Chef's Restaurant
Coline's assault on L'Épuisette was front-page news here in Marseille for weeks. Certainly, this restaurant at the end of the Vallon des Auffes is in the hearts of all the city's inhabitants... 80 years of stories, baptisms, communions and weddings in this iconic temple dedicated to Mediterranean fish. Could she pull it off? The winner of Top Chef? The answer is already there: the young woman has talent, guts and a very solid knowledge of the products of the Phocaean city. After an initial appetizer that was clearly muddled and lacking in any real gourmandise, the candied artichoke from Provence, raw cappuccino, accompanied by a wild basil pesto, reveals some lovely Provencal flavors. But you'll have to wait for the first course, featuring Mediterranean pink shrimp, raw and cooked... to let yourself be carried away. A fantastic bisque of heads, and a very successful duo with fresh almond and a touch of Timut pepper. What a dish! Then comes the small sea bream, accompanied by lemon balm leaves and an ultra-gourmand sauce made with fennel brunoise and lemon balm. A sauce to eat, to enjoy with a spoon. The monkfish is perfectly moist, escorted by an aioli finished in the dining room. A "gesture" that's a little too much: the sound of the mortar is a little hard on the ears, and the harmony of the decor too beige, too calm, too wise. The chef only cooks vegetables and fish? It's a shame not to try this farm poultry and blue crab from our coast. Which goes to show that biases are still hard to resist. The desserts are well composed and relatively simple: Barbentane figs, almond and marjoram; fresh Rove brousse, meringue and lemon caviar. And a clever duo of white and yellow peaches scented with burnt thyme, like the hills of the Calanques in the middle of July. The chef even indulges in the luxury of adding a little flavor and roundness to Marseille's famous navettes, with a welcome lemon gel. The cellar is promising, and the choices well supported. The whites are right at home here, served chilled. A lovely moment at Auffo, with the eye distracted by the youngsters swimming right across the street... clinging to the rocks like arapeds. From the other side of the bay window, you can see Marseille in all its truth.