Amuse-bouche

By Sophie Brissaud

Back to Épicuriales, just like every year. It’s always a joy. It means reuniting with family, and once again experiencing the warm welcome, hospitality, kindness and unwavering loyalty of my friends and hosts in Liège. As for me, I felt a bit sheepish at not being able to be fully present, having suffered second-degree burns since 17 May and nursing my injury under dressings that were difficult to keep in place. Consequently, I went to bed at the crack of dawn, exhausted, and didn’t manage to cover the stories as well as I would have liked.

Three chefs who came from Paris in 2019: Jean-Marc Notelet, Stéphane Jego and Alessandra Montagne.

Here, nonetheless, is a reminder of some of the good times from this unique annual culinary festival, which brings together local restaurants and cooking demonstrations under marquees in the beautiful Boverie park on the banks of the Meuse. In the chefs' marquee, friendly culinary contests take place between local chefs or caterers and guest chefs from further afield. The guests are most often Parisians. Some are re-invited year after year, as I am too: we have been able to see and re-see under the marquee Stéphane Jego (At L'Ami Jean), Jean-Marc Notelet (formerGaius and awaiting a new address), Mehdi Kebboul (formerSavarin la Table and it's six of one, half a dozen of the other (Jean-Marc), Flora Mikula, Alessandra Montagne (Ours), André Le Letty (The Bistro of the Maquis), Denis Groison (Le MaZenay)…

Mehdi Kebboul.

This year, Mehdi, André and Jean-Marc Notelet were back, as loyal as ever. Mehdi was accompanied by Mickaël Bokobza, owner of three restaurants in Paris, including Alix and Mika — a chef we'll have the opportunity to discuss further. Jean-Marc had come, as last year, with his friend Bruno Murriguian (formerly Lenôtre). And we've seen the debut of three new Parisians, and not just any old ones: Julien and Nicolas Durand (Nightingale, rue Lepic) and the Michelin-starred Alexis Voisenet (Maison Avoise in Issy-les-Moulineaux).

Bruno Murriguian and Mehdi Kebboul.

Jean-Marc Notelet.

The presentation of these four- and six-hand meals is entrusted, as every year,
to Cyrille Prestianni.

First dinner, Friday night: fish, fish, fish, and we're asking for more.

The first dinner of this Épicuriales series was prepared by chefs from Liège, all three of whom opted for seafood – perhaps because it’s Friday, perhaps for no particular reason; in any case, nobody complained.

Josephine Renard (In the Renaissance, Visé): Yellow horse mackerel tartare, yuzu, yoghurt, gomasio, flavoured oil, fennel. Thank you, Joséphine, first for choosing this much-maligned fish, the horse mackerel, which is inexpensive but deters some cooks because of the lateral scale plate on each fillet. Yet, it's enough to remove it with two diagonal cuts, and you get a flavourful, translucent flesh, not overly fatty, which is superior to raw mackerel (mackerel, on the other hand, needs marinating). The preparation of this starter is quite dazzling for an event under a marquee: rich, fresh, colourful, without a single false note. High-flying stuff.

After this successful take-off, we are not losing any altitude with Anaïs Marchettini (Bay leaves, home cooking in Liège): Seared salmon heart, curry, calamansi, peas, wasabi. The salmon is meltingly tender and delicate; a small touch of kalamansi purée punctuates this gentle, spring-like composition with a bright acidity.

Agron Billa with Josette Kassongo : Two cod fillets, lentil bed, béarnaise emulsion, tarragon powder. Agron Billa, Event caterer, having honed his skills in several Michelin-starred kitchens, consistently hits the mark with his perfectly mastered Belgian-Mediterranean inspiration. His projects include opening a restaurant in his native Albania. Josette and he have prepared a spectacular [dish/event] for us Cod loin on a bed of lentils, béarnaise emulsion, tarragon powder. Can one detect, recognise "Belgianness" in a dish that is neither fries, nor boulets, nor mussels? I can. It's identifiable by its sweetness and generosity: opulent, coating, creamy sauces, and lots of flavour, because in Liège we don't like blandness. Perfectly cooked fish, still translucent, flaking under the fork. The lentils are the ideal bed for this impeccable cod. And the pinch of tarragon powder on the béarnaise gives it a new and unexpected signature.

To be continued…