Already owners of the Albatros on the beach at La Baule, Florence and Eric Albaret are planning to open a gourmet restaurant in 2021 in Saillé, a small village on the astonishing Guérande salt marshes.
The house can be identified by its white façade. Once you've crossed the threshold, you'll be taken aback by the soft, elegant and contemporary décor, with its mix of wood, stone and concrete. And once you've taken a few swipes of the fork, you'll quickly be won over by the chef, Takashi Aoki, who is amazingly skilful at preserving the naturalness of the produce from this unique region. On a single menu, offered in four, five or six courses, he combines endive, potato and kumquat, lobster and spinach, pork, salsify and truffle, chocolate, parsnip and clementine, all with great subtlety. Its vocabulary also includes the iodised notes of seaweed gleaned from the Jardins de la mer, in Le Croisic, vegetal notes such as agastache or yarrow and, skilfully distilled, a few Japanese accents such as miso combined with fish and cabbage. More good news? The wine cellar, 90% organic, with excellent vintages from the Loire, southern Rhône Valley, Burgundy and Corsica.
