Chef of the Year 2027: Jérôme Banctel Describes His Cuisine Through 5 Dishes
From miso-glazed pigeon to lime-poached carrots, Jérôme Banctel, chef at Gabriel at La Réserve Paris, reveals his culinary world through five dishes that, in his view, perfectly embody his style and vision of cooking.
Before establishing his own kitchen at Le Gabriel (4 toques), Jérôme Banctel spent twenty years working alongside two giants of French gastronomy: Bernard Pacaud and Alain Senderens. He spent ten years with each of them, learning, observing, and creating dishes for their restaurants. Then came the time to build his own culinary world. Among the creations that tell the story of this journey, some are still on Le Gabriel’s menu, several years after their debut. From a pigeon marinated in miso and chocolate to a lime-cooked carrot that has become a must-try, the chef looks back on five dishes that have shaped his career.
The pigeon marinated in miso and chocolate: Gabriel’s first dish
The pigeon with miso and chocolate is the dish that marked the transition. Jérôme Banctel began developing it during his final year working with Alain Senderens, following a trip to Japan. Upon his return, he devised a marinade combining miso, chocolate, and mirin, in which he let the pigeon marinate before cooking it skin-side down. When the chef took the helm at Le Gabriel, it was naturally this creation that he chose to introduce first. The accompaniments and presentation have evolved over the years, but the pigeon remains a staple. It thus stands as a testament to a transition between two eras: “This dish symbolizes the transition from my final year as a ‘chef de chef’ to the time when I began creating my own cuisine under my own name, ” he explains. A first course that already embodies certain hallmarks of his culinary world: unexpected pairings, Japanese influences, and a penchant for techniques that profoundly transform the ingredients.
Artichoke with lime: a technique from Istanbul
Cooking with lime, which has become one of Jérôme Banctel’s signature techniques, was born out of a chance encounter. While he was still working for Alain Senderens and overseeing the Mama Shelter restaurants, the chef took part in the opening of the Istanbul location in 2012. There, he met a cook who introduced him to this technique. A few years later, when he took the helm at Le Gabriel, the artichoke was the first ingredient on which he experimented with it. He cooked it in lime water and then paired it with sakura vinegar. Since then, the chef has continued to explore this process. The principle involves forming a sort of protective skin around the vegetable. The longer the vegetable remains in the lime, the thicker this coating becomes. It therefore takes multiple trials to determine the precise cooking time. “On the outside, the vegetable retains this film that doesn’t cook. On the inside, however, the flesh becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender, almost candied, with a particularly concentrated flavor, ” explains Jérôme Banctel.
Mackerel: Putting a Popular Fish in the Spotlight
Mackerel showcases another facet of Jérôme Banctel’s cuisine. A native of Brittany, the chef has always wanted to make room for this fish, which he considers unfairly overlooked by high-end gourmet restaurants. “I wanted to feature this fish—which isn’t considered a ‘noble’ fish—on the menu of a gourmet restaurant, ” the chef emphasizes. Here, the fish is prepared with as much precision as a more prestigious variety: it’s cooked on Breton pebbles and deglazed with white wine right in the dining room. A whole technical setup dedicated to a familiar ingredient. Because mackerel, unlike certain ingredients in haute cuisine, is an accessible fish: “Everyone has eaten it before.” That’s precisely what interests the chef: taking a common fish and preparing it in a way that gives it a whole new dimension, without trying to mask what it is.
The Carrot: The Must-Try Dish
If only one dish were to remain, it would probably be this one. The carrot has been a hallmark of Jérôme Banctel’s culinary reputation and has become one of the signature dishes of his cuisine. Today, it consistently opens the menus at Le Gabriel: at both lunch and dinner, every guest gets to experience it. It, too, is cooked with lime, without butter or cream. The challenge lies in achieving that indulgent, creamy texture without resorting to traditional fats. The carrot is prepared with a sauce that imparts a sense of richness while preserving the vegetable’s purity. Visually, the dish seems almost straightforward. Its execution, however, is far more complex. Cooking it requires great precision: you have to achieve that characteristic outer crust while keeping the center fully candied, where the flavors are concentrated. “It’s a crazy amount of work. Three people dedicate themselves to this carrot every morning, ” explains the chef.
Mango: Finishing with Lime
At Jérôme Banctel’s restaurant, the menus have a recurring beginning and end. After the carrot, they always conclude with a dessert centered on a fruit that is also prepared using the lime-cooking technique: the mango. The fruit is prepared without cream or butter, then served with a slightly spicy mango sorbet and peanut milk. This composition plays on freshness, fruit, and contrasts, while building on the technique used with the carrot a few hours earlier.
From the first course to the last, lime thus serves as a unifying thread. Jérôme Banctel has turned it into a creative tool, capable of altering texture and concentrating flavors without altering the essence of the ingredient. This technique, however, requires considerable effort. Cooking times are constantly adjusted, as even a few minutes can alter the thickness of the outer skin and thus the final result.
