Restaurant review: Les Oenophiles, Dijon

Eve Middleton’s dinner out in Dijon is rich in classic tastes from the region

Nowhere is Burgundy’s reputation as one of France’s top foodie regions more evident than in the capital Dijon, where a visit to Les Oenophiles restaurant offered the chance to try local specialities.

My companion and I took our seats inside the historic, thick stone walls of the Hôtel Philippe Le Bon and browsed the menu while sipping a glass of kir – made with the region’s famed crème de cassis. Nibbling on cheesy gougère pastries, we chose from the €39 set menu, starting with snail ravioli in warm parsley butter, and a ballotine of pike dressed with an emulsion of the Burgundian river fish dish pôchouse.

Our main courses of chicken façon Gaston Gérard cooked in mustard and wine and named after a former mayor of Dijon, and quenelles of pike, were equally delicious. A shared cheese platter from famed fromagier Alain Hess saw us sample local treats including a creamy Époisses which left us wanting a shopping trip to Hess’s fromagerie in Beaune before our journey home.

Desserts featuring a delicious île flottante and another appearance by cassis in the form of a mouth-watering macaron with ratafia liqueur provided a perfect end to our meal.

Eve Middleton

Les Oenophiles

Hôtel Philippe Le Bon

18 Rue Sainte-Anne, 21000 Dijon

Tel: (Fr) 3 80 30 73 52

www.restaurant-lesoenophiles.com

Main courses from €17, menus from €39