L’AbenFant — Restaurant in Dijon

The menu explains their name - it’s to do with being a the child of a great grandchild (l’abenfant in old French…I think!) and the cooking resembling that of a traditional French grandmother…baked celery hearts (big chunky, crunchy deliciousness but it may have been celeriac which is céleri-rave in French), endive tatin, cooked cheese pudding with olive…but the food is as described in the restaurant's philosophy: using local, seasonal ingredients and traditional French cooking techniques, while avoiding certain imported ingredients like chocolate, vanilla, coffee and exotic fruits. They focus on highlighting the variety of French ingredients available and acknowledge their local producers. They also offer some of the products they use for sale. Very inventive updates (actually, what do I know French Gandma makes) made it truly unique. We’d go well out of way to come here again, and I mean a loooooong way - helped by it being in utterly wonderful Dijon. Also expertly served by the one front of house person (minimum 3 in the kitchen) and nice rustic touches on the decor. Lovely atmosphere...

This restaurant deserves its #1 rating on tripadvisor. A friendly welcome when we arrived and given choice of table to accommodate our large dog. The menu is not a long one, but what they do have is high quality and very tasty. We had the pate and beetroot with garlic for starters, followed by the braised beef and the duck for mains. The beetroot was cleverly constructed, a mix of grated, pureed and standard beet with a delicate flavour of garlic - photo doesn't show it off well. Portions were perfect. The beef was slow cooked to 'flake' easily, you almost didn't need a knife, it was flavoursome and tender. The pate went down well, and can understand why people might buy some to take home. The duck was perfectly pink, with a delicious jus. We could only manage a pudding to share - apple pastry, wish we had enough appetite to have more! Wine list presents a good choice and there is also the option of leaving the choice to the experts with a 2 glass pairing at a reasonable price.

Would recommend booking as this is a...

I love L’Abenfant. Behind the unassuming exterior and decor are a team of consummate hosts and confident chefs. The welcome and service was warm and friendly and the pacing of the meal was perfect. I chose the poultry pate croute to start, the pork with beetroot and blackcurrant for the main course and the fig,tarragon and honey to finish. The pork dish was the highlight of the meal - the pairing of the sweet pork and earthy beetroot made for a well-balanced dish. The dessert was also delicious, and showcased the quality and flavour of the fresh fruit, which was accompanied by delicately sweetened cream and a buttery biscuit tart base. The only thing that would have made the meal even better is if the pork was a touch less ‘done’. I would most certainly return to L’Abenfant when next in Dijon. Thank you for such a thoroughly...