Opening on July 1, Donckele and Frédéric will create a menu flourishing with Mediterranean flavours at the French luxury house’s restaurant at the White 1921 Hotel
Few trends have been quite as stylish as the marriage of fashion and fine dining, and Louis Vuitton’s upcoming collaboration with some of France’s top chefs will be no different. From July 1, the French luxury house will bring together three-Michelin-starred chef Arnaud Donckele and pastry chef Maxime Frédéric to take over its restaurant at the White 1921 Hotel in Saint Tropez.
Arnaud (who runs La Vogue d’Or at Cheval Blanc St-Tropez) and Frédéric (head of the Louis Vuitton café and chocolate shop for the LV Dream exhibition) were not chosen at random. Besides being colleagues at the Cheval Blanc Paris, they are also personal friends who share an upbringing in Normandy, where the sun-dappled plains and brightness of summer have influenced their simple and authentic brand of gastronomy that’s nonetheless as meticulous as the craftsmanship of the artisans of the maison’s workshops.
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Open from 3pm onwards, the restaurant will feature exquisite snacks such as the signature brioche with orange blossom, proudly coated with the Louis Vuitton monogram motif that’s perfectly brightened by a scoop of sorbet. But expect your taste buds to be surprised as well, with a Dolce Vita cup combining three ice creams that are unusually unsweet.
Make sure you stay for dinner, where the pair’s Mediterranean menu spotlights the riches of Normandy’s terroir, shining with the vitality and leisure of summer. Produce from the region, such as aubergine, artichoke, beefsteak tomatoes and Genoese caramote prawns shine in innovative dishes such as sushi made with Camargue rice, served alongside a ceviche of sea bream, John Dory, and other sustainably-sourced fish from local eco-farms. More classic offerings such as the zitone pasta also steal the spotlight, stuffed as it is with truffle, as well as plates like Moroccan-spiced lamb chops that engulf your senses with exquisite flair.
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