L’Assiette Champenoise (40 Avenue Paul Vaillant Couturier, 51430 Tinqueux; tel. +33 3 26 84 64 64), the latest restaurant in France to receive 3 Michelin stars, is 45 min by TGV from Paris and 5 min by taxi from the central Reims train station. It’s chef Arnaud Lallement has inherited the restaurant and the hotel from his father after working at the kitchens of such grand chefs as Roger Vergé, Michel Guérard and Alain Chapel. The hotel and the restaurant were beautifully refurbished few years ago – the dining room is adorned with a magnificent, custom made chandelier by Baccarat, Bernardaud porcelain is used for serving.
How about what is served on those plates? Everything I had was very well executed and only products of excellent quality were used. I would even say that the food was very good, if not those 3 Michelin stars. The red book states that 3 Michelin stars are “worth a special trip” and even if I would definitely come back to L’Assiette Champenoise if I were somewhere in the region, what is sent from its kitchen is something you could have at any decent one or two Michelin stars restaurant elsewhere. Somehow there is absolutely nothing wrong with L’Assiette Champenoise, something wrong, however, is with the Michelin judgements.
But… see for yourself.
