Le Mas Les Eydins

84480 BONNIEUX

Original Restaurant

3 PHOTOS

Chef Christophe Bacquié

Cooking French | Signature cuisine

Gault&Millau's review

Original Restaurant "A happy man." Christophe Bacquié must have heard William Sheller's song and, no doubt, a number of sirens' little tunes, to one day reflect on his palace work, its many decorations, but also the sacrifices to reach the top, the 5 toques, the MOF title, the responsibility of a brigade and machinery as imposing as the Hôtel du Castellet. With Alexandra, the project matured over many months, culminating in today's beaming couple, who show visitors around their new Eden. Surrounding the beautiful farmhouse they have patiently and tastefully converted is an epicurean estate of several hectares of orchards, lavender, olive groves, vegetable gardens and herbs (the beehives are coming soon). In the evenings, the pretty terrace comes alive, sometimes with the large table d'hôtes inside. The residents (and a few lucky outsiders) have been walking around this superb Luberon all day, enjoying the pool and the sun. Now they're hungry. The master of the house has prepared a tailor-made meal for them, an evening menu that is not that of a palace, made with love and four in the kitchen to delight everyone: gougère for aperitif, welcome bites with the excellent black garlic and smoked eel tartlet, trout tartare from L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and velvet of samphire, aioli, of course, the Bacquié signature export from Le Castellet, with Mediterranean octopus, zucchini flower stuffed with wolf with a magnificent broth, plump squab (the chef has done some remarkable sourcing around the mas in just a few months), cooked in a salt crust with myrtle and chanterelle mushrooms, before a dessert that reflects the meal, simple and true: Bonnieux cherries, cherry confit and sorrel sorbet. Everyone participates in the feast, the dishes all coming out at the same time, delivered by the entire house, cooks and service, with the chef himself placing the plates and explaining the whys and wherefores to each table. You don't rate a meal like this, which isn't quite of the same essence as a restaurant meal. It's a meal for friends (communication is easily established from one table to the next), an evening listening to the crickets or cicadas, in a beautiful place preserved from codes and obligations.