Two-Michelin-starred La Table de Pavie has just unveiled a fresh new menu rooted in Saint-Émilion’s heritage and fuelled by the incredible variety of locally grown produce. Created by Chef Yannick Alléno, with Executive Chef Sébastien Faramond leading the kitchen team, the dishes draw inspiration from the restaurant’s immediate surroundings to foreground vegetables, roots, stalks, shoots, sprouts, leaves and flowers. And central to this bold, modern culinary concept is the influence of vines and wine, evident in the spirit of the recipes, the thoughtful wine pairings and the evocation in the dishes of sensory qualities reminiscent of Grand Crus.

Ultra-local plant produce: the story behind the flavourful inspiration
When Yannick Alléno first joined La Table de Pavie, he immediately fell in love with the terroir and traditions of the Bordeaux region. Since then, he has been driven by a single goal: building the visibility of Saint-Émilion on the gastronomic scene. And the new menu, named ‘Empreinte Végétalisée’, stays true to his ambition to create elevated versions of ultra-local dishes.

Saint-Émilion and the surrounding area are awash with talented farmers tending with passion and expertise to their vegetable gardens, orchards and even mushroom caves, set up in former underground limestone quarries. Executive Chef Sébastien Faramond has developed close ties with many of them, including L’Eau à la Bouche — an aquaponic farm that supplies La Table de Pavie with vegetables and other plant produce of outstanding quality. The restaurant also relies on the neighbouring Château Monbousquet’s farm, where seasonal vegetables and herbs thrive.

As a ubiquitous feature of Saint-Émilion, vines and wine have guided the Chefs’ imagination on how to best enhance produce from the plant world — in a way similar to how grape is turned into Grands Crus —, bring out flavours and express the local terroir.

And for Yannick Alléno, the idea to create a menu where vegetables took centre stage was naturally an obvious direction. The very first course awaiting diners immediately sets the tone: ‘Taloa de feuilles et de fleurs’ features a combination of kohlrabi, nasturtium blooms, spinach and green asparagus, evoking the opening of the first buds on the vines…

A creative journey through the world of vines and wine
La Table de Pavie is intrinsically tied to Château Pavie, Saint-Émilion’s Premier Grand Cru Classé A. This kinship means that the restaurant’s Chef, Sommelier and the Château’s team meet very frequently to exchange ideas. All of them share the same values crucial to the brand’s ethos: the natural inclination to seek inspiration from the beauty of the terroir and the lessons it teaches, the quest for perfection, and an unwavering determination built on the patience to strive for the very best. Both at the restaurant and at the Château, celebrating the region and local craftsmanship is more than a just commitment — it is an achievement.

The techniques Yannick Alléno introduced share similarities with some winemaking processes. From fermentation and cold reduction to extraction and infusion, they are used to concentrate the flavours of the fruit of the earth, delicately transcribing their essence into the plate, as is done with Grands Crus.

‘Décoction clarifiée de ce début de printemps’ is a stellar example of this. This seasonal kohlrabi consommé, infused and clarified much the same way that grapes are macerated in the tanks, is a clear nod to the pumping over process used at the Château after every harvest.

« With “Empreinte Végétalisée”, I raise the plant world to the same strict standards as Grands Crus to unleash something unexpected: reveal the terroir, emphasise flavours, and most importantly let time and handwork do their work. »

Chef Yannick Alléno
The growing of grapes, the cellarmaster’s know-how, the maturing and tasting of the wine naturally steered the Chefs during the creative development of the new menu, most notably how vegetables and plants are used. Some of them, for instance, are prepared with techniques inspired from those employed for winemaking.

Others are cooked in ways that bring out sensations typical of a fine vintage. The dessert, Champignons bruns des carrières de Rauzan, unleashes empyreumatic notes evocative of a red wine patiently crafted through oak barrel ageing, combining toasted, woody, smoked and forest floor undertones.

Rooted in Saint-Émilion, La Table de Pavie had a duty to ensure that each leg of this journey through the plant world would pair harmoniously with the wine, while surprising diners with unprecedented creations — an additional challenge that the Chefs and Sommelier took on with delight. Some dishes on the menu can even be paired with a variety of bottles, offering guests a truly unique experience.

A menu infused with La Table de Pavie’s core values
As is true of every one of its concepts, La Table de Pavie’s new menu perfectly reflects the restaurant’s soul and fundamental aspirations. Its deep roots in Saint-Émilion and the surrounding nature remain the primary source of inspiration for each recipe, each technique, each flavour the team imagines. This latest gastronomic escapade is brought to life by the influence of vines, wine and ultra-local produce, and the contribution of winegrowers and farmers.

In their relentless pursuit of excellence, the Chefs demonstrate their determination to design an innovative concept that weaves together produce and fine vintages, and where cookery becomes the echo vinification. From its highly coveted location overlooking Saint-Émilion, La Table de Pavie has once more succeeded in capturing the essence and diversity of this land.