International Special Awards 2023EstablishmentInternational selection

Le Doyenné

James Henry & Shaun Kelly

Saint-Vrain, France

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Hidden Gems Award

Restaurants worth going an extra mile for

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This long-awaited opening in the grounds of the 18th-century Château de Saint-Vrain, 40km south of Paris, was previously home to the Comtesse du Barry, the Borghese, and then the studios of Niki de St. Phalle and the sculptor Tinguely. After a notable stint at Bones in Paris, Australian chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly began selling produce from their own farm to top restaurants, and featured in the New York Times. Today, their farm-to-table project, Le Doyenné, welcomes customers with dishes such as autumn barbajuan, eggplant and Doyenné lardo tartine, marinated Charentes shrimp, root vegetable salad and homemade ricotta, scallops with wild mushrooms, and braised Kriaxera Duckling. The 40-cover farmhouse restaurant also has 11 rooms, and exploring the abundant walled garden is almost as attractive a proposition as dinner.