Christophe Pelé opens his restaurant Le Nautilus at the end of Brittany
After thirty-five years in Paris and his much-publicized departure from Le Clarence, Christophe Pelé has moved to Finistère to open Le Nautilus. This 35-cover restaurant has been designed as a Breton gastro pub.
For a long time, we wondered where Christophe Pelé had gone... Since his departure from the legendary Le Clarence on avenue Franklin Roosevelt in Paris, the chef has kept a low profile. Today, he's finally resurfacing on the shores of the Atlantic. Heading for Penmarc'h, in southern Finistère, where the chef is preparing to open Le Nautilus, a seafront restaurant designed as a new departure.
A gastro-pub by the sea
"I was still working at Le Clarence when Laurent Daniel, my fishmonger in Guilvinec, told me about this opportunity. I was already looking for new horizons, so it was the right opportunity," he sums up. After thirty-five years in Paris, the desire for a break was a natural choice. "There wasn't much that really excited me there anymore. I wanted to do something else." The Breton scenery finally convinced him. a few meters from the sea spray, the 1880 stone building looks out over the ocean. The building is still undergoing a major transformation, with new panelling, an open-plan kitchen and a clear desire to create a link between customers and chefs. This winter, more work is already planned: the stones and beams hidden behind the plasterboard will reappear, and perhaps a stove will be installed to accentuate the seaside refuge spirit.
Above all, Christophe Pelé is radically changing the scale of his business. Gone are the big Parisian brigades: "At Clarence, there were fifteen of us in the kitchen. Now there will be three. There will be a lot more shortcuts, but we'll have to do well with exceptional products." Among them, the daily arrivals of his fishmonger accomplice, now a partner in the adventure. The chef is already talking about his future restaurant as a "gastro pub". It's a hybrid formula that's very much like him: demanding on the plate, but free from the heaviness of traditional gastronomy. "Theidea is to offer good food, but also to highlight the liquid offer, while trying to keep prices as reasonable as possible: 30-35 euros for lunch, around 50 euros for dinner". With just 35 covers and a terrace facing the sea, Le Nautilus aims to be more of a friendly address than a gastronomic temple. A small aperitif menu could even be introduced for the iodized end of the day. "Above all, I want people to want to come back," he says.
In this new adventure, a number of Clarence alumni have chosen to follow him to the tip of Finistère. Proof that the chef's magnetism remains intact, even several hundred kilometers away from the beautiful Parisian districts. The deliberately confidential opening is scheduled for late May to early June.
▶Where? Le Nautilus, 87 quai du Général de Gaulle, 29760 Penmarc'h
