Restaurant Les jardiniers Gourmet cuisine

There’s a little pun (barely) hidden in that title! Near Chinon, the restaurant Les Jardiniers is a nugget created by Richard Galland and Florence Soulier, at the foot of the Domaine du Moribot. This encompasses 12 hectares of truffle fields, the Truffle Academy, a vast kitchen garden, flower gardens (including edible varieties) and aromatic plants… To honour the produce gleaned at the restaurant’s doorstep, chef Martin Bolaers offers inventive, seasonal and very gourmet cuisine.

An agro-architecturo-gastronomic concept well thought out

A former Parisian interior designer, Richard Galland had set up his second home in his grandparents’ house in Ligré, on a knoll overlooking what is now the Voie Verte, formerly the old railway line that linked Richelieu to Chinon. As this corner of Touraine lends itself to it, he planted truffle trees there. He then imagined how to showcase the truffles harvested on the estate, in a cleverly integrated system. Deeply attached to the local terroir, he designed Les Jardiniers in conjunction with a vegetable garden for seasonal, local sourcing, guaranteeing absolute freshness.

S1E5 - Saperlipouettes dans le restaurant étoile verte Michelin "Les Jardiniers"

Restaurant website

The owner’s companion, Florence Soulier is passionate about flowers: part of the garden is therefore her world. , but the kitchen is also stocked with edible flowers. Of course herb patches offer the Chef an abundant palette of plants… which saves him the need to resort to far-flung spices. All the gardens are cultivated in a totally eco-responsible way. The dapper little room, furnished with antiques, is pleasant and unpretentious. A pretty bar barely separates it from the open kitchen, where you can see the chef and his team preparing the dishes that will arrive on your table. As you can imagine, in fine weather, lunch on the vast terrace allows you to admire the surrounding gardens.

Around Ligré Near Les Jardiniers restaurant

A talented chef to promote local products

Since September 2023, Martin Bolaers has been at the helm of the establishment. His philosophy is completely in line with the concept of Les Jardiniers: respecting the seasons and sublimating local produce. And everything that isn’t produced on the estate is rigorously chosen by him, mainly from a small area in the vicinity and according to exacting quality criteria. Sea fish, for example, are selected via sustainable fishing channels. All the producers are mentioned on the menus. He tells us about his career path:

I cut my teeth in family-run houses in Belgium, which gave me the chance to try my hand at everything. Then I took charge of a big trendy brasserie on the outskirts of Luxembourg City. It took me 5 years to get into Gault & Millau, at 14/20: it was no longer a trendy brasserie, but a reference in Luxembourg! When I arrived in the Loire Valley in 2017, I quickly joined the brigade of Thibaut Ruggeri, Michelin-starred chef at Fontevraud, and became assistant chef within a few months. I stayed there for 5 years before moving to Chinon.

Attractive, Martin defines himself as “Conteur de terroir“. And indeed, it’s very interesting to listen to him talk passionately about the dishes he has concocted.

From picking to plate! I offer you spontaneous, sincere, joyful cooking, inspired by the nature that surrounds us. Back from picking in the vegetable garden, I work on frank, raw and delicate tastes with a balance of flavours. I want to tell you about the products of the earth and the pleasure I get from revealing them, for a moment of sharing and emotion. We do everything very seriously without taking ourselves too seriously!

Highlights

Reason #1

Culinary discoveries with commentary by the Chef!

Reason #2

The estate’s truffle menus.

Reason #3

The green star awarded by the Michelin Guide, of course!

What's for dinner?

Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of products from the kitchen garden, but also excellent meats selected from local producers or fish from quality channels. The use of these products is superbly executed in very original recipes (but never to excess). Correct cooking, textures, flavour or presentation, every facet of gastronomy is on your plate. A house staple, “l’instant T”: this starter, continually à la carte, is a mix of vegetables and herbs, a snapshot of the kitchen garden. So it changes with the seasons, according to the harvests. I’ve tried it several times, and it’s always different, but always delicious (although I’m not usually convinced by a dish made exclusively from plants!). Obviously, when it’s in season, I can’t recommend enough that you try the truffle dishes! In south-western Touraine, the black truffle tuber melanosporum is king. But summer truffles are also grown here, which will delight many taste buds in the summer months…

A word about the service: Alexandre, in the dining room is a “character”! With a great deal of humour, often deadpan, he too will contribute to a superb culinary experience with attentive service and sound advice on drinks (nice menu, by the way…).

Menus

Lunch Two times (excluding weekends and public holidays): Starter/Main course or Main course/Cheese preparation or Dessert. 37€

Three course: Starter/Main course/Cheese preparation or Dessert. 49€

Four course: Starter/Main course/Cheese preparation/Dessert. 59€

Five times : Starter / Fish / Meat / Cheese preparation / Dessert. 79€

Black truffle menu: 89€.

For little gardeners under 12, dessert course. 25€

From fork to pen

Gourmet and gourmand, Hubert Giblet works in the Val de Loire Terres de Gastronomie association, which organises the Automnales de la Gastronomie festival, as well as gourmet strolls once a month. As part of the Azay-Chinon Tourist Office, he is also in charge of events initiated as part of the Vignobles & Découvertes label.