Michel Guerard is one of the icons of French cooking (founder of nouvelle cuisine, which later in far less talented imitator’s hands gained a mixed reputation), and has been based in the Bordeaux region, in the sleepy village of Eugenie-les-Bains, since 1974. He gained three Michelin stars in 1977 and has retained them ever since. The premises house a spa, various rooms, and a simple but most enjoyable country restaurant called Fermes aux Grives. The grounds are extensive and most attractive, with various outhouses and gardens. The dining room itself is very simple, as befits a restaurant whose chef is noted for his simplicity of cooking and emphasis on superb ingredients and technique. Michel Guerard is the chef-patron, with joint head chefs Xavier Franquet del Rey and Stephane Mack.
What follows are notes from two recent meals.
While we were here there was a special offer on certain wines. Apparently Mr Guerard has two daughters, born in 1983 and 1986, and he laid down a wine cellar for them. They asked if the wine could be donated to the restaurant customers at “convivial” prices, and convivial prices they are. Examples were Haut Brion 1986 at EUR 270, pretty much exactly its retail price, Margaux 1983 and 1986 also at retail price, and Lafite Rotshcild 1983 at a bargain EUR 220 (retail price EUR 559). Bread is a choice of two – slices of country bread either with or without olives, and is magnificent bread. The crust is superb, the texture of the bread wonderful, the taste as good as one could hope for from a piece of bread (10/10).
Nibbles consisted of balls of very enjoyable deep-fried Roquefort and remarkably delicate tempura of asparagus. Even better was a tart of red pepper and lime topped with herb leaves: the pastry was dazzling, the red peppers had wonderful flavour, and the herbs leaves were very aromatic (10/10).
I began with a much better rendition of the drunken lobster that I had eaten six months ago; in this case there alcohol was carefully under control, and enhanced but did not overwhelm the lobster (easily 8/10 this time). Stella began with a salad of scallops and herbs with a Thai-style mayonnaise. This was a spectacular dish, the scallops perfect, the herbs (along with some of the vegetables used here these are grown in the garden at the back of the house) beautifully aromatic, the mayonnaise subtly blending in Asian spices, managing to combine very well with the more traditional herbs – a real fusion dish(10/10).
A dish of mousserons and morels with asparagus was delightful, the mushrooms carefully selected and perfectly cooked in a rich mushroom stock (10/10).
Atlantic sea bass was faultless, served with a seaweed sauce and a magnificent side-dish of roughly cut “Agria” potatoes which had been cooked in a cast iron casserole in duck fat with garlic (10/10).
Stella’s main course of red mullet was served with a saffron sauce and topped with a thin potato crisp (9/10). I had the pigeon pithivier, which was every bit as dazzling as I remember it from my previous visit. The pigeon and sweetbreads combined beautifully, the pastry case was perfect and the rich demi-glace sauce was utterly superb, fabulously rich yet not over-reduced. This is a world-class dish.
A coffee galette with chocolate sorbet featured deep coffee flavour and simply stunning puff pastry (10/10). My dessert of gateau mollet (a cold soufflé , sweet and brioche-like) with rhubarb ice cream was a fine balance of textures and tastes (9/10).
This meal began with a salad of ginger and spicy crab with herb leaves on perfect pastry (10/10). Alongside this were crisps from the waffle iron described on the previous visit (10/10).
I had the Thai scallop dish tonight, while Stella had potato soup with truffles, served in a potato shell. This was certainly taking things back to basic, though plenty of black truffles were used to enhance the potato flavour. Seasoning was strong, and certainly this managed to get as much flavour out of a potato soup as can easily be imagined (8/10).
Lobster was roasted and then lightly smoked over the wood fire in the kitchen, removed from its shell and then placed back for presentation. It is hard to imagine a much simpler dish, the lobster served on its own, and yet the flavour of the lobster, the perfect cooking of the flesh and the gentle hint of smokiness made this a remarkable dish; I have not had better lobster (10/10).
My main course was chicken that was wrapped in bacon for flavour, cooked over wood smoke and served with sweetbreads, a sliver of perfect bacon and roasting juices (9/10).
Cheese is a less grand affair than at many three star restaurants, with a relatively small board of mostly local cheeses in excellent condition. Roquefort, as one might expect, was the highlight, but also good were local goat cheeses, a pair of ewe milk cheeses and excellent young Comte (8/10).
Warm apple soufflé was paired with tropical fruit ice cream, and had lovely flavour and texture (9/10). Even better was a pain perdu of grapefruit, with a fluffy grapefruit mousse a refreshing contrast to the pain perdu, with grapefruit zest as garnish (10/10).
This time a series of fruit tarts for petit fours featured more of the stunning pastry and very high quality fruit (10/10).
The standard of the cooking here is simply remarkable. I was also impressed that the kitchen could pull off such as successful modern dish as the scallop and herb salad with Thai flavours – a fusion dish that worked really well, refreshing and delightful, with an original yet logical flavour combination.
What follows are notes from a visit in September 2009.
The wine list is extensive and does not offer much in the way of value for money. The superb 1996 Salon champagne was listed at EUR 1,100 compared to a UK retail price of EUR 225. Trimbach Cuvee Frederich Emile 2001 is EUR 110 compared to a shop price of around EUR 54, Mas de Daumas Gassac red 2002 is a relative bargain at EUR 100 for a wine you can buy for around EUR 80 retail, while at the higher end Dagenau Silex 2006 is EUR 190 for a wine costing EUR 76 in the shops, and Guigal La Mouline 1995 was a hefty EUR 1,170 for a wine you can purchase for EUR 259 in a shop. We found some relief in the Chateau Simone 2002 white for EUR 65 for a wine that will set you back EUR 27 to buy. A choice of two home-made loaves appears, one with olives and one without, both having lovely texture and flavour (9/10).
The tasting menu was EUR 185. This began with a little tartelette of summer vegetables, and superb, light “crisps” which were actually made on a specially purchased Swiss waffle iron, the pancake batter used flavoured with herbs, and this flavour permeating the ultra-thin crisps, which melt on your tongue (10/10). The tasting menu offered a couple of choices at most stages, so the dishes that follow are from this combination i.e. the menu itself has five savoury dishes in addition to the nibbles previously described.
The first dish from the menu tried was perhaps the one slip of the meal: “drunken lobster” had pieces of lobster that had been soaked in liquor, and although tender the lobster was overwhelmed by the alcohol. Beside this was a superbly tender claw of unadulterated lobster, and a delicate little lobster spring roll. It is tricky to mark this dish, as the lobster flesh and the spring roll were pretty much perfect, but the over-alcoholic lobster spoilt the dish (6/10 overall). Much better was a smooth and richly flavoured terrine of foie gras, served with toasted brioche with grape must: the terrine was delightful; the grape must just giving some useful acidity to offset the richness of the liver (10/10).
A fillet of Atlantic sea bass was also superb, perfectly cooked over seaweed and served with a carefully controlled seaweed sauce that worked well, with a few superb broken potatoes (10/10). A simple set of cylinders of potato topped with black truffle with a truffle puree had remarkable clarity of flavour: a dish with so few elements and yet both visually attractive and with dazzling flavour (10/10 and one of the best two dishes of the meal). Another lovely dish was a combination of morel and mousseron mushrooms, served with asparagus tips, a dish dating from 1978. Again you have an example of a dish of great simplicity, relying on stunning ingredients and perfect technique, all of which was present here: a delightful dish (10/10).
Lobster with saffron butter with a carrot apricot and mint mash again had remarkable lobster, the flesh cooked to exactly the right moment but no more, having wonderful flavour (10/10). Beef with herb butter with a tempura of onions and bacon was another lovely dish, offered with potato crisps, the meat having tremendous flavour (10/10). The last savoury dish tried was the best of all: pigeon breast and sweetbreads with truffles in a pastry case, served with a few salad leaves and a rich, intense sauce of the cooking juices flavoured with herbs. This was as near to perfection as anyone could wish, the meat magnificent, the sweetbreads and truffles adding an additional dimension to the pigeon, the pastry perfect, the sauce rich and complex, the salad leaves offering some light relief to the richness of the dish. This was one of the nicest things I have ever tasted (10/10).
Cheese was from a local affineur, Mr Bachelet, and consisted of several classic cheeses (such as Camembert, Beaufort, Epoisses) and a pair of contrasting Roqueforts, one conventional and one creamy (9/10). Perhaps desserts were never going to be able to match the perfection of that pigeon. Crepe suzettes were made with a crusted pancake inside the outer one, giving an additional layer of texture (9/10). Pain perdu with grapefruit cream worked well, the grapefruit refreshing and offsetting the pain perdu nicely (9/10). Coffee was dark and strong, served with a few little fruit tarts to finish.
Service was superb throughout the evening, relaxed and friendly yet efficient. I was so pleased with this meal, as I had enjoyed a stunning meal here over a decade ago and was worried that it may perhaps have deteriorated over that time, as some 3 star places of that era have. Yet here the chefs see no need to go chasing after the latest culinary fad, and yet have not just rested on their laurels and become complacent: the ingredients and technique here were magnificent. This is proof that you do not need to load up your plate with components and garnishes in order to produce top of the range three-star food. A delight.
For full size and many additional photos see the gallery.
Below are brief notes from a meal in September 1998.
Some of the best food I have ever eaten. I can still taste the red pepper soup and the simple pan-fried morels to this day. Guerard’s cooking is very unpretentious, with simple flavours but bringing out the ultimate from the ingredients. The main building has beautiful gardens, but the dining room is surprisingly simple and casual. Three very well deserved Michelin stars. If staying, you can fly to Bordeaux airport and rent a car (80 mile drive). I suggest you ask for a room not in the main complex, as the sulphur form the spa creates a fairly unpleasant smell in the main building. There is a great place for lunch that Guerard also owns in the village, a converted farmhouse with wonderful roasted meat and top class vegetables.
Dear all,
We went to Les Pres d Eugénie on August, 17th. Very bad and sad experience for us, we seem to be alone, nobody took care of us, nobody filled our glasses, I was obilged to go directly in the kitchen to ask for some bread. While this, our dishes were cold. Nevertheless we were only 2 tables( 4 persons )on the restaurant 3 stars ! I have sent an email to the Guide Michelin to tell us about this experience ( Leguidemichelin-france@fr.michelin.com )they kindly answer me that they were sorry for us and will inform their inspectors to investigate.I have also sent one to Michel Guerard ( guerard@relaischateaux.com )but any answer, any apologise I find him totally impolite. So pay attention with the 3 stars on the Guide Michelin, Les Pres d Eugenie is not a real one.
29/08/2010 23:54:05 - Andrea Newmark (USA)
I wonder whether the chef knew who you were when you dined there.
My husband and I recently dined at Les Pres d’Eugenie because it had three Michelin stars, because you rated it 10 out of 10, and because Michel Guerard is an icon of French cooking whose cookbook I have been using for many years.
We were shocked and appalled.
First, when we arrived at 8:30 pm, we were seated next to the front door -- even though there was only one other couple in the entire room. When I got up and walked around, I discovered two or three more rooms plus a terrace, all with very few diners and numerous empty tables. Yet, when I asked for a different table, I was told the restaurant was full. We were finally moved to a second room, which was completely empty. We sat in a corner by ourselves watching waiters rush back and forth. By this time, it was after 9:00. I finally managed to find the maitre’d, who explained that the remaining tables were reserved, but he would give us one anyway. We settled upon a nice table on the terrace, where we continued to be ignored. Only one other group of diners arrived that evening.
Although we were dressed to the nines -- including a jacket that my husband brought all the way from the US for the sole purpose of satisfying the jacket requirement the staff told us was enforced -- we saw diners in jeans, sandals, tennis shoes, t-shirts and even cutoffs. Why, we wondered angrily, had we been told to bring dress clothes from 5,000 miles away?
We ultimately were presented with a small tray of amuse bouche which, while unremarkable, were acceptable. However, we still had no bread or water.
Next, a waiter named Henry offered to help us with the menu. Henry was the only bright spot in our evening and is to be commended. Unfortunately, we only saw Henry intermittently -- as other waiters, waitresses, busboys and eventually the maitre’d haphazardly appeared. Although we initially discussed the menu with Henry, his boss (not nearly as helpful) was the person who took our order. His impatience led me to order something without asking the relevant questions.
A young sommelier eventually appeared. We were surprised to see someone so young and inexperienced as sommelier in a three-star restaurant. He assured us that the 2004 Raveneau Monte de Tonnerre would be rich and full. However, we found it thin and without character. The sommelier tasted it and agreed, and we thereafter settled on a bottle of 2007 Comte Lafon Meursault.
Finally, the bread arrived. It was a rather ordinary toasted olive bread.
Our first course was a cold soup with seafood and herbs. I must admit we were surprised when we received small bowls of broth with only specks of vegetables and fish floating around. It was nothing special.
Meanwhile, our wine and water glasses were empty, and nobody came by to fill them.
The second course was a smoky lobster, which was lovely ableit slightly undercooked. However, the scoop of mashed potatoes with apricots that came with it seemed more suited to the family restaurant atmosphere around us.
I was very hungry by the time the main course arrived. My husband had the “petits rougets” which was quite tasty. I received a piece of undercooked sea bass, which I could not (and did not) eat. Nobody came by to ask us how our food was, and eventually a busboy removed my husband’s empty and my full plate. I asked for -- and was promised -- more bread, and I told the unfortunate busboy who removed my untouched sea bass that he should have let someone know that I didn’t eat my food. A few minutes later the maitre’d appeared asking if there was a problem, and said that preparations were underway for dessert. I told him there were no sea vegetables with my fish, which also was undercooked, and he explained that while the fish is cooked together with sea vegetables, the dish does not come with any sea vegetables. Had I known that, I would never have ordered the sea bass.
The maitre’d never offered me a substitute for the uneaten sea bass.
Then, I saw the cheese cart at another table. Although we had not ordered a cheese course, I was so hungry at that point that I asked the maitre’d if I could have a piece of cheese from the cart. He said “of course,” and I reminded him that we still had not received the bread we were promised earlier. Although he assured me it would come, it never did. So I ate my cheese without any bread.
Dessert was the high point of the evening’s food. I had a delicious chocolate plate, which was the only item all night to be worthy of any Michelin stars at all. We ordered coffee, and anxiously awaited our mignonardes. All we received was a single plate holding four cream-filled pieces of puffed pastry, that look like a small, sliced napoleon. Even one-star restaurants provide trays of petit fours, tartlettes and/or little chocolates with the coffee!
When the maitre’d reappeared, and asked if everything turned out okay, we politely explained our disappointment[s]. Since we were staying at the hotel, and therefore would be paying for the dinner together with our room, he told us to come see him in the morning and he would take care of us.
When we saw the maitre’d in the morning, he proudly announced that he did not charge us for the piece of cheese or the bottle of wine that was sent back. Moreover, he added, he deducted the price of the uneaten sea bass. We thanked him for what was the bare minimum one would expect, and asked for the bill. When we saw it, we were furious. Instead of deducting the 62-euro cost of the sea bass, he deducted 40 euros, i.e., one-quarter of the 160-euro prix fixe, thus equating the cost of the sea bass with the cost of the soup or the dessert. That was simply unacceptable. I lost my temper, and the maitre’d meekly removed the full 62-euro cost of the sea bass.
How is it possible that this restaurant has any Michelin stars – much less three stars – and a 10 out of 10 rating from you? The food is average, and the service is atrocious. At a restaurant of that caliber, one pays for (and has every right to expect) exceptional cuisine, and outstanding surroundings and service. We had none of those at Les Pres d’Eugenie.
Although I posted my review on Tripadvisor only yesterday, I have already received private messages from other diners that had exactly the same experience as I did. I hope you will post this comment on your site, so that others who read your 10/10 review of Les Pres d’Eugenie will not be misled into thinking your experience was typical.
25/08/2007 - Robert Aitkens (UK)
Having eaten at a number of Michelin restaurants, I was surprised and bemused with this one. Surprised at how tired the whole place was in respect of decor and cleanliness;the odour from the spa was overwhelming even in the room we had reserved for the night.I was very bemused as to why it has retained three stars, I took the Jardins de la Mer menu at €170, four courses, small portions, partially overcooked on two courses, normal problem of topping up during the evening.if I was to compare with for example the Waterside Inn in Berkshire, Les Pres Eugenie rates nothing more than one star if that. Michel Guerard was and has been an innovative chef over the years, perhaps like the Hotel and Spa he is tired and living on past reputations.
24/06/2007 - John (USA)
Of the restaurants that I've been to on the top 20 list, this one comes as the only shocking inclusion, although I do disagree with some that don't make the list. After staying at Eugenie for 3 days, the quality of the food seemed to dip each evening, and one of my fellow diners who opted for the cuisine minceur option found it simply inedible. Worse still was the fact that having dropped a remarkable chunk of change on lodging and dining, I was forced to buy a menu. The best restaurant on the premises is La Ferme, with its sublime roast chicken and pomme puree. Otherwise, head to L'Aubergade (or any other option on the list) for a really good meal.
