Relais & Châteaux
Richard & Christopher COUTANCEAU
Plage de la Concurrence 17000 La Rochelle
Tél. 05 46 41 48 19
Fax. 05 46 41 99 45
contact Email
Closed on Sundays
A la carte
We strive to strike the perfect balance between our great classic dishes and our latest creations – all prepared with the best produce which are so sublime as seasons go by.
Starters
Casserons grillés et farcis 38 €
Small squids grilled and stuffed, flavoured with the scents of summer, served with snail ravioli and matured parmesan
Salade de homard 52 €
Lobster salad, dish of sea spider, asparagus fritter, loabster vinaigrette and pepper coulis
Langoustines rôtie 42€
Scampi live- roasted, served on a tartre of special oysters xith seasoning and freshened with olive oil sorbet
Grillette de carabineros 50€
Large roasted king prawns coated in bacon, served with prawn head froth and crispy green salad
Cuisses de grenouilles en tempura 39 €
Frog ' legs in batter with lemon, rocket salad, celery royale and crispy egg
Foie gras de canard des Landes 38€
Grilled duck foie gras from Landes, moist coconut cake/ candied rhubarb served with a thyme and lemon sweet and sour sauce
Six huîtres spéciales n °3 de Monsieur Papin 21€
6 special Nr 3 oysters
Caviar Ossetra 145€
Traditional caviar from Maison Petrossian (30g) served with blinis, freshened with walnut water sorbet
Fish dishes
Mérus de crabe royal 52 €
Kamchatka king crab claw, sea spider cannelloni, whelks and shellfish froth flavoured with fresh ginger
Goujonnette de sole au beurre 48 €
Strip of sole fillet fried in batter with frothy butter on a bed of risotto, served with abalone and squid, special crispy oysters and lemongrass froth
Bar de ligne cuit sur sa peau 49 €
Sea bass cooked in its own crispy skin, razorshells, goose barnacles in parsley, warm and tangy vegetable vinaigrette
Civet gourmand de homard breton 62 €
Gourmet stew of Breton lobster steamed in shellfish butter and served with seasonal baby vegetables and mushroom ravioli
Filet de turbot coloré 67 €
Fillet of colourful with assorted asparagus, ossetra traditional caviar, duck gravy flavoured with foie gras
Meat dishes
Pigeon rôti à la broche façon Rossini 45 €
Spit roasted pigeon Rossini style, crispy and creamy, small pootatoas from Ile de Ré sprinkled with hjazelnut oil, pigeon gravy flavoured with foie gras and truffle
Agneau de lait de Castille aux aillés sautés, cocos au lomo de cochon 43 €
Castilian suckling lamb with sauteed spring garlic, coco beans and pork loin with lamb gravy sprinkled with tarragon
Ris de veau cuit au beurre 42 €
Calves’ sweetbread cooked in frothy butter and country bacon, served with steamed seasonal vegetables and creamy wild mushroom gravy
Cheeses
Chariot de fromages 17 €
Our trolley of matured cheeses served with walnut bread
Desserts
Palet chocolat amer 17 €
Bitter chocolate biscuit, caramel cream and granito flavoured with flower of salt, cocoa sorbet
Superposition de framboise 18 €
Layered raspberries and pistachios with crispy flaky pastry freshened with sorbet
17 €
Pineapple ravioli filled with lychee ice cream, served with rum and raisin ice cream, old-fashioned doughnut with fresh mint jelly and shaving of candied pineaplle shavings
Crêpes au cacao flambées 16 €
Pancakes filled with cocoa and flambeed with chocolate liqueur, served with after Eight house style
Soufflés aux fruits de la passion 16 €
Passion fruit souffle with ice fresh fruit soup and exotic sorbet
Fraise gariguette sur sa crème 18 €
French strawberry on a bed of creme brulee with white chocolate, strawberries in basil jelly, crispy frothy cone
Christopher Coutanceau
Christopher the ‘fishing cook’ is Richard and Maryse Coutanceau’s younger son.
Born in 1978, Christopher soon persuaded himself to follow in his father’s footsteps and started his career at the Lycée Hôtelier, La Rochelle catering school. He shares with his father his love for working with fine produce and spends his rest days fishing; all the best fishing spots between La Rochelle and Ile de Ré have no secret for him.
He has now assisted his father for 6 years and breathed new life into this already outstanding restaurant; he has created new dishes, always with the Coutanceau’s touch, made with showcased and sublimated first-class produce.
The masters Christopher learnt from - Gaeuzere, Bardet, Guérard, Oudill, Ferran, Adria - and his father as well, all taught him to be rigorous, regular, simple and respectous.
No better reason to ensure the continuity of the renowned restaurant where Christopher grew up… and the natural thing was to go into partnership with Nicolas Brossard.
