Maison Richeux

Another leg of our wedding trip, after our wedding weekend in Vallery, France, was a stop at this amazing Château owned by Chef Olivier Roellinger and his wife. It is located 4 hours west and a bit north of Paris (up by the seashore). I have to say, we are still dreaming of this place. It is pure magic, serenity, and the smells of the sea are beyond anything we’ve ever experienced in the US, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. We are also returning here next June, just to eat the cuisine of Chef Roellinger again (ANOTHER SHELLFISH TOWER PLEASE!!), explore the sea some more (the tide goes in and out for miles all day and night long, and we bought rainboots in town to venture out as far as we could to scavenge for mussels, oysters, clams, snails, and we found a bunch which we ate right on the spot, and let me tell ya, eating shellfish straight out of the sea is like nothing you’ve ever tasted before…), walk through Cancale again… we also fell in love with the house cat that lives on the property, who btw, eats like a queen, think oysters, langoustines, crab, fresh baked croissants and baguettes… also, there is a tiny breadshack on the property where a chef/​baker shows up at 3 am to start baking the fresh bread for the day, and as a guest of the property, you can walk right up to him and buy any loaves he has stacked on the shelves, fresh out of his oven. Our dinner at Le Coquillage (Chef Roellinger’s restaurant onsite) was spectacular… never had we eaten such fresh shellfish in our lives, even on the east/​west coasts of the US. We did the shellfish tower (for a mere 68 Euros and it could’ve fed 8!), and 3 entrées (yes, we went a bit nuts), cheese, desserts… the best part of dinner was, while we were having a drink before dinner in the parlor, Olivier Roellinger walked up to us, chatted with us in such a sincere, genuine manner, told us about his dreams and visions, took pictures with us, and I was so in shock, I started to tear up… his character, his passion, his true generosity come right out as you speak to him… WOW. Their breakfasts are so delicious too! Think fresh baked croissants, baguettes, all you can eat oysters, yogurt with Roellinger spices, french ham and cheese with French butter on fresh baked mini baguettes, savory and sweet crêpes, all for 23 Euros per person! The sea is just magical, and you are mesmerized watching the tide go in and out for miles to the point where you cannot even see water anymore. It takes about 6 or 7 hours for the tide to completely go out and then another 6 or 7 hours for it come back in. Can you tell how much we loved this place??? We drove from Vallery, France (site of our wedding weekend at Château des Condé) to Maison Richeux, and it took us about 5 hours, and pulling up into the driveway was one of the happiest moments in my life (other than the engagement, wedding, well you get the picture…). When we had to leave to drive to Paris, we couldn’t tear ourselves away from the staff, the magical château, the house cat… plus they packed us to-​go sandwiches of french ham/​cheese/​butter on fresh baguettes for our roadtrip-​how sweet was that? Can’t wait for next June!

Déjà vu.
As we drove up to the Château, something tugged at my memory about this place. It was familiar… but from where? A contact I had in Normandy made a reservation for me here, knowing my interest in local cuisine and ingredients.
Sitting in the main dining room with an exquisite view of the French (English, to some) Channel and watching the tides’ tremendous retreat, it struck me. Anthony Bourdain had been a guest of Chef Olivier Roellinger in his Brittany episode… which may explain why, at 2 tables, people were taking pictures of every dish. Gastro-​tourism at its finest.
What was nice about having seen the show was knowing the backstory. The attention to detail, the emphasis on local ingredients, the gardens, the locally sourced meats and fish. Even the simple country bread was memorable.
We enjoyed a decadent (prix fixe) lunch, consisting of an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. The selections were seafood focused, with local Cancale Oysters as a highlight (you can see the chateaux from the oyster houses on the coastline), and various fish and shellfish. I enjoyed the «Mont St. Michel» lamb, as well. World class, exquisite fare that was fresh beyond belief… although classic French, the modern influences, even some Asian in a little lagniappe that we had at the start of the meal. (Yes, I know lagniappe is Cajun not Continental French, but although you can take the girl out of Louisiana…)
We could not pass up the cheese cart (insert between entrée and dessert). It’s a required gastronomic experience when visiting northern France… Normandy and Bretagne cheeses are the best in the world, in my opinion… though my Norman travelling companion had a strong opinion on #1 in that constest.
The dessert cart was a superlative experience… one could make a feast of that alone. I went for a mere four little tastes including a delicious pistachio confection and (for me) the obligatory chocolate treat.
The wine list was pretty phenomenal, as I would expect, and we enjoyed a bottle of Chassagne Montrachet, a noteworthy wine to accompany an unforgettable experience.
Indeed. I won’t forget this one.

On of the most romantic place I Have ever seen.
The restaurant Roellinger in Cancale in nw closed and part of the team joins this hotel/​restaurant and you can find some of the well know plate invented by Roellinger.

Situé sur une falaise surplombant le Mont-​St-​Michel cet endroit magique né laisse pas indifférent.Accueil chaleureux, les suites ont un accès direct vers le sentier des douaniers .Un véritable avre de paix.