This Summer the gastronomic team from restaurant Hélène Darroze at The Connaught will take up residency at Villa la Coste in the heart of Provence, bringing a little Mayfair magic to the hotel.
Chef Hélène Darroze, who holds two Michelin stars at The Connaught, will create a Provence inspired menu for lunch and dinner, using regional produce and seasonal ingredients sourced from the Villa La Coste vegetable garden. The menu will, of course, include some of her signature dishes, “Retour d’Hanoï”, a shellfish consommé with gamberoni from San Remo, “Ajo blanco gazpacho” with anchovies from Collioure, her confit duck foie gras from les Landes, inspired by the celebrated “Calisson d’Aix” and the iconic Armagnac baba using her own family’s Darroze Armagnac.
Villa La Coste’s vegetable garden, cared for by the domaine’s gardener in unison with the Chef is tucked between organic vineyards, olive groves and lavender fields. It lies in the shadow of Frank Gehry’s spectacular music pavilion which hosts concerts over the Summer months. The hotel, located 10 miles north of Aix-en-Provence, sits discretely in the midst of the famous biodynamic vineyard Chateau la Coste, an internationally renowned destination for art, architecture and natural beauty.
The area is familiar territory for Hélène, who recently opened her new restaurant ‘Marsan’ in Paris, as her first experience of professional kitchen life was at Alain Ducasse’s Louis XV restaurant along the coast in Monaco. Commenting on the Summer pop-up Hélène said ‘I am delighted to return, with my team from The Connaught, to an area I have long loved. The outstanding art, wine and fresh produce of Chateau La Coste has inspired me to create what I feel is a true Summer menu to reflect the joy and flavours of Provence.’
The menus from Hélène Darroze at The Connaught will be served in The Louison restaurant, named after Louise Bourgeois, whose sculpture ‘The Couple” graces the room and on the terrace of Le Salon. There will be an A La Carte menu served at lunch and dinner as well as A Tasting Menu served for dinner, priced at 155 euros.
Hélène Darroze at The Connnaught runs from the 29th of July until the 1st of September 2019 while the restaurant in London is closed for a full refurbishment and modernisation from14th July – mid-September 2019. An Overnight Experience will also be available. It will include an overnight stay, a chilled bottle of Chateau la Coste Rose, a signed copy of Hélène Darroze’s book, and an Art Tour and Wine cellar tour. Prices from 1250€, subject to availability.
