Le Restaurant du Cerisier

Perfect food in a calm room served by charming staff. The discovery menu was a succession of delights. There is an excellent choice of wine to accompany the food. A memorable experience.

Direct view on the Chef's cuisine and how his brigade efficiently works, in what seems a very quiet and oiled mechanic. Fascinating. Food & cuisine wise, the Michelin Star is well deserved. The signature Langoustine with beetroot, horseraddish & dill, is just a must have : textures and tastes echoing one another are a masterpiece. The Pork Loin with black garlic and celtuce, was just cooked at perfection. Pan fried foie gras, quince & hazelnut, perfumed bouillon : amazing how Foie gras and hazelnut works together well. Clementine, thyme & sweet potatoe. Service was efficient and friendly all along. Strongly recommend.

Le Restaurant du Cerisier is the highlight of my weekend food trip to Lille, and also the most expensive. While it may seem a bit pricey compared to most other local restaurants, it’s definitely worth it with the quality of ingredients they use. I had the 7-course Menu Quintessence and it was excellent value even for €159. The meal started with a selection of really pretty and delicious Amouse-Bouche. I then had 4 different plates for my starters, with the highlights being the ‘La Langoustine’ and the ‘Le Thon au Poivre’. Both were magnificent, but the best dish I’ve has that evening was the Tuna, with a pepper and shallot sauce, topped with grated truffle. Honestly, it was the best Tuna I’ve had in my life!! I then had the Turbot as my main, which was quite good but not as good as that amazing Tuna. There were then two desserts, which were both nice and beautifully prepared. If there was any weak portions of the menu, then it was the dessert. I found it overall a bit sour and I thought they both needed a bit more sweetness (although I might just be a sweet tooth). I did like the ‘La Cerise’ the most from all the sweet, it was nicely balanced with vanilla and cherry. The Sélection de mignardises was a nice end to such a great meal. I had to give extra points for the wonderful service. They did their best to explain everything in English and I really appreciate the warmth and hospitality all evening - they were definitely a lot nicer than the typical French hospitality.

I was pleasantly surprised by how inventive the dishes were at this restaurant. I tried new flavors here — and I rarely give such a feedback. It is a huge compliment. Very unusual cooking in the most positive sense. I have dined at 50+ Michelin-starred restaurants and the quality of food here is in my top five for sure. The one weakness was around the wine. The wine menu was not interesting and expensive for what it was. This is a very small critique. If you are in Lille I strongly recommend you dine here! Sharing a photo of my delicious salmon dish:

Truly wonderful - it would be tragic to miss this incredible experience. Really friendly ,welcoming and rapid service but truly outstanding food. All fantastic,but I can’t forget the gin jelly +tonic foam starter, anchovy and liquorice amuse bouche, and socks blown off by chickpea,lime and sea urchin main. Great pear and chestnut desert.

Beautifully presented dinner course. Full of flavours. I loved the desserts, and the decoration of the restaurant. Superb service too.

Fabulous!! The food was absolutely amazing, everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The scallops were the best I ever had and the tarte au chocolat was incredible. The service was more than perfect with a nice selection of wines. One of the best 1 star Michelin we have been to!

Still on a break from my main challenges. I used a weekend in Lille to discover the Michelin Stars scene. Look at the other reviews and follow my challenges. So what’s interesting here ? Well, as usual, several things but I’ll focus on a couple. The first thing that is striking is the design. Let’s start with the building. Beautiful modern and design in the heart of the old town. You’re accompanied upstairs where the view is gorgeous (check the pictures and videos) but also the room, the tables, the chairs etc… and then you discover the other view: the open kitchen. The mood is set. You’re in an open, modern and forward thinking restaurant. Here comes my second point. You would think that the cuisine would be at par with the design: very modern, graphic, designed. In way it’s, in a way, it is not. Let me give you have exemple that could sum it up. The appetizers. Especially the “moules frites” (muscles and French fries). They’ll present you on a rock something that in no shape or form looks like it. You’ll take this leave shaped appetizer in your mouth and “oh magic” you’re there, in Belgium, on the seaside, having “moules frites”. Amazing. I think it is quite revealing of the chef. Focused on the flavors, and a bit playful. The design part is a deceptive tactic to help you focus on the most important stuff: the taste and the experience. One thing still, I don’t know why the name, because there’s no cherry trees around… I asked the waitress, she didn’t know but she said the chef would. ;-) Well, I hope I’ll solve that one day (ask for me next time) but I guess it’s another trick in the chef sleeves. Solid one star. Completely different style from the other two.