La Vague d`Or was born in Saint Tropez in 1954, two years before the film "And God... Created Woman" starring Brigitte Bardot, which made the once beloved summer resort of Henri Matisse and Paul Cézanne the most famous and cosmopolitan "port" in the world. Back then, the hotel that housed the restaurant was Residence de la Pinede, but in 2016 it was bought by LVMH, renovated and reopened to the public in 2019 under the umbrella of Cheval Blanc. La Vague d`Or (translated in Greek as Gold Wave) earned its first Michelin Guide star in 1990 and began to gradually raise the bar in 2005 when Arnaud Donckele took over as executive chef, earning a second star in 2011 and two years later conquering the pinnacle of culinary excellence with a third. I returned to La Vague d`Or thanks to a three-day magical trip to Provence organised by Daniel Boustany`s Deals, culminating in a dinner at this great restaurant. We were lucky because we caught it in the nick of time since it`s open for almost five months, from May to October, and getting a table there is incredibly difficult.
The lounge is beautiful and subtly luxurious, with elegant tables and an art de la table, sensational without being blatant. For me, the ideal is to have two - not to say three - tables missing to make the interior more breathable, although that`s practically impossible due to the high demand. I found the service polite and eager to serve us, although it does not quite meet the standards that a three-star restaurant should have. But neither the sommelier nor his team were up to the task of a table that opened eight bottles of wine. Also, the air conditioning that night was struggling, making things even more difficult. I think about how different the experience would have been if the weather had helped and we had eaten on this dreamy terrace at La Vague d`Or flanked by pine trees and drenched in the Mediterranean.
This is where the negative comments of this review end, which are anyway weakened by the magnificent and deeply moving cooking of Arnaud Donckele, a fascinating chef and "alchemist" of Provence as Panos Stathopoulos has aptly called him in an earlier tribute to the French Riviera. Donckele`s flavourscapes are world-class creations; although they combine many ingredients, they do not become wordy or pretentious. One of this chef`s hallmarks, perhaps the most distinctive, is the captivating sauces and broths accompanying all dishes. One can hardly approach or even surpass Arnaud Donckele in this field. We are talking about monuments of perfection: if one wants to understand in practice what complexity, perfect concentration and immense finesse mean, one must try these sauces. Another element in his cooking is his passion for supporting with all his being the terroir of his region and his access to unparalleled ingredients, whether they come from the best fishermen or from farms with pork, beef and pigeons that probably grow up listening to less Bach or from other close associates who keep gardens and supply him with excellent vegetables.
When it comes to technique, again (many) words seem superfluous. His obsession with textures and temperatures is meticulous, and his management of the roasts is top-notch. As for the desserts, they end the dinner triumphantly and without coming at the end as in other great restaurants, five thousand mignardises which, as good as they are, are forgotten after an hour. I wanted more than the visually impressive cheese trolley since everything I tried tasted subpar. In this review, I wasn`t tempted to list dishes with detailed descriptions because, on the one hand, there were tiny mistakes, and, on the other hand, I believe its "mission" was to introduce you to a beautiful restaurant and the philosophy of a chef whose name is already written next to those of the great chefs of world gastronomy. La Vague d`Or will premiere again next May. But if you`re in Paris and have the patience to claim a table at Plenitude, awarded three Michelin stars six months after opening directly, you`ll find out first-hand.
Rating: 9.5 / 10