Dining at the museum: The Michelin-starred chefs bringing fine dining to France's cultural hotspots

Time to take a tour of some of France's museum eateries, where top chefs serve up the finest of culinary concoctions for a post-culture-fix treat.

By AFPRelaxnews

Published: Jun 19, 2021 08:29:33 AM IST

Updated: Jun 18, 2021 06:53:20 PM IST

Image: Shutterstock

The two Michelin-starred chef Jean-François Piège is set to helm Mimosa, the restaurant at Paris' freshly restored Hôtel de la Marine, an historic building and exhibition space. Time to take a tour of some of France's museum eateries, where top chefs serve up the finest of culinary concoctions for a post-culture-fix treat.

1. Mimosa at L'Hôtel de la Marine, Paris

You'll have to wait a little longer to take a seat at chef Jean-François Piège's oeuf mimosa—or deviled egg—bar. The restaurant will open its doors September 1, 2021. The multiple Michelin-starred chef promises a restaurant with summer flavors, where each mouthful "sparkles with sunshine and joie de vivre." We can't wait!

2. Restaurant Guy Savoy at La Monnaie de Paris

On the banks of the River Seine, La Monnaie de Paris hosts the triple Michelin-starred chef's restaurant and its 13-course tasting menu and "discovery" menu for lunch. Here, diners can sample delights including one of the signature dishes of Savoy's cuisine: artichoke and truffle soup, served with a brioche spread with truffle butter. It might be wise to visit the institution before your meal...

3. Le Môle Passedat at Mucem, Marseille

With multiple spaces, including a panoramic restaurant, terrace, a bistro serving its own variations on mezze, and food stands serving quick and tasty bites, there's no doubt that Le Môle Passedat is a hotspot of foodie delights. From the top of Marseille's Mucem, this restaurant offers diners a prime view of the comings and goings of boats in the port. This maritime universe is helmed by Gérald Passedat, triple Michelin-starred for his Le Petit Nice restaurant.

Le Frank at Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris

Image: Jon Akira Yamamoto /Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

4. Le Frank at Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris

Jean-Louis Nomicos has taken the reins at Fondation Vuitton's restaurant, bringing his gastronomic vision to this impressive glass building. The menu changes throughout the day, from breakfast to dinner, with tables for the evening only available by reservation. The chef's inspirations also adapt seasonally to be in line with the cultural venue's program.

5. Michel Bras at Musée Soulages, Rodez

At Côté Comptoir, for a snack or a quick bite to eat, or at the Restaurant, for seasonal cuisine, reinvented each day, Michel Bras has taken up residency at Musée Soulages in Rodez, much to the delight of visitors' taste buds. The menu is constantly renewed in relation to what's fresh at the market, and features a starter, three mains and three desserts.

6. And at La Halle aux Grains, La Bourse de Commerce, Paris

After its highly anticipated reopening, the Bourse de Commerce is now welcoming visitors to the Pinault Collection. And who better than a pioneer of plant-based cuisine, Michel Bras, and his son Sébastien, to offer visitors a menu rich in seeds, grains and pulses in this former corn exchange? But that doesn't mean that the menus—serving up options with three, five or seven dishes—are vegan, as diners will find Aubrac beef alongside stuffed button mushrooms or cod mousse, for example.