A countryside restaurant with a Michelin star: Restaurant Le Grand Cerf (20. May 2023)

After L’Assiette Champenoise the evening before, I was a bit curious to see how Le Gran Cerf with ‘only’ 1 Michelin Star would do. And, in a nutshell, one can say it’s a ‘countryside restaurant with a Michelin star’. The “Menu Dégustation” (EUR 148.00) started with a “tartelet”, which was quite nice and enjoyable.

Then, there was some “bread and butter” brought to the table, which was okay, but not remotely at the quality of the L’Assiette Champenoise the previous evening. What was truly disturbing though was the fact that there was half of one bread stick left, and then the waiter came, took the plate, and was holding it in everyone’s face to ask who wanted the ‘left half breadstick’. Ehm, excuse me?! So, first impression about the ‘countryside restaurant with a Michelin star’.

Then there was an amuse bouche made of “gelée de pomme, tourteau, émulsion de céleri”, which turned out to be quite nice. So, my hopes were high again and I was looking forward to the next bites.

With the side to the amuse bouche, the “mousselin de saumon fumée de Mardeuil”, the hope was reduced again, as the cream was very dense and flavour-intense. Too intense.

Then, my hopes increased again after the first bite of the trilogy which was the “homard melon en vinaigrette aigre-douce” because that was a combination I have truly never tried before. Lobster with a melon coating! And it turned out to be delicious!

Unfortunately, the concept of a ‘trilogy’ seemed a bit unfamiliar with the kitchen since they only brought the “fraîcheur d’asperges de champagne, à l’amande douce” as a second course of the trilogy. Which was confusing to say the least. Second impression of a ‘countryside restaurant with a Michelin star’. The dish was fine, but nothing surprising really.

The third bit of the trilogy was then served separately thereafter. Interesting split of a trilogy. In any case, the “terrine d’huîtres Gillardeau en gelée au caviar” was definitely nothing for me. I was done after one bite. I suppose, if you really love oysters, this might be great. For someone who is not that much into oysters, it’s definitely not great.

The next course was “turbot de pêche côtière Française poêlé (aux asperges de Provence et morilles, jus de morilles à l’huile de noisette)”, which was actually surprising delicious. A bit of a repetition with the asparagus (but, okay, it’s the season), but it was tasty. Also in combination with the morels. Now, while it didn’t affect me, one of the party was vegetarian and the dish served were ‘morels’. Yes, morels with morels and morels. So, basically a huge plate of morels. We sent an email months in advance to ask them to accommodate for that vegetarian menu, and all you come up with are … morels?!

I do admit, the “filet d’agneau fermier de l’Aveyron (jus à l’huile d’olive vierge)” was a good main course, which was truly enjoyable. Mainly, because the lamb didn’t taste all too much like lamb, and the combination of the sauces and the vegetables was actually nice.

The dessert was a “soupière de fraise (espuma gargiuette, sorbet citron vert)” with a lot of strawberries. For me, it was a strawberry overdose. I mean, sure, it was good and enjoyable, but it was definitely too much.

Last but not least, the ‘friandises’ were served, and they were all good – a bit too sweet for my personal gusto, but good.

All in all, the place looks much more promising from the outside than it is.

I mean, it also looks nice from the inside, but the whole thing is just a bit of a mess. The staff is somewhat uncoordinated, and also the dress code is random as hell. Everyone wears something completely different. One of the waitresses even had, instead of a white shirt, a shirt with big ‘Mango’ (the brand) letters on it. I mean, sure, yeah, feel free to wear what you want, but if all of them try to somewhat look professional and there is literally one person who does, and the rest are like you found clothes somewhere, and they do not really fit into the environment, then it’s just weird!

So, to sum it up, the Le Grand Cerf is not a place I’d visit again. It’s just way too random and not persuading in terms of food experience. In a nutshell, to me, it’s a “countryside restaurant with a Michelin star”.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Le Grand Cerf

Rte nationale 50

51500 Villers-Allerand (F)

Tel.: +33 3 26 97 60 07

E-Mail: legrandcerf51500@gmail.com

Homepage: http://www.le-grand-cerf.fr

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.