Serge Vieira

15110 CHAUDES-AIGUES

16/20
Remarkable Restaurant

4 PHOTOS

Chef Aurélien Gransagne

Cooking French | Gastronomic

Services Accomodation | Cooking lessons | Disabled access | Private Parking

Price Indicative price per person (excl. drinks)

140€ à 240€

Gault&Millau's review

16/20

Remarkable Restaurant The handshake is energetic, the smile natural, the determination intact. Marie-Aude Vieira ensures a most exquisite welcome. "As before". But Serge is still here. In a way. Set high above the town, Château du Couffour has finally managed to survive the centuries. It was a daring move to lean against it and build a hotel-restaurant with futuristic lines, where iron and concrete blend intimately. As if suspended, it dominates a hilly landscape where Salers cows blend in, reminding us that we are indeed in the Auvergne. The vast room is not overly cluttered with furniture and knick-knacks. The bucolic panorama stands on its own. This choice of simplicity is well taken. The room is nonetheless warm and extremely comfortable. The tables (with made-to-measure tablecloths that can be ironed directly to avoid unsightly creases) are large and decorated with small bouquets of wild flowers. The loyal and talented Aurélien Gransagne ensures continuity through airy, chiselled compositions of regional, even rustic inspiration, but sometimes a little demonstrative. The first course, a fine crab ravioli, deftly combines kohlrabi, snow peas, verbena and lemon notes. The next course, very pure, very incisive, rises to the level of the four toques with, in majesty, a Gillardeau oyster, fleshy, just snacked and flanked by delicious asparagus from the Hérault region in different preparations. A beurre noisette provides a perfect link between all the components, and the onion pickles add an invigorating kick. And let's not forget the superb, remarkably cooked Bresse pigeon, delicately surrounded by beet, celtuce and Saint Flour blond peas. The toast with the giblets lacks a little character, but the jus is perfect. Next, don't miss the "cheese sequence", commented on with passion and gourmandise. Finally, it's time to let yourself slip quietly into the final, unspectacular but very delicate freshness stage. Strawberries play the leading role, supported by crisp opaline, ginger, yoghurt and fennel sorbet... As for the wine list, it bears witness to a real passion "for the thing". Explained with simplicity and relevance, it lists seasoned winemakers, prestigious estates and local resources (such as the wines of the very promising Chloé Chassang-Itier in Massiac, for example).