L'Esquisse — Restaurant in Annecy

Incredibly disappointed! Had high hopes for the 10-12 course menu for 125 euro but the quality and execution was highly inconsistent. All in all the food did not taste good and the focus seemed to be on fancy techniques rather than balancing flavors. How they got a star in Guide Michelin is a complete mystery. For a review of all dishes served please continue reading. Amuse bouche: Radishes, lokal fish and a thin crisp. Fish was good! Radishes and the thin crisp tasted bland. Second course (not sure if the Amuse was the first course): Mushroom carpaccio with fish and brown butter, haselnutz etc. Nice balance and overall a good dish. Third dish: Ratatouille. Tasted ok but the fish in the middle of the dish was weird and did not contribute. Fourth dish: Cabbage with sauce, smoked roe and egg yolk. Good sauce and nice cooked cabbage. Unfortunately the whole dish totally lacked acidity and salt which made it heavy, creamy and unbalanced. Fifth dish: Trout. Served with a green sauce, cucumber and some sort of tapenade. Fish was cooked nice but as before the sides were completely bland and the whole dish lacked acidity and balance. Just tasted of fat trout and nothing else. Sixth dish: Chef surprise. Some kind of foam, totally unnecessary. Hiding under the foam was the most starchy potato purée I’ve ever tasted, together with some mushrooms. Once again, too much focus on technique and no balance of flavor. Texture was really bad. Seventh course: Pigeon. The meat was cooked to perfection The side was, once again, completely bland. Tasted of nothing. The green sauce was ok but did not save this dish. Eight dish: Snow cone with cheese. Sweet and savoury in a very unpleasant way. The cone tasted burnt. Ninth dish: Sorbet, apricots and saffron. The whole theme of the menu was lack of balance and once again they did not disappoint. The saffron was completely overwhelming and the dessert was overly sweet, lacking acidity to balance it out. Last course. Chocolate dessert. Ending on an all time low. Not edible. Bitter, sour chocolate with a lack of sweetness to balance it out. Cold and luke warm mixed together badly. All in all it seems that this restaurant focuses on technique but have no real conception of flavor. Very very disappointed and cannot understand how the have received a star in guide Michelin. We pointed out the above flaws of the dishes to the staff but they seemed baffled that someone would not completely...

Exceptional food, service and value.

We had the great value lunch menu (appetiser + 3 courses for just €55) and the food was delicious.

Accommodating to vegetarians, those with a thirsty fork only for fish, and meat eaters (as well as any dietary requirement you may throw their way, e.g. “only a moderate amount of egg or cream”). All this comes at no compromise to the exquisite palate of flavours they throw your way.

Lovely staff passionate about their craft welcoming you with open arms, truly deserving of their Michelin Star 🌟

A worthwhile note that I think I used my favourite ever fork here. It was both rustic, clean and perfectly weighted (I prefer a heavy type). The knife was good too but the fork stole the show. There was a late spoon which looked like it had been cast from some kind of metal (possibly tin?); and reminded me of a craft I recently became aware of where people cast metal objects using the brittle and mechanically soft properties of the inside of a...

Mardi 18 février soir, ma femme et moi avons eu le privilège de vivre un moment inoubliable à l’Esquisse, à Annecy. Dès notre arrivée, nous avons été accueillis chaleureusement par la patronne, une personne d’une gentillesse rare, qui incarne à merveille l’esprit du restaurant.

Le repas qui a suivi était une véritable symphonie de saveurs, une balade sensorielle à chaque bouchée. Tout a commencé avec deux entrées exceptionnelles. La première, une revisite du chou, sublimée par une sauce envoûtante qui éveillait nos papilles d’une manière surprenante et exquise. La deuxième entrée, un pané revisité accompagné de ses agrumes, était une alliance parfaite entre douceur et fraîcheur, un pur délice pour les sens. Mention spéciale aux sauces, véritable signature de ce repas, qui apportaient une touche de magie à chaque plat.

Le poisson, une truite parfaite, a ensuite fait son entrée, accompagnée d’un liégeois à base de pommes de terre écrasées sur un lit de champignons. Une harmonie de textures et de saveurs qui nous a enchantés. Puis, le veau, tendre à souhait, fondait dans la bouche, révélant toute l’excellence du travail du chef, une étoile au Guide Michelin.

Le dessert a été la cerise sur le gâteau, ou plutôt une poésie en deux actes : d’abord une revisite de la poire glacée, un délice glacé à la fois frais et subtil. Puis, le second dessert, un hommage au chocolat sous toutes ses formes, qui clôturait ce festin avec un éclat de bonheur.

Ce repas, au-delà des saveurs et de l’élégance des plats, a été un véritable voyage culinaire, empli de passion et de raffinement. Un grand merci au chef, à son équipe, et à la patronne pour leur accueil chaleureux et leur dévouement. Nous repartons comblés, le cœur léger et les papilles enchantées.

Un dîner somptueux, inoubliable et digne des plus grandes étoiles. À recommander...