Eric Briffard, executive chef of Les Elysées du Vernet Restaurant at the Hotel du Vernet, Paris

-- Hotels, 10/1/2007

Chef Eric Briffard

At the helm of the Hotel du Vernet’s much lauded Les Elysées duVernet restaurant since 2002, Chef Eric Briffard says he’s not a man given over the trends. Yet, he continues to set them with his innovative interpretations of traditionally elegant food.  Frommer’s Review calls the restaurant a gastronomic wonder.’’  See what makes the right recipe for winning kudos from Michelin stars and one of HOTELS’ Great Hotel Restaurant awards to three Toques Rouges,   four stars from Bottin Gourmand and a 17 out of 20 score from Gault Millau.

How would you describe your cooking style ?

Innovative and refined.  It is really about local gastronomy. Although it has a  classic basis, there are Japanese influences.

Where does inspiration start ?

 Above all, I look for genuineness of the products with respect and union in terms of taste without necessarily trying to follow the trends. We have vegetable gardens in the Ile de France and a grower who supplies organice fruit and vegetables. We use ‘natural’ sea fish. We use meat with no additives. The quality of the cuisine is important at a time when healthy eating is a priority.

What do guests want now ?

Customers look for a particular mood and ‘personalized ; cooking. They also look for authentic flavors.

Do chefs follow their customers’ taste or do chefs rule ?

It is the chef who decides the restaurant’s menus and its style: That's creation! The chef creates his own style and cooking by choosing what he wants.

What are your best selling dishes and what new dishes received unexpected acceptance ?

The most innovative dish we’ve introduced is he spider crab in the creamy of lettuce, foam iodized in seaweeds.  The most successful seasonal dishes are the slice of vegetable aubergine (eggplant) in the pieces of foie gras, sorbet of tomato and the pithivier (a round puff pastry pie) of wild birds with chestnut tree honey, autumn fruits with armagnac. However I think our most surprising success is the Breton sea urchins in shell in fennel and an aspic of shellfish.

How can you improve on that ?

We’re permanently looking for improvement.  A chef is always in his kitchen in order to live every realization of a course.  Technical improvements in cooking tools open up many new possibilies.

Who were your  mentors ?

Joël Robuchon.

What makes the restaurant ‘great’?

We don’t follow trends automatically.  What we emphasize is the best product, the authenticity of the product and a respect for its taste. Workers' motivation is very important, and working regularly is important too. One factor we have that no one else does is our team.»

What enticed critics and other food publicists to try the restaurant? What was your most effective marketing tool?

Promotions (including online),  press articles that give details about the new cookbook and television news.

What are the next trends ?

There will not be an increase of the number of dishes. You have to go to the essential and to master every dish so as to be really successful. Quality will always be better than quantity. We’ll see more development of high quality wine and wine from "bio" agriculture or natural wine.

What are your goals for the restaurant ?

I want to offer guests a more relaxed atmosphere, tasty cuisine, and a nice, friendly staff
I want to open our guests’ eyes on the whole world to discover new tastes.