Plénitude
Arnaud Donckele
Paris, France
Let’s be up front: Plénitude is likely to climb very high indeed on La Liste in no time at all. Fish stock, caramelised lemon and lemon balm, ginger, dried plankton powder, aliotis juice, brown butter, oyster, lemon oil and wine vinegar...this isn’t even a dish but the description of the Number 9 broth that is served with turbot, sea potatoes, hazelnut and caviar. Arnaud Donckele, known from the Vague d'Or in Saint-Tropez, advances the “symphony of sauces” and his are outstanding - carefully devised, expertly crafted, truly refined. He deserves any success he finds; first because sauces are the soul of French cooking, secondly because there are books packed with forgotten sauce recipes, some based on fresh truffles or vintage Madeira, all ripe for rediscovery by Plénitude.
