La Balette

66190 COLLIOURE

15/20
Remarkable Restaurant

9 PHOTOS

Chef

Cooking French | Gastronomic | Traditional

Services Accomodation | Children's Menu | Pets allowed

Price Indicative price per person (excl. drinks)

72€ à 160€

Gault&Millau's review

15/20

Remarkable Restaurant Laurent Lemal has chosen to cook in a timeless and uncrowded setting, as close as possible to the sea, his hunting ground and expression. The man who has been officiating at La Balette since 2020 offers his clientele of happy few a moment of great gastronomy, like suspended time. The delicate, ingenuous nature of this humble, inquisitive chef is expressed in his local, terroir-based cuisine, and he never hesitates to ask guests for feedback on their experience at the end of the meal. The mini eggplant from the Saint-Jacques garden in Perpignan, prepared as a pickle and just roasted, caramelized, smoked eggplant béchamel and basil jus with tomato confit and olives is a gourmet vegetable bonbon full of finesse, with a striking persistence on the palate. The dishes evoke the same emotions, like this pink Mediterranean denti marinated in basil oil, just cooked in zucchini flowers à l'étouffée -zucchini purée and marinated zucchini, zucchini flower broth, a lesson in simplicity and wisdom, with a pearly fish, cooked to perfection. The rhythm and warmth of the room service, expertly directed by Agathe Leroy, gives diners the feeling of being cradled in the waves. The erudite cellar, brilliantly highlighted by sommelier Benjamin Billon, celebrates new and old Roussillon estates.