From the Chapelle Saint-Martin, in Nieul, we know the Michelin-starred gourmet restaurant of Gilles Dudognon. Since last year, the site has been home to the Jardin extraordinaire, an original concept that highlights the harvests of the vegetable garden through summer cuisine, all freshness and delicacy.
It is an extraordinary garden which, as in the song by Charles Trenet, offers you an enchanted interlude, “far from the black buildings and zebra crossings”. Yet we are only ten kilometers from the city center of Limoges, in the heart of the 40 hectares of the Chapelle Saint-Martin park, with its ponds, beehives and august sequoias.
It is in this enchanting setting that Gilles Dudognon wanted to implement this innovative concept in the courtyard of this 19th century bourgeois house which houses rooms, suites and villas of a four-star hotel (member of Relais & Châteaux since 1973), but also the classy lounges of a gourmet restaurant, a local reference, again awarded a star last February by the Guide Michelin.
An Eiffel structure
It was during the health crisis that Gilles Dudognon sought to adapt and respond to the constraints of confinement. Always eager to think outside the box, he first thought of creating a greenhouse. And then, after crossing paths with Guillaume Durost, a Limougeaud artisan sculptor and stained glass artist, the restaurateur revisited his project and decided to create a sort of monumental Art Deco-inspired kiosk.
And it’s true that this metal structure in the Eiffel style is stunning, which sits majestically, like a flying saucer which, on a summer night, would have landed in the heart of a vegetable garden. A vegetable garden with the accents of the Garden of Eden which, in high season, is full of tomatoes, peppers, zucchini flowers and other vegetables, but also aromatic herbs and flowers in abundance.
“Moreover, it was one of Gilles’ initial ideas to imagine customers seated at their table who would have vegetables within reach that they could pick and consume during their meal. From the vegetable garden to the table or the idea of the short circuit in its most immediate and instinctive approach,” assures Aude Bourliataux, the hostess.
Organic Garden Kitchen and Bistro
Because yes, beyond the architectural prowess, there is behind this extraordinary Garden a restoration project which is based on indisputable know-how and on affirmed convictions in terms of eco-responsibility and localism.
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Indeed, there is no amateurism, the vegetable garden is run under the direction of a market gardener to produce in a sustainable development approach, with self-sufficiency as the ultimate ambition.
The same logic applies to the cooking method, since wood fires are preferred for cooking dishes which, in a bistro style, are adapted to the summer season and celebrate the terroir, as Gilles Dudognon, ambassador of Limousin, has always been keen to do.
The wave of mocktails, virgin or soft, invites itself at aperitif time and outings with friends
That day, summer finally broke free after weeks of gloom. Not a breath of air, installed in the shade of this futuristic shaped roof, all that remains is to let yourself go while sipping a cocktail or a honey and lime mead, carried by the magic of the place: the song of the birds , the cascades of flowers offered to the bees foraging and the soothing view of a park which majestically distills its bucolic charms and its green variations.
The menu at the Jardin extraordinaire offers equally tempting options: a range of tapas to share, more local dishes cooked over a wood fire, a shoulder of lamb, a braised pork belly or a splash burger.
Let’s get down to business: here comes a mini-bruschetta, an artichoke tortilla and truffle oil to share. A nice way to open this meal in a convivial way. Others will prefer to spread a lentil curry hummus or a zucchini caviar, enjoy a chiffonade of cul-noir pork or hot Gillardeau oysters with parsley and croutons.
Culinary experience
But to face the first heat, what could be better than a chilled velouté of seasonal peas and its lovely smoothness which finds a balance with a vegetable minestrone.
Same quest for freshness with this lean ceviche whose melting and flavor in the mouth combines nicely with a Chardonnay with beautiful tangy and thirst-quenching notes.
A floating island, custard and pink praline, will add the finishing touch to this painting which celebrates simple pleasures, peaceful conviviality, calm and voluptuousness in the heart of a truly extraordinary garden which redefines the very idea of luxury.
The Hives to eat…
Confinement was a fertile period in the mind, always teeming with ideas, of Gilles Dudognon. At that time, in parallel with the Extraordinary Garden, the chef created the concept of Dining Hives. Spread across six spots in the vast park, six cabins await picnic lovers. Everything is provided in the cabin, including a fire pit. Once the site has been chosen, the food truck in the colors of the Chapelle Saint-Martin brings to the site the famous beehives which serve as a picnic basket, old rehabilitated hives inside which nothing is missing for a great gastronomic experience. Le Creuset casseroles will also be brought with a traditional dish that can be heated over the flames of the brazier.
A unique gastronomic picnic experience to share in the heart of preserved nature and an enchanting setting.
Fabrice Varies
