Magazine - 15/05/06

 

By Georges Rouzeau

 

Albi, a magical town of red brick imbued with Toulouse-Lautrec's naughty spirit, now boasts a Michelin-starred table, l'Esprit du vin, run by David Enjalran, an Albigeois who sources locally the products for his fun, light cuisine.

 

 

33 year old David Enjalran, chef of l'Esprit du vin, still hasn't got over it: 'Its tremendous, we've experienced an extraordinary moment.' All the more extraordinary as this first Michelin star took David and his wife by surprise. Congratulation faxes, signed Alain Ducasse, Georges Blanc, and Antoine Westermann, came flooding in, as did reservations from Toulouse, Lodève or Montauban. Equally surprised are the regulars of this restaurant located a stonesthrow from the cathedral, who are now obliged to share their table with others.

 

David Enjalran says the benefits of a star are immediate: 'a star reassures, strengthens your presence and helps stabilise a team.' L'Esprit du vin has just recruited a wine waiter, Edouard Martin (who has worked in particular for Marc Veyrat) to stock up the wine cellar and take care of the ageing of such precious bottles. He has just come across an Austrian ice wine which goes marvellously well with strawberries. Changes are also palpable in the relations with suppliers: a star grants authority and legitimacy. David can now be as demanding as he likes while being 'better heeded'.  The Albigeois Michel Belin ('best craftsman of France' for his work at the Maison du Chocolat in Paris) is now the baker-confectioner who makes the restaurant's bread, including a bread with peppers and olive oil for the summer.

 

When you have a star, you can also add more unusual produce to your menu, like caviar and white truffle with which the chef  admits he wants to 'have fun'. David Enjalran has indeed kept the juvenile spirit of the medical student he was!   

 

Turning to the decoration, it hasn't changed one little bit since the star was awarded. L'Esprit du vin is still located under the brick vaults of a 17th century coaching inn. This pleasant decor, combining rustic simplicity and understated modernity, allows you to peacefully appreciate good food.

 

 

After obtaining his baccalaureate, David Enjalran studied medicine for a year, but then decided to opt, for good, for cooking by following the course at the Toulouse catering secondary school. His medical studies gave him the taste for experimenting, for mixing substances, and a passion for retorts, syringes, and test tubes, which he mischievously diverts for other uses. David Enjalran also keeps a close eye on the finds by Hervé This, the Gyro Geerloose of molecular gastronomy, and makes use for instance of his eggless mayonnaise to accompany fried Norway lobsters with asparagus.

 

David Enjalran's mentor remains Alain Dutournier (three stars at the Carré des Feuillants, Paris) for whom he worked three years. He speaks highly of the 'fantastic atmosphere' in the kitchens of this big Gascon 'where everyone helped everyone'. Like that of his mentor, David Enjalran's cuisine sources above all produce from southwest France, an amazing land of plenty brimming over with land and sea food. Of course meats appear predominantly on the menu: from the Basque lamb, to the Mont-Royal pigeon, or the géline, an old type of poultry raised in the Tarn. Foie gras is of course as successful as ever in terrine and beef stew, or fried and served with fillet steak.

 

Hailing from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, fish (and shellfish), to which the clientele is partial, are not lacking either.

 

Most dishes combine two products from two local areas, often underscoring a land/sea contrast, such as pigeon and gambas (photo opposite), turbot and pork juices, and monkfish in bacon from black Gascogne pig.

 

The chef at l'Esprit du vin also likes simple concepts, highlighting products such as black truffle with scrambled eggs or white truffle and velvety pumpkin.

 

 

 

 

The cuisine of this restaurant, essentially Mediterranean and Gascon, also shows Asian influences (spices and lemon grass), and reflects the chef's playful and fun side.

 

Presented with mischief and meticulousness, the plates of food must surprise and charm.

 

As for the sweet and joyous desserts, they appeal to the young at heart, with French toast soldiers, mini-bananas, Nutella chocolate cream or fun and vibrant colours.

 

 

 

	L'Esprit du vin  11 quai Choiseul, 81000 Albi. Tel. 05 63 54 60 44.