La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil_Restaurant La Grenouillère ©Papi Aime Mamie Studio

The artist’s table

You view a culinary maestro with the same admiration that you have for painters, sculptors, poets, and musicians… You contemplate his genius and consider each of his creations to be a work of art. Yes! For you, cooking is an art form. You are always on the lookout for unusual combinations, for recipes that seem strange, every time you are astonished is a step in the right direction. Your creative soul needs extraordinary eating experiences to heighten its inspiration. Your senses vibrate when you dine in restaurants where young chefs (who have either obtained or are about to obtain their Michelin stars) exercise their culinary talents.

©Northern France, La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil, Restaurant La Grenouillère |Papi Aime Mamie Studio

Rustic yet unconventional

Alexandre Gauthier, is accustomed to receiving awards and honours, and is an artist, nay a fully-fledged prodigy. You go to his restaurant, La Grenouillère (2 Michelin stars) in La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil to sample his “mind-blowing alternative cuisine” and to taste the regional foods that he is so proud of. He loves the marshy countryside of the Opal Coast that inspires his avant-garde menus served in his rural, rustic yet unconventional, sanctuary. You are in the ultimate theatre of inventiveness and originality and completely gratified by his divine creations. You might also consider booking a room on site since La Grenouillère is not only a restaurant but also a Relais & Chateaux hotel.

La Grenouillière

Northern France _ La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil_Restaurant La Grenouillère ©Papi Aime Mamie Studio

Northern France _ La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil_Restaurant La Grenouillère ©Papi Aime Mamie Studioère ©Papi Aime Mamie Studio

Northern France _ La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil _ La Grenouillère Restaurant _ Alexandre Gauthier chef © Anne-Sophie Flament

Natural aroma hunters

Another natural aroma hunter is the chef at the restaurant Le Saltimbanque, located in a windmill in Eaucourt-sur-Somme, not far from the Somme bay where he was born. Sébastien Porquet’s coastal Picardy cuisine is elating, inspired by both land and sea, where the countryside is ever-changing much like his surprise menu, drawn from worthy, good old-fashioned agriculture. His food is as colourful, poetic and as succulent as you could hope for.

Likewise, the fare in Nicolas Gautier’s Michelin-starred restaurant. His restaurant that he had the good taste to call “Nature” is across from the belfry in Armentières. The origin of his creations is no secret. Here, the star shines bright in the hands of the chef and the food that you enjoy is as exciting as it is natural.

Northern France _ Bay of Somme _ Saint-Valery-sur-Somme_ Le saltimbanque Restaurant _ Sébastien Porquet Chef ©CRTC Hauts-de-France_Nicolas Bryant

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Northern France _ Lambersart_L'Empreinte_Restaurant ©Restaurant L'Empreinte_Elise Debreu

Northern France _ Lambersart_L'Empreinte_Restaurant ©Restaurant L'Empreinte_Stephane Bahic

Northern France _ Lambersart_L'Empreinte_Restaurant ©Restaurant L'empreinte_Ines Rodriguez

Instinctive creations

Last, but not least, magic and alchemy go hand in hand in the Empreinte in Lambersart, a favourite place for city slickers from Lille! Here you can feast your eyes before tasting, your palate relishing the combinations of flavours, and let your emotions run riot. Inès and Ismaël thoroughly enjoy their simple, elegant, and instinctive creations, inspired by nature and plants. The dish is beautifully presented, vivid and harmonious, could it be full of gastronomical promise? We are sure of it … the pleasure of eating here is incredible!

L'empreinte

Local’s tip

Somme bay saffron

Saffron is the spice derived from the flower of the ‘saffron crocus’ and it’s a little-known fact that the Somme bay is the number one producer of saffron in the whole of France. You can find out all about it on an informative and interesting visit, and I’d highly recommend it. Just search up Anne Poupart in Ponthoile where she first opened the saffron farm in 2010. Guided tours take place from May to October, with a tasting of some saffron-based delicacies, and you can also see the crocus field where it all grows. Anne herself is very endearing, and her passion knows no bounds ̶ you can tell by her permanent smile!

Alain Bahuchet, expert on local produce, regional dishes and foodie stores