A nice signature dish but very confused service personnel: Restaurant Signature (26. October 2022)

Another day, another star. That was the motto of the week. And it was time to try out the Signature, which offers a “tasting menu” (EUR 139.00) with the respective “wine pairing” (EUR 89.00). But before you get the first actual course served, you’re given a little refreshing “Anis infusion”. Usually, I’m not a big fan of anis, but this version was actually quite lovely.

The first few bites were a “crust of buckwheat with yellow carrot and ginger”, a “crust of black curry with panna cotta red beet root and black lemon yam” and a “tartlet with fresh anchovies and baked cauliflower” and they were interesting and definitely pleasant to the palate.

Next in line was a “rust lind fish with grilled red mousse and fresh herbs” and that was quite okay – nothing I remember much, but okay.

The next course was one I actually enjoyed quite a lot. The “baked butternut confit au beurre with pickles, criste marine” was actually surprisingly delicious, especially since it was a vegetarian dish (where I always have my concerns).

To create a break between courses, a “cappuccino with butternut cream and marinara sauce” was served – and man, that was truly delicious!

It seemed to be aioli time while in Marseille. Apparently, the “L’Aioli (mosaïque de légumes croquants, effiloché de baudroie et merlu, sauce et glacé aïoli)” was the key dish of the chef. She later came by to ask how it was, and let me tell you, it was great. If you would eat the ice cream by itself though, it would be way too intense – and it needs quite a bit until I say it’s too intense! But in combination with the other ingredients on the plate, it actually works quite well.

The main course was a “Le Rouget de nos côtes (la carotte fane au naturel, citron noir, agrumes, crème d’anis vert, jus de soupe de roche)” which was, again, quite nice. The meat was of a high intensity, which is a bit uncommon in poultry, but it was definitely very enjoyable and went well with the side elements.

When the next course was served, I was wondering a bit what was to expect me, but the “le ris de veau confit et croustillant (champignons de saisons, glace herbacée, jus de veau)” turned out to be quite delicious …

… which was reinforced by the ‘mushroom pan’ since the flavours and textures really made for a great combination.

As almost always, I decided to also get a cheese course before dessert, which was decent – nothing mindblowing, but decent.

The desserts started with “fraîcheur d’agrumes & sorbet limoncello” which was nice and refreshing.

The “la noisette (torréfiée, fumée, infusée, glacée, dulcey de la maison Valrhona)” which was next was quite interesting. The three little cubes had different intensities of chocolate flavours and were generally interesting, however, not all of them tasted as good as the other.

The “Le Coing automnal (cardamome verte, erable, croustillant pécans)” was a fulminant finale to the dinner. A great combination of light, intense, and sweet flavours to finish off the dinner.

Well, not entirely, to be honest, there were still friandises to be eaten – and they were a good finish to the whole evening.

All in all, the Restaurant Signature offers a nice menu which is quite lovely to try. The service is definitely not on top of things, though. They mixed up the courses, i.e., the first course on the menu was not served (because they didn’t have it available that day, but nobody ever told us), and the wine pairing got completely mixed up, so we ended up with the wrong wine for the wrong plates. So, all in all, it is a nice place with a few outstanding items (e.g., the aioli), but overall it didn’t really blow my mind. And obviously, the initial failures of the service really didn’t help in that perception.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Signature

Rue du Rouet 180

13008 Marseille (F)

Tel.: +33 4 65 85 53 48

Homepage: http://www.signaturemarseille.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.