A delicious find with questionable art work on the walls: Restaurant L’Essentiel (1. July 2022)
The L’Essentiel is a lovely little restaurant, recommended in the Bib Gourmand of the Guide Michelin. It is key to book a table in advance, as else you won’t stand a chance to find a table on short notice (since the place isn’t very big). The menu is relatively small but quite lovely, starting with a “cold carrot soup with orange and verveine” and “olive tapenade with lemon”. Both were quite tasty and great to get your palate started.
You basically get to pick between three starters, three mains, and three desserts. I decided to go for the “ballotine de poisson aux artichauts, mousse de citron et saffron d’Alsace” (EUR 17.00) which was surprisingly tasty. The fish was smooth and interesting – but especially in combination with the lemon, it made a great refreshing starter.
What was truly mouth-watering was the main course – the “souris d’agneau des Pays de Galles confite pendant 7h, jus corsé au romarin et pomme-olive” (EUR 32.00) was one of the best pieces of lamb I have had in my entire food career. The meat would basically fall off the bone when you just briefly touched it – truly lovely and delicious. It was not only great in terms of texture, but also in terms of flavour.
The “potato au gratin” were fine – nothing exciting, but enjoyable.
The selection of cheeses to finish off the dinner was okay – but, again, nothing more than that.
The “abricots pochés au sirop de lavande, crème d’amande et galet sablé” (EUR 9.00) on the other hand was quite delicious. Also, since it had a lot of flavours I like and enjoy a lot. But even if these are not your favourite flavours, it’s still quite enjoyable.
The “friandises” which were served at the very end were a nice ending to everything.
As mentioned, the selection of dishes is relatively limited – but this is part of the charm of the place. On top of that, the waitress (who seems to be the owner as well) was super friendly and patient. Especially, since we were a group of six guys, which wasn’t exactly the most quiet table. So, kudos to that.
One thing which I considered a bit disturbing was the art in the restaurant. All the pictures were looking like this …
… and this. Not sure what exactly the motive of the paintings is supposed to be, but it is definitely something which is a bit weird for a dining area.
The wine selection is also quite decent – I liked the “Pinot Gris Grande Cuvée Les Comtes D’Eguisheim, Léon Beyer, Eguisheim, 2013” (EUR 51.00) quite a lot since it had a nice intensity and was definitely not your everyday wine. The “Faugères ‘Schistes Dorés’, Château Grézan, 2019” (EUR 49.00) was delicious too. Frankly, both were a bit surprising to me, since I’m not the biggest fan of French wines. All in all, I can absolutely recommend you to visit the L’Essentiel when you’re in Colmar – make sure to book a table in advance (and be prepared for ‘interesting’ art on the walls).
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Contact Details:
Restaurant L’Essentiel
Rue Jacques Preiss 9
68000 Colmar (F)
Tel.: +33 3 89 24 16 14
E-Mail: restaurantlessentiel@outlook.com
Homepage: http://www.lessentielrestaurant.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. 
