Yim

Rating: 13
Author: Gault&Millau

68130 ALTKIRCH

13/20
Chef's Restaurant

BOOK

3 PHOTOS

Cooking: Gastronomic | Thai
Style: Elegant | Romantic | With friends

Budget (€)

Indicative price per person (excl. drinks)

24 to 69

Gault&Millau's review 2026

Since L'Orchidée moved to Ensisheim in April 2025, the owners have turned the place into an annex inspired by the Yam in Saint-Louis, but this bistro-style restaurant surpasses its Ludovician cousin with its light atmosphere and unexpected culinary precision, thanks to the mastery of chef Khotphan Theerawat, who trained in Bangkok and passed through Rhaan, while in the dining room Daniel Valladares orchestrates an affable service to perfection. Everything is fresh, everything is new: the chlorophyll walls set the tone, with a simple elegance that evokes gaiety rather than reverence, and prices that reflect the ambition of a house that is generous rather than demonstrative. In the spirit of an accepted bistronomy - clear and straightforward, without sacrificing high standards - this is a model of its kind. The signature dish, Tom Yam Kung, revisited in a gastronomic version, impresses with its aromatic richness: coconut, lemongrass and a subtle scent of orange dance with acid, chili, saltiness and a hint of sweetness, all framed by seasonal vegetables that bring relief and measure. Soft crab, tempura-cooked and layered on a butternut velouté with satay, gains depth from an egg confit with sugar and salt, a creamy, crunchy composition of a delicacy that calls for silence. The salmon fillet, cleanly cooked and tenderly textured, is presented with spinach, pan-fried mushrooms and a few mussels under a Tom Kha sauce with skilfully measured white curry, but the Thai rice accompaniment would benefit from a firmer hand on the salt. The Simmenthal beef fillet, served with pressed potatoes, mushrooms, spinach and an unexpected persimmon, finds a filigree elegance in a Thai spice jus and coconut emulsion, without ever weighing it down. For dessert, the coconut milk rice seduces with its abundance rather than its class, a pleasant finale but less accomplished than the savory register. The cellar says a great deal about the project: a menu that's tight but never stingy, with an emphasis on characterful winemakers and clean, digestible wines.