CIBO (Dijon, FRANCE) ★★★★☆

It's our second night in Dijon and with a little more time to spare tonight, I decided to bring my team to somewhere nice where we could slow down and enjoy a contemporary French meal in true "sit-back-and-relax" style.

CIBO is a Michelin-starred gourmet restaurant located in the historic heart of Dijon known for its dedication to local sourcing and sustainable gastronomy. I've read about them building their seasonal tasting menu strictly around ingredients sourced within 200km radius of Dijon but didn't know if it was actually true.

A big part of CIBO’s reputation is also tied to its Executive Chef Angelo Ferrigno. In 2016, he made history as the youngest French chef to earn a Michelin star at just 23. His signature is his modern, minimalist, nature-driven cooking.

The atmosphere at CIBO is intimate and deliberately understated: minimalist, calm, and intensely focused. It strikes a balance between high-end fine dining and casual warmth.

Tables are left bare without traditional white tablecloths, an unusual choice for a fine-dining venue. Instead, the natural wood takes center stage, and it’s hard not to notice the way the room is designed to feel more grounded and organic.

The interactive chef's counter would be my likely destination if not for little nugget's presence tonight.

We started off the night with a trio of snacks — an ode to cheese from the Ouche Valley deep in the heart of Côte-d'Or between Dijon and Bligny-sur-Ouche. First up, a highly "explosive" potato "donut" (that's how our server described it.) with a center made from sheep's milk cheese.

A Malaysian-style pie tee. The crust was made with crispy cheese, with fresh cow's milk cheese and bottarga resting on top.

A small buckwheat tartlet topped with smoky sheep’s milk ricotta infused with parsley, giving it that distinct green hue. Hidden underneath was escargot — surprisingly comforting in a warm, savory bite, with a burst of flavor.

Some bubbly while I wasn't driving tonight.

Smoked catfish, fermented beetroot, blackcurrant, raspberry — A frequently recurring standout starter at CIBO featuring smoked catfish. 

There was a ton of acidity in the dish with fermented beetroot juice, blackcurrant and raspberry vinegar paired with freshwater Saône catfish. Some mild heat from ginger and shiso rounded out the rich and complex seasoning on the catfish. For me, it was a little too heavy with the acidity but that could be just me.

Next up was the house-baked sourdough served with a rich, creamy butter sourced from nearby Bresse.

Tomato, pineapple, herbs — There were a few components in the next dish. The first featured a disk of roasted tomato and pineapple, topped with tomato and a fresh herb sorbet, finished off with the clean, fresh flavors of tomato water.

Served on the side was a slice of focaccia brushed with basil oil, sitting on a piece of pineapple of equal size.

Last but not least, fresh tortellini filled with ricotta cheese served in a chili broth to round things out. I originally thought the components of the dish would all be about tomato and pineapple but they threw me a curveball.

Ikejime trout, trout roes, corn, chili pepper — The crown jewel of CIBO's summer menu. The Ikejime trout fillet came from The Crisenon Aquaculture Farm, artisanal fish farm situated in the village of Prégilbert in the Yonne department famous for its organic trout. It's roughly 100km from the restaurant.

The fish was slowly confited at an ultra-low temperature, making it incredibly tender. It was served over a bed of locally grown sorghum grain, topped with trout roes, corn and popcorn, and finished with a gentle, soul-warming red chili pepper infusion. The spicy kick caught me a little by surprise. I didn't expect such heat from a modern French restaurant. Not to that degree.

The dish was accompanied by a small puff pastry with polenta filling, which has topped been nicely with trout roe.

Lamb, eggplant, spring onion — Grilled lamb from Clavisy farm in Noyers-sur-Serein, within the Yonne department, is again not far from here.

Tonight, it took the form of a small barbecue-grilled saddle and brisket, smoked with juniper wood, and served over eggplant and spring onion with a concentrated, intense meat jus. The saddle and brisket were both beautifully cooked but I didn't like the eggplant which was served cold. The cold temperature of the eggplant didn't seem to fit well with the warmth and depth of the rest of the dish.

Alongside the lamb saddle was a small bowl of confit lamb leg hidden inside buttery mashed potatoes. This wasn't bad but I thought a little cheesy for some of us.

Our pre-dessert tonight was praline ice-cream topped with crunchy chocolate crumbs. As if this was not heavy enough for us, we were offered a brioche with a touch of caramel to go with it.

Blackcurrant, curdled milk, meringue — The tasting menu had been filled with acidity all evening, so it made sense that acidity was again front and center in our main dessert.

This came with variation of of blackcurrant, compote and sorbet among them, brilliantly matched with a foam-like layer of curdled milk. The contrast worked perfectly with the lightness of the milk and meringue balancing the bright, sharp acidity of the blackcurrant. The ultimate dessert for the summer!

Blackcurrant jelly

Tangy fruit paste

Cazette financier

One practical note: none of the servers really spoke English, so we had to rely heavily on our palate and the occasional description to understand what we were eating tonight.

While I’m a huge fan of contemporary cuisine, this meal felt like it leaned way too strongly on two elements — cheese and acidity. Those are flavors I don’t necessarily love, so it wasn’t always a comfortable fit for me. The pacing also wasn’t ideal. There were a couple of dishes that took nearly half an hour to arrive, which is tough news when you’re dining with a 10-year old kid.

Still, this was one of those dining experiences you’ll either love or hate. And even though it didn’t fully land for me, there were positives and a few takeaways: the creativity, the ingredient focus, and the way CIBO builds its flavors with a clear point of view.

Food Rating: 6.9/10

Price: €€€€

Address: 24 Rue Jeannin, 21000 Dijon, France

Tel: +33 (0)3 8028-8076

Website: https://www.cibo.restaurant/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 1:00pm, 7:30pm - 8:00pm (Tue - Fri)