Jacques Chibois - Bastide St Antoine - Grasse
Filed under: Food in France
The evening everyone is really looking forward to finally arrives. After a car sickness inducing drive round the windy roads of Grasse, we are deposited outside a quaint provencal house set upon a picturesque hill overlooking breathtaking countryside.
After a careful perusal of the menu, most of us decide on the truffle menu–a 6 course gastronomic orgy devoted to the infamous Perigord truffle. The Perigord is named after a region in France where the limestone plateau provides a perfect breeding ground for truffles.
French chefs have forged a great love affair with these tubers and Jacques Chibois is no exception. His ability to take local products of the land, both rich and poor, and combine them with the pungent aroma and taste of the truffle is remarkable. In many of his notable dishes the heavy muskiness of the truffle is offset by a background of light ingredients–mainly vegetables and fish of outstanding quality and freshness. Overly heavy sauces reliant on cream and butter are sometimes eschewed in favour of olive oil, which lends the dish an even more subtle and refined flavor. It is fair to say that Chibois is not the first french chef to take this approach to cooking. He is part of a long standing tradition of elevating simple local peasant ingredients into haute cuisine. His execution, however, is faultless, rendering his cooking classical yet modern.
The meal started with what I considered the most memorable dish of the evening–a fine mousse of truffles, mushrooms and foie gras. Strictly speaking however, the consistency of this dish was more akin to a thick soup than a mousse. The little pieces of seared, melt-in-your-mouth foie gras were set off perfectly by the pungency of the perigords. Sublime.
A dish of scallops, asparagus and quinoa worked as a whole, however, I tend to prefer green asparagus (which has a very short season) to white asparagus which I find overly chewy. The use of quinoa ( a food I usually associate with health food shops and vegans) was original but didn’t add any extra flavour.
A perfectly cooked Loup atop a wonderful truffle-infused broth was fantastic–light, yet complex, a taste of provence!
A rather disappointing dish of chicken and truffle-infused potatoes was the only blight on a near perfect meal. Why is chicken so hard to raise above the ordinary? Any comments would be welcome.
The cheeses were ceremoniously wheeled out to an approving audience who cooed and lapped up the wonderful local chevres–so creamy and moreish, even after 5 courses!!
The whole dining experience at Jacques Chibois is exquisitely refined without a hint of pretension. The staff and the surroundings lend an air of relaxed informality whilst still maintaining the seriousness of 2 star Michelin restaurant with great cooking.
Bastide St Antoine
48 Avenue Henri Dunant
Grasse 06130 France
+ 33 (0)4 93 70 94 94
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