Jean Michel Lorain is the 3rd generation patron-chef of La Côte Saint-Jacques, a Relais & Chateaux member since 1977. The restaurant started off as an inn back in 1945 and after numerous renovation, it now has more than 30 spacious rooms, some with nice view over River Yonne and the surrounding Burgundy area.
Having trained with some of the best in the world including Pierre, Jean Troisgros, Girardet and Taillevent, Chef Jean Michel Lorain was poised to take La Côte Saint-Jacques to another level when he returned to join his dad in 1983. The father-son team finally made it happen in 1986 capturing the elusive third star. Today, La Côte Saint-Jacques is one of the must-do restaurants in the heart of the Burgundy region.
La Côte Saint-Jacques offers a perfect view of the the Burgundy landscape including River Yonne from the its terrace and dining room.
We arrived at the dining room after taking the private elevator down to the garden level. There were two equal-sized dining rooms to the left and right of the elevator. Both rooms were plainly decorated with around 6-8 tables while boasting the same view as the terrace.
This was probably the first 3-star Michelin restaurant where we have seen small kids dining with their parents. A gentleman was even seen bringing his dog into the dining room at one point. That was really odd.
The first thing (other than kids and dog) that caught my eyes was this beautiful ceramic plate with Chef Jean Michel Lorain's name engraved on it.
After we placed our orders, a salmon roll was presented as our amuse bouche of the night. That was a little bit plain and dull (4/10).
But our starters promised a lot more excitement beginning with this dish called the "Anatomy of a dish on an oyster theme".
Starting from left to right, a gazpacho of leek and green salad, followed by a gazpacho with whipped cream and oyster bites, then gazpacho with a poached oyster and finally evolving into a gazpacho with crispy fried oysters.
And the evolution was complete with the oyster cocktail. At the bottom of the cocktail was a nice tartare of sour cream and oysters, topped by a creamy gazpacho of leek and green salad. Resting comfortably on top was a crispy biscuit with 3 juicy oysters. That was quite refreshing and unique (7/10).
Next up was a duck foie gras with sweet and sour preparations around pears, ginger and curcuma. The texture was excellent but the seasoning I thought was a little too overpowering (5/10).
My main course was a pan-fried sea scallops with parsnip and truffle oil custard, eryngii mushrooms and chestnuts in a cardamom emulsion.
The scallops had great depth but it was a mistake matching it with a super sweet chestnut purée (5/10).
More impressive was the second main course - a roasted pigeon fillet with green asparagus and fresh morel mushrooms. The special coffee sauce was particularly outstanding adding another dimension to the flavorful pigeon fillets (7.5/10).
Dessert started brightly with a brownie, rice pudding, chocolate and hazelnut mousse served with a chocolate ice cream flavoured with cardamom. Yes cardamom again (7/10)!
Our other dessert, blood orange jelly terrine, French toast, gingerbread tile and orange sorbet was another visually striking dish (6.5/10).
Following dinner, we had the pleasure of visiting the kitchen of La Côte Saint-Jacques, courtesy of a private tour by Chef Jean Michel Lorain. That put the exclamation point to our wonderful night in Burgundy!
Food Rating: 7.5/10
Price: €€€€
Address: 14, Faubourg de Paris, 89300 Joigny, France
Tel: +33 (0)3 8691 4970
Website: www.cotesaintjacques.com/en/
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