Restaurant L'Epicurien - Abbaye de Villeneuve

Very elegant place. Waiters and sommelier can speak English. Very friendly. Food is so beautiful and tasty. Chief is incredible!

Since I finished my main challenges (every Michelin Stars in Paris and 3 Stars in France - follow me for all the reviews and updates), I’m working on new ones and exploring as much as I can. Notably I tried every new 2 stars and I explored all the new one Star around Vendée. This is a 2023 one star south of Nantes. The quiet luxury of an abbey What’s interesting here ? Trivia: This abbey is where the Dalaï lama stayed when he came in Nantes. Nothing screams more quiet luxury than an abbey. Castles and palaces are luxurious but a bit loud. Abbey gave smaller windows and gigantic common rooms. They are more private and have rooms inside for grandiose. This restaurant is the same. Two rooms with big tables, plenty of space, and really impeccable service. The service is on the high end side of a one star, which matches with what I saw in the hotel. The cuisine is discreetly modern rather than bourgeoise. It’s not based on the luxury of the products but on their qualities, their beauty. Quiet luxury is about the quality. You’ll have a beautiful beef, no need for truffles. And discreetly modern because it is modern. But you’re in an Abbey, the chef stays humble while magnifying the vegetables and being an excellent saucier. I was there a Sunday lunch so the crowd was family oriented. You can dress up a little bit because the place allows you to do so. And by the way the wine list has some interesting selection, so enjoy it. I have also no doubt that it will be a solid star. I may need to try the big tasting menu next time.

Incredible lunch at this Michelin starred restaurant. We got the fixed menu (5 courses including dessert). It was truly memorable. Maybe instead of the last meat (chicken) I’d have swapped for cheese but that’s just a minor detail as every dish was truly delicious and surprising. We paired it with a lovely glass of savennieres wine. The staff was lovely and attentive without being too intrusive. We enjoyed our coffee on the sunny terrace by the pool which came with a few extra sweet treats :) A wonderful meal and overall experience for all of us. Highly recommended. Maybe next time we’ll also try the hotel :)

We had the tasting menu and the flavours and creativity were simply stunning. The service was perfect without being over the top with a cozy atmosphere. Knowledgeable staff helped with the wine selection and we had a fantastic evening. Thank you!

We had the most amazing time at L’Epicurien. We got the 5 course prix fixe menu with wine pairing. Everything was exquisite and we very much appreciated the chef’s flexibility as my significant other doesn’t eat fish / sea food (but I do!). The cheese was out of this world, and the wine too. Service was impeccable. We’ll be back to l’Epicurien if we are ever in Nantes region again!

Fresh ingredients, nice menu suggestions, really good staff: good for both dates or business/lunch dinners.

Le 1201 aux Sorinières est une véritable parenthèse de plaisir. Dès l’arrivée, on se laisse envelopper par un cadre raffiné et apaisant, où chaque détail semble pensé pour sublimer l’instant. Le service, d’une grande justesse, allie discrétion et attention, contribuant à une atmosphère d’une rare harmonie. En cuisine, les saveurs se déploient avec finesse, entre équilibre, créativité et émotion. Chaque assiette raconte une histoire, à la fois subtile et surprenante. Un lieu où le goût, le sens et l’élégance se rencontrent avec justesse — une expérience à savourer sans hâte

Une expérience exceptionnelle ! Cuisine raffinée, service impeccable et cadre élégant. Un vrai sans-faute, je recommande vivement. ( je recommande le menu en cinq temps ) Nous y retournerons une troisième fois sans aucun problème pour le sept temps cette fois-ci !