There were no April Fools on the menu as members of the Bailliage and their guests met on April 1st at the Pinasse Café by the water’s edge on the Bay of Arcachon.

Members of other Bailliages from around France (Paris, Nantes, Montpellier as well as the delightful Poitou region) made this gathering a particularly colourful event. The Baillis made the most of this opportunity to showcase the welcoming and lively reputation of the South West.

Maître Restaurateur Laurent Tournier, the energetic owner of the Pinasse Café, welcomed us to this stunning and iconic venue idyllically located on the Bay. He has been nurturing this local institution since 1993 and was joined in 2014 by renowned chef Pascal Nibaudeau, Officier Maître Rôtisseur, who delighted our taste buds with a menu created just for us.

After a Lillet aperitif, accompanied by an array of delicious amuse-bouches, Jean-François Guichard, the Bailli of Bordeaux, said a few words about the restaurant’s history and introduced us to the new Bailli of Nantes, Stéphanie Lavarda, before thanking the Bailli Délégué of France, Laurent Grenier de Cardenal, for honouring us with his presence.

We then sat down to enjoy the following menu:

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Open crab ravioli
Granny Smith apple, spring onions, Indian curry

Poached egg
‘grand-mère’ garnish, creamy foie gras sauce

Loin of stone bass
peas, smoked bacon, hazelnut jus

Roast spiced pineapple
whipped mascarpone, violet ice cream

At the end of this delicious lunch, Dominique Naboulet, Bailli Provincial of Aquitaine, thanked Laurent Tournier and Pascal Nibaudeau for their warm welcome and unveiled the Bailliage’s future plans.

Stephanie Lavarda then extolled the virtues of this magnificent event as she highlighted the finesse and flavours of the different dishes. Coffee was served before we parted company, all looking forward to the next events on the regional calendar.

Chloé Cazaux Grandpierre
Chancelier Provincial of Aquitaine