Michel Kayser - Restaurant Alexandre
Garons, France
⭐2 Stars
The Experience
From Michelin Guide
Between Nîmes and Arles, in grounds planted with hundred-year-old cedars, Michel Kayser does what he does best: cooking from the heart to enhance the ingredients, while harnessing his technical skills in a bid to stir the emotions of good food lovers. There are few chefs who celebrate the Mediterranean with such precision, aplomb or enthusiasm: red mullet grilled under a salamander, ravioles of French olives (picholines), jus of roasted fish bones; breast of squab from Costière cooked on the bone, stuffed leg and crunchy offal, gutsy jus of smoked paprika. All the side dishes and other edible delicacies (like the bread made with red mullet scales – just the ticket to unashamedly mop up the big-boned jus in the fashion of a bouillabaisse rouille) are exclusively designed to underscore and enhance the main ingredient (which is used from top to tail, like the rabbit terrine). Utterly free of gadgets and gimmicks, everything tastes of something in this establishment devoted to flavour.
Unique Things
From Visitor Experiences
- Quintessence Tasting Menu with Vaunage Snails and Local Pigeon
The restaurant offers a distinctive five, eight, or eleven-course tasting menu called 'Quintessence', featuring unconventional local delicacies such as sautéed Vaunage snails and roasted local pigeon, paired with Languedoc-Roussillon wines. - Serene Garden Setting with Lebanese Cedars and Library-Lounge
The dining experience is set in a tranquil garden shaded by Lebanese cedars, with three dining rooms and a library-lounge decorated in a muted, natural palette, providing an unconventional, cocooning atmosphere for guests. - Chef’s Approach: Sublimating Rural Products in Unexpected Recipes
Chef Michel Kayser is known for elevating rural products into unexpected recipes without altering their essence, a unique culinary philosophy that sets his cuisine apart.
Ingredient Stars
From Visitor Experiences
- Red Mullet: Used in dishes like grilled red mullet under a salamander and bread made with red mullet scales, which is used to mop up flavorful jus.
- Squab from Costière: Featured in a dish where the breast is cooked on the bone, stuffed leg, and crunchy offal, all complemented by a gutsy jus of smoked paprika.
- Truffles: Highlighted in the "Ile flottante aux truffes de Provence," a signature dessert with a velouté of Cévennes ceps.
- French Olives (Picholines): Used in ravioles, showcasing the chef's celebration of Mediterranean flavors.