Isabelle Arpin – Chateau de Leignon

You’ll never get bored with Isabelle’s cuisine, and that truly makes the difference

We thought we’d lost her a couple of months ago, when after leaving Louise 345, we had no idea where – but most importantly if – she would open next. This time, the lady-chef famous for getting a star wherever she passes decided to play things differently. After Alexandre, Wy, or Louise 345, it’s at Isabelle Arpin herself that you’ll find the chef. And we couldn’t have wished a better way to be reunited.

Though Isabelle is famous for adapting to different contexts – and constraints -, it’s a whole other story when she lets you into her own personal home. Here, everything reflects the chef’s personality, from the staff denim shirt, matching the chef’s, to the space, looking more like an art gallery than a restaurant, and finally with the open kitchen, from which she can catch a glimpse of her customers’ genuine delight. We’re excited as if it were the day before Christmas as we browse through the – surprise – menu, picking the number of courses for our lunch (32€), and already plan to come back an evening to get the full experience. Huge crush for the tiny quail eggs covered in sea lettuce powder, and for the delicious raw shrimp tartare with burnt avocado and soy cream. And also for the lamb, at least as much for its presentation “black on black” reminding us of nothing but art, than for the amazing recipe itself. Huge crush for the whole lunch, but mostly for Isabelle’s cuisine, far from trends, creative, inspired, but above all, always surprising. We still remember her version of the “tartiflette” we ate right across the street, literally as light as air. You’ll never get bored with Isabelle’s cuisine, and that truly makes the difference.