A truly outdated Michelin star: Restaurant Le Foch (25. September 2021)

Since the tour de Champagne somehow offers you the opportunity to try a variety of different champagnes, it was time to balance off the whole thing with a decent meal. Therefore, it was time for a Michelin star at the Restaurant Le Foch. I went for the “menu degustacion” (EUR 110.00) which started with a few “bread sticks” which were nice.

Afterwards, we were offered bread to pick from and while the bread was good, I would have somehow hoped for a bit a broader selection than regular white bread and olive bread.

The butter didn’t only look lovely but was also nice. Not that there was any kind of surprising element to it but the fact that it was salted butter which you usually don’t get in Switzerland, was quite nice.

After that, it was time for a proper “amuse bouche” which was consisting of a cauliflower mash with curry crumbles which was great. And so were the other elements.

Next in line was the “tourteau, granny smith, homard bleu” which was lovely in terms of presentation and not all too bad in terms of combination of flavors and consistencies but somehow I was a bit disappointed since it was basically all the same on the plate. From that level I would have expected that the two elements on the plate would differ.

The “oeuf 64°, truffe d’automne” was fine. I was a bit surprised that the egg was cooked at 64° and not at 63° (as I had always thought that’s the temperature at which you cook an Onsen egg) but when you mixed it all together, it actually turned out to be a good meal.

The “barbue rôtie au beurre demi-sel, risotto de potimarron et châtaignes” was good as well. The consistency of the fish was lovely and the combination with the crunchiness on top really made it a dish. However, and that has been true for all the dishes that evening, there was the element of surprise missing. There was no bite that day where I was blown away. Some things were a bit better than others but all in all it was just nothing which blew your mind.

To be fair, the “agneau de Lozère, cocos de Paimpol, caviar d’aubergine” was very good in terms of how it was cooked, in terms of not smelling like a whole lamb stable, in terms of consistency, but again, the element of surprise was missing, i.e., there was no combination of flavors where you would be wanting to immediately eat more of it.

The “cheese wagon” looked really promising as there were quite a few cheeses. Funny enough, the waiter did at first not explain what cheeses there were but only that we should pick. Only when I had asked him to tell me, he would start to elaborate.

My personal cheese selection was more on the ‘stronger’ side but I liked it. It would also have been nice if they would have provided some bread with it or some chutneys just to give the client a choice in terms of what they want to eat but it was good, so nothing to really complain about the cheese.

For dessert, they brought the two desserts listed on the menu together (which was a bit surprising). The “panna cotta au miel de Germaine, quetsches, pain d’épices” as well as the “tarte au chocolat, cacahuètes grillées”. I liked the panna cotta quite a lot all in all. The chocolate cake was good too but definitely too intense in terms of chocolate for my personal gusto.

Somehow there was “after dessert” with a “smoothie” …

… some cake …

… as well as friandises. All in all, the food was good, no question, but it was somehow not providing any extra experience, i.e., there was no element of surprise which I would have hoped to get from a 1 Michelin star restaurant.

The interior looks a bit dated (like 70ies/80ies) which might be to the orange brownish look of the place (carpet, partially also the walls) which is not really to my gusto. However, the service is friendly and generally swift. What I would like to point out is the quality of the wine recommendation by the lady who seems to run the place. Great wines and all that for very fair prices. So, if you’re in Reims, I would say you can visit the Le Foch, but it’s definitely not a must.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Le Foch

Bd Foch 37

51100 Reims (F)

Tel.: +33 3 26 47 48 22

E-Mail: contact@lefoch.com

Homepage: http://www.lefoch.com

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.