Bras - Laguiole

The food is wonderfully presented, the restaurant views amazing and the restaurant grounds full of wildflowers. Service was mostly very good. I must admit I was expecting to be wowed slightly more given the restaurants reputation. Whilst all the dishes were good, only the first...salad dish (very pretty mix of wild flowers and herbs) was the only dish to surprise. The rest were very very good, but not as ground-breaking as say a restaurant such as L’enclume. Service was a bit slow at first – it took a while for the menu and amuse-bouche to arrive and the order taken. Once seated service was smooth, as you would expect. We opted for the nine course menu. You won’t leave hungry – portion sizes were actually quite large. Overall a good experience, and worth the money, but I was expecting to be amazed, which unfortunately I wasn’t.

This is of course a well known, much written about restaurant...and we went quite a bit out of our way to visit. It was worth it. I am sure some would quibble about the prices, but it was simply a special dining experience. Excellent service,...wonderful tastes, and unlike some high end restaurants the chef does not let the presentation be the show...he lets the taste be the show. As my wife said she will never look at flowers the same way again...such unique use of ingredients made the meal a joy.

Several friendly chefs from Buenos Aires, knowing that we were going to be near Laguiole, told us imperatively: Go to Michel Bras, an innovator of the kitchen. Le Suquet has a fantastic location at the top of a hill with extensive views comprising the restaurant and the hotel.Michel is considered a culinary genius because he was one of the few that used wild plants and edible flowers in his dishes. Everything from the restaurant`s garden. Especially outstanding is his way of presenting them, its badge plate known as Gargouillou, with the best vegetable shoots of the season along with flowers and fruits that can take up to 85 different ingredients each cooked or prepared separately. The night of our visit there were 65 different components. Another world-famous plate that we did not try is the Coulant de Chocolat (Chocolate Volcano).It is impossible to describe everything that we received at our table. One delight after another that continually surprised us.Two things to highlight. First the bread served at the beginning has the name of the person who occupies the table engraved in the bread crust and second, when passing from one plate to the other everything except the knife changes. This is a local custom.Extensive is the wine list selected by Diego, an Argentinian sommelier living long ago in France with a deep knowledge of the subject.In charge of the restaurant, today, is Sébastien, the son of Michel with whom we chatted very kindly the following day. At Le Suquet they offer fantastic accommodation where we spent the night in its large rooms and with great views.

We have dined here previously and have never been disappointed. Our dinner this time was the best dining experience we have had in our 74 years anywhere. The restaurant is the ultimate in fine dining. Nothing but the word "outstanding" can describe the ambience, the staff, and the food. It was truly a memorable evening for us. We were a bit concerned prior to our visit that the changing of the guard from Michel Bras to Sebastian might be a disappointing development. Not only has everything remained superb, but it may even be better than our previous visits. If you desire a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience (or more frequently if you are lucky), I cannot recommend any restaurant anywhere that is superior to Maison Bras.

Our second visit to this remarkable place where the welcome, food and service were second to none. A perfect birthday lunch.