This chef's inspiration from The Little Prince takes us back to childhood

in Bordeaux, just a stone's throw from the famous miroir d'eau, where grown-ups recall simple pleasures as they watch the little ones play with nothing, childhood is a source of inspiration for a young chef whose restaurant has become a fixture on the Gironde capital's dining scene. For just a few days now, Sylvain Renzetti, the chef at Son' restaurant, has been delivering his own interpretation of a symbolic tale that has rocked the primary years of many generations: The Little Prince. The notion of regression often attributed to dessert has never been more evident.

Dessert: a double moment of regression

First, before the service, a poster featuring the famous character is casually placed on the table, along with his indispensable rose and an excerpt from the text "And if I knew a flower unique in the world, which exists nowhere except on my planet...". And then it's time for dessert. But it's not a plate you're served, but... a music box. "I didn't want to present my interpretation in the usual crockery," says the young music-loving chef. The idea was a no-brainer for this chef, who was once a professional musician. He manages to draw a thread between his own past and the present. And in the same way, he awakens the innocence that comes from simply opening a music box. To make the link between the Little Prince and the contents of the dessert, Le Petit Prince turns to the mythical tune of Edith Piaf's "La Vie en rose". It has to be.

Sylvain Renzetti uses all the markers of childhood: when the box is opened, a smoke with the smell of cotton candy is released until it disperses, finally revealing a longish dessert with the air of an éclair. "Of course, I worked with roses to keep with the theme, including for the cookie base. The preparation is built around a compote of Pink Lady with a hint of raspberry and a clay mousse to perfect the acidity. The rest is based on a Sicilian pistachio viennetta", explains the chef, who wanted to accompany his regressive dessert with a sorbet made with the very first strawberries of the season. The dessert, entitled Le Petit Prince, is served as part of the bistronomic dinner menu.

Childhood as a culinary theme

We'd expect nothing less from the thirty-something chef, whose cooking is as playful as his dining experience. Throughout the meal, guests can use a magnifying glass to hunt for symbolic dates in the history of cooking and music, printed and hidden on the table. As for the dishes, Sylvain Renzetti had also resurrected the famous paper casseroles of our childhood, turning them into a container made using a 3D printer. Inside, we found a mimosa egg, topped with espuma hollandaise, and smoked sardines, all escorted by peas and a spherical sphere. peas and a Champomy-based sphere (yes, the famous sparkling apple juice of children's snacks).