3 ways to treat yourself to a gastronomic experience when you're under 30

It's not every day you turn 20, as Berthe Sylva sang, but by the time you're 30, you don't often have the means to reserve a fine gourmet table. Generally speaking, the budget for a tasting menu is not in line with a young working person's finances, let alone if he or she is considering opting for the bachique pairing recommended by the in-house sommelier. However, you shouldn't be too quick to admit defeat, as there are ways to get into these establishments even if your wallet isn't yet fat. Here are the three simplest solutions.

Identify menus suitable for the under-30s

Some chefs at well-known establishments offer gourmet menus at a price that young gourmets can afford. They are well aware that a menu costing more than a hundred euros will not appeal to a younger clientele, and therefore will not contribute to their culinary culture. Such is the case at Château Troplong Mondot, where the Les Belles Perdrix restaurant welcomes under-30s every Wednesday evening (until March 31) with a menu priced at 70 euros, including starter, main course, dessert and a glass of wine from the estate. " We inaugurated this formula last year, and in view of its success, we decided to relaunch it ", says chef David Charrier. says chef David Charrier, giving the example of a recent dinner where half the room was made up of young people under the age of 30. I discovered this offer when I was working in Reims with Arnaud Lallemant (L'Assiette Champenoise). I thought it was a great initiative, so I mentioned it to my general manager when I arrived at Château Troplong Mondot. This menu desacralizes the gourmet restaurant. It removes the barriers that young customers tend to put up against certain establishments ".

Prefer lunchtime

The smartest gourmets already know the trick. Reserve a gourmet table not at dinnertime, but at lunchtime, to share a meal for less. Of course, while the evening ambience also contributes to the experience, especially when the restaurant's dining room invites guests into a hushed atmosphere, this concession is also good for those who can't resist taking photos of their dishes... At lunchtime, no problem with the light! As for the bill, the difference between lunch and dinner is not negligible. For example, you can enjoy the luxury of the Four Seasons George V in Paris for 80 euros (excluding wine) by booking lunch at Italian chef Simone Zanoni's table. At the talented young chef Omar Dhiab (restaurant Omar Dhiab), there's even a 68-euro menu, with starter, main course and dessert, offering the opportunity to choose each sequence between two possible options. An effective solution when you're not yet used to the long gastronomic sequence imposed on the whole table and you're not adventurous in your tastes. For pairings, add 32 euros. By comparison, the five-course menu costs 118 euros and the pairing is 52 euros.

Watch for private sales (online)

88 euros per person for dinner at the Mavrommatis restaurant in Paris, including starter, main course and dessert... 78 euros for the six-course Découverte menu at the Shang Palace, Paris.Or even 40 euros per person for a four-course lunch at Vive, Maison Mer, the iodized table of chef Stéphanie Le Quellec... With this budget, you're entitled to a starter, main course and dessert, and you can get 40% off the wine list if you prefer the 49-euro package... All these offers were published published just a few days ago on the Voyage Privé website, which has made a habit of not only selling holidays at knock-down prices, but also gourmet meals.

Contacted by us, the platform declined to comment on the weight of its culinary offering within its extensive catalog. The brand has serious competitors, however, and is not alone in offering such good deals to young gourmets. At Veepee, formerly Vente Privée, gastronomy has long been a serious business. The famous platform that popularized the concept of limited sales of luxury brands first presented itself as an economical alternative for buying wine, before offering gourmet meals at lower prices. Back in 2007, Veepee was already selling wine, while today the e-commerce behemoth estimates that its wine and gastronomy offering generates 30 million cumulative visits every year.