Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle is a picturesque Provençal 10-room hotel and Michelin starred restaurant owned by Alain Ducasse. Located in the quiet little village in the Haut-Var, he sources the best Provencal products using seasonal produce from the backyard vegetable garden, beautifully curated with over twenty-five varieties of tomatoes, fifteen varieties of basil (who knew there were so many varieties of basil?) and a plethora of zucchini, squash, eggplant, strawberries, fennel, beets, persimmon, swish chard and peppers.
L’Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle Garden
Chef Nicolas Pierantoni
Today, it is now the young Nicolas Pierantoni who oversees the kitchen. As a village local, Nicolas was thrilled to be appointed, as it was his dream to work at L’Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle. He began his career as a pastry chef at Alain Chapel, a pastry chef at the Louis XV – Alain Ducasse at the Hotel de Paris, before becoming general manager of La Bastide de Moustiers and then many Ducasse houses. He moved to Tokyo to become the General Director of Beige Alain Ducasse, returned to Paris at Lasserre, before returning to the Abbey of La Celle.
L’Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle Kitchen
On the day of my visit, Nicolas offered a delicious Mediterranean influenced tasting menu that was authentic, pure and brilliant. If you visit on a warm sunny day, eat on the patio where you’ll have a beautiful view of the cypress trees and the craggy Roc de Candelon, a mountain in the nearby town, Var.
THE MENU
A delightful amuse bouche and small bites
Steak tartare with parmesan wheels
The Les Vignobles De L Abbaye De La Celle red complimented the Steak tartare brilliantly
Roasted Hake with chickpeas and tomato confit
The Estandon Legende blanc was a perfect match for the fish
Mixed salad greens, herbs, and snow peas with edible flowers. Simply awesome.
l’Abbaye de la Celle wines
Chanterelles and coddled eggs. What an amazing pairing!
Coteaux Varois en Provence
Plum tartelette
Tarlettes and muffins
Book a trip and go…!! Its one of the top 20 restaurants I’ve visited and its worth the trip.
Wow! If it’s in your top 20, I’m adding it to my must go list!!
Definitely go! It was a fabulous experience.
This looks like heaven! What a wonderful virtual trip. I would LOVE to hear more about the pairings. Did you have a favorite, Or one that surprised you?
We basically popped open a ton of reds, whites and roses and went to town! They were all delicious with the foods…they always say the local wines go with the local food. This was certainly the case.