COVETED MAGAZINE PAGE 189.
privacy. They included many hotel guests from around the world.
And it’s among graciosity and perseverance that we find Christian
Le Squer haut cuisine. Christian Le Squer shapes and assembles Its
products to sublimate them and to obtain the most accomplished
flavors, in a perfect consistency. He grew up in Brittany, where he
discovered cooking through the preparation of fresh fish and veg-
etables. Parisian haute cuisine is his signature. With exemplary regu-
larity, the Chief was rewarded twelve consecutive years with 3 stars
in the Michelin guide. At the end of 2014 he joined the kitchens of
the restaurant Le Cinq. It’s in the year of 2016 that he would be
crowned again with 3 stars. Le Squer defines his kitchen as “made of
flavors concentrated and moving “.
Christian Le Squer considers himself a delighted man for having
picked up the 3rd star in such a distinct place. He had to use his ver-
satile skills to satisfy the most demanding tastes and adapt himself
to a clientele that is always on the lookout for the detail that makes
all the difference, playing with the codes of luxury hotels.
And he highlights Parisian flavour instead of international special-
ties. “If you want to dine international, there are many places to
do it in the city. What we do here at Le Cinq is Parisian, and we do
it very well.” We must agree since menus draw on classic French
culinary techniques and also embrace newer, lighter cooking styles,
always incorporating the freshest regional ingredients.
Le Squer feels honored to be part of “the long line of very big chefs”
that turned the George V into a destination for French haute cui-
sine. Even more, he continues, was the opportunity to move to
an international stage. “At Pavillon Ledoyen, (his ancient working
place) we had no public relations at all. Here, there is a new way of
communicating our passion. I love speaking with journalists, and
being able to get word out about what we create is very gratifying.”,
he adds.
What Le Squer creates is “the art of eating French style.” He draws
from the local tradition of le cuisine bourgeois – that is, cuisine as it
was prepared for families by private chefs – as well as the myriad re-
gional influences – from the coast of his native Brittany to the south
of France – that shape culinary offerings and delight palates across
the city. He has a passion for seafood (in fact he wanted to be a
fisherman when he was younger) so he was determined to bring fla-
vours of the sea to the menu at Le Cinq. A detail that is not known
generally is that he swims for an hour every morning before cycling
to work, adjusting his hobbies to his renowned career.
Michelin Guide describes him as a “composer of tastes”. The truth
is that Le Squer reinterprets traditional French dishes with lighter,
softer and more refreshing touches preferred by contemporary din-
ers. Like a perfumer or a couturier, he fashions flavours that linger
long in the mouth, piecing together signature dishes that combine
tastes, textures and colours – such as Transparency of Ginger, Cam-
pari and Orange; Essence of the Sea with scallop au naturel with
iced tarama; and gratinated onions à la Parisian that burst with soup
at the touch of a spoon – to evoke “unexpected sensations.”
And it was that exactly that feeling that invaded us during our ex-
perience at Le Cinq. It’s amazing how graciously we are served, the
attention to detail, the delicacy of the suggestions and the mastery
of the organization around us. We were leaded through a world of
unique flavors, in which the palate rejoices with the intensity of
the flavor that fills us. It is interesting to note that although it is a
luxury restaurant, there is a certain subtle formalism that is unpre-
tentious. All the surrounding ambiance catapults us into an idyllic,
charming setting where ambiance and gastronomy make the per-
fect match.
We were invited to start firstly with some unique experiences: on
a spoon there was what a ginger bubble which exploded with fla-
vours of campari and orange in the mouth. A tremendous sensation
that is felt intensely while multiple sensations of delight are lit.
After this deep dive into Le Squer delicacy, we experienced divine
lunch starters: iodized flavors foie gras / caviar, accompanied by spe-
cially designed wines: wines chosen by Eric Beaumard ( director of
le Cinq) such as Vrouvray Demi -Sec 2012 Domaine Forean. All this
served in a careful and meticulous way, with a refined touch and an
incredibly intense taste. During this unforgettable experience, they
introduced us the wine list which has a vast repertoire of wines but
we let ourselves be led by the suggestion of the already experienced
director of Le Cinq.
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