the history of Le Grand Véfour, with recipes created since Guy Martin took over the helm of this glorious establishment.
Developing a variety of projects, Guy Martin retains the reins of his gastronomic restaurant with talent, generosity and simplicity.
You may have read about his commitment to the wounded in our recent article.
We’ve been seduced as much by Chef Guy Martin’s accessible, passionate personality as by this mythical place. A once-in-a-lifetime experience.
http://www.grand-vefour.com
17, rue de Beaujolais 75001 Paris France
Tel. Phone: +33 (0)1 42 96 56 27 Fax: +33 (0)1 42 86 80 71
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