Le Jardin de l'Abbaye — Restaurant in Saint-Malo

A Disappointing Fine Dining Experience at Le Jardin de l'Abbaye

We chose Le Jardin de l'Abbaye for my husband's birthday dinner, trusting its listing in the Michelin Guide. The setting in Le Tronchet is beautiful, and the restaurant's décor is inviting. We eagerly ordered the tasting menu, anticipating a memorable evening. Chef Marie-Léa Coulon’s food indeed showed promise, but unfortunately, the service was nothing short of disastrous.

Fine dining is not just about the food; it's about the entire experience, where both the kitchen and service teams play crucial roles. In this case, the service team utterly failed. It was shocking to see such a stark contrast between the quality of the cuisine and the abysmal service. Imagine enjoying dishes of a fine dining caliber, only to have them served with the quality of service you'd expect at a fast-food chain. The staff provided no details about the dishes, practically dropped the plates on the table with a forced smile, and then disappeared.

Having dined in some of the best restaurants across Brittany—Le Saint Placide, Le Bistro de Cancale, L’Ermitage, Fleur de Sel, and Otonali—we have never encountered such low-quality service. If Chef Marie-Léa Coulon intends to sabotage her brilliant culinary efforts, she couldn’t have found a better team to do it. This experience has shattered our trust in Michelin Guide recommendations.

Fine dining is an art that encompasses both food and service, and sadly, this restaurant failed miserably on the latter. I would not recommend Le Jardin de...

Wonderful setting and good value for money. 67 euros for the secret 5 course menu. The food was interesting and creative. The camembert ice cream representing this. The bread was the best bread I've had in a restaurant bar the bacon rolls in the Ledbury so many years ago

The Wine list was an oddity though single glasses at 10cl pours. No opportunity to buy by the bottle. But no that's not true! The table next to me order a bottle. Not a smart move by the waiter, not offering me a...

Ich hatte die Gelegenheit, in diesem Restaurant zu speisen, und muss leider sagen, dass ich von unserem 5-Gänge-Menü nicht begeistert war. Das Restaurant selbst ist sehr schön gestaltet und bietet eine angenehme Atmosphäre, aber das allein reicht nicht aus. Der Restaurantleiter wirkte nervös und nicht besonders professionell, was den Gesamteindruck beeinträchtigte. Das Amuse Bouche, der Oktopus, war leider trocken und nicht gut zubereitet. Auch das Gericht mit Spargel und Rhabarber konnte uns nicht überzeugen – der Geschmack war für uns nicht gelungen. Ich bedauere, dass ich so kritische Punkte ansprechen muss, denn das Restaurant hat Potenzial. Es wäre schön, wenn die Qualität der Speisen und der Service verbessert werden könnten, um die positiven Aspekte des Ambientes zu...