What is a Michelin star? Understanding what it means to be a Michelin-Star Restaurant in the Bordeaux region.
Every gourmet restaurant in France equally dreads them and awaits their visit : the famously anonymous Michelin inspectors, those who will decide whether a chef and its restaurant deserves one, or even several, immensely coveted Michelin stars. Being part of the Michelin Star Guide is a token of an exceptional culinary experience where gourmet dining is propulsed to a whole new level.
An expert in his craft, Nicolas Masse, resident chef at Les Sources de Caudalie gourmet restaurant La Grand’ Vigne, is incredibly proud of having been awarded two Michelin stars thanks to the refinement, the dedication and inspiration he and his kitchen brigade bring to every single dish being served to the restaurant’s esteemed guests.
Incarnating the ‘Art of the Vines’ Philosophy in a Restaurant-Hotel near Bordeaux.
“The plate is a mirror of the seasons and of the local terroir.”
Nicolas Masse's portrait in https://frenchefs.com/nicolas-masse
As a Michelin-starred restaurant in the Bordeaux region, it only seems logical that La Grand’Vigne would make the most of the Aquitaine region’s fertile grounds. One of the peaks of being a restaurant- hotel in Bordeaux is that food can be grown in the hotel’s surrounding nature. Thanks to the passion and dedication of horticultural expert Rachel Lagière, La Grand’Vigne reaps the benefits of the two organic and permaculture-based vegetable gardens adjacent to the restaurant. Following each season’s bountifulness, Nicolas Masse sublimes home-grown vegetables with Bordeaux’s surrounding terroir to create outstanding dishes. Under Chef Masses’s craftsmanship, the fruits of the Atlantic Coast and of the Aquitaine grounds are mingled on the stoves to create unique associations for guests to relish at.
It is the talent of Michelin-starred chefs to take top-quality yet humble ingredients and turn them into something exceptional. Chef Masse’s signature dish, “The Angry Egg” exemplifies how a fresh egg coming from the hotel’s very own chicken coop and crispy fresh chards can be metamorphosed through a mastery of culinary techniques into a Michelin-starred dish. On the final plate is a symbiosis of chlorophyll extraction, tempura inspired deep-frying and perfectly mastered cooking time to deliver a crisp, perfectly cooked egg with a herbal punch. Humble, simple and yet stupendous recipes, just like Nicolas Masse’s Spring green caviar made with small peas picked from the garden every morning:
"No need to cook them, they can be eaten fresh with some olive oil and a pinch of fleur de salt!"
Nicolas Masse's portrait in https://frenchefs.com/nicolas-masse
Bordeaux's Michelin-Star Gem: La Grand’Vigne's Culinary Mastery
"I think of my dishes like the blending process of a Grand Cru wine."
Portrait of Nicolas Masse by Le Monde, 24 September 2022
Working hand in hand with head sommelier Aurélien Farrouil, Chef Masse - who is a self-confessed lover of Pessac Léognan wines - creates dishes inspired by the most exceptional wines produced in the Aquitaine region. Bordeaux terroir is at the heart of every dish, yet Chef Masse’s cuisine cannot be confined to the Bordeaux region but rather takes its inspiration from the four corners of the globe. One of the finest examples how this worldly inspirations are used to put Bordeaux region’s flavors under the spotlight is the Chef’s latest creation: slow-cooked John-Dory fish filet with roasted Myoga bulbs - a subtle Japanese ginger grown in the restaurant’s own gardens - with a Vintage white wine sauce, garnished with a crispy young Myoga stem.
A Culinary Oasis: Luxurious Simplicity at Bordeaux's Two-Star Michelin restaurant
The Michelin-starred restaurant in Bordeaux follows Les Sources de Caudalie’s historical decorative style with a modern twist: everything has been carefully thought out to create the perfect setting for guests to fully participate in a culinary experience. The restaurant is an elegant winter garden inspired crystal palace, sitting above a water mirror and embedded in Les Sources de Caudalie abundant nature. Inside is a luxurious, sleekly chic and contemporary take on fine dining: charcoal and royal teal walls, carpeted floor adorned with golden flowers woven in a seabed of dark blue ink, an old stone carved mantel with cotton-white round tables.
No frills, no fuss, no unnecessary bells and whistles. This is a sanctuary of elegance where locally-sourced, fresh food from the vines and an exceptional wine selection are the stars of the show. Guests at La Grand’Vigne can thus fully dive into the culinary symphonies that Chef Masse composes following each season’s characteristic melody.
Five to seven courses to introduce palates from all around the world to what two Michelin Starred restaurants taste like in the Bordeaux region.
