Romain GOYENECHE

"When I walked into this old building, it was love at first sight". We're still in the throes of the pandemic and Romain Goyeneche, with his partner Paul Chauvet, has finally found a place that suits him, in Arbonne, ten minutes from Biarritz .

From Paris to Denmark: Nordic influences and the quest for independence

A child of Saint-Jean de Luz, he returned to his roots after a long loop and a good deal of formative travel. At the age of 19, he passed and obtained his CAP (vocational training certificate) under a sandwich course, working for the Ibarboure brothers , which is better than a good start. He passed his vocational baccalaureate at La Mare aux Oiseaux, working alongside Eric Guérin, before heading for the capital to join Christopher Hache in the kitchen of Le Crillon. A new challenge awaited him, but also the seeds of the first ideas of independence:"I then found myself at Garance with Guillaume Iskandar and Guillaume Muller, two very talented students from the Passard school . They were chef-owners and it was a way of doing things that I hadn't yet experienced, but which I liked, very different from that of a palace" .

perhaps on a more human scale, he quickly adapted and moved on, in a similar vein, to another great adventure with David Toutain, who has just set up shop on rue Surcouf after leaving Agapé Substance. Everything had yet to be built up, and the adventure was a great one, especially as he made the acquaintance of Paul Chauvet, who worked in the dining room as a sommelier. This adventure continued until 2018, with a detour to Denmark and the avant-garde kitchens that fascinated him .

Back in Paris, he returned to David Toutain's kitchens. He ended up as sous-chef and decided to return home, taking Paul Chauvet with him. The year is 2019. "We searched for a while before finding this jewel. I'd imagined Biarritz, but we fell in love with it. However, the house had been uninhabited for ten years, and we had to consider major renovations before opening in August 2023 .

Cuisine with character and a unique menu

Today, Romain Goyeneche is alone on the boat, but has maintained excellent relations with Paul("He built me a very fine wine list, for which I still thank him today!").With Grégory, his alter ego in the dining room, the model is somewhat imposed: a single menu, available in three, five or seven courses. "With the satellites, that's about thirteen courses all told .

Romain's cuisine has a strong Basque identity, of course, but it has also been nourished by his travels and the varied influences of his previous experiences. "I navigate between sea and mountains, with a solid footprint, but also sometimes bridges, with this Nordic cuisine I liked so much. I vary the menu from one base to another, never completely renewing the content, retaining a few identifying markers, such as crème brûlée with juniper and brioche with onion butter" .