Take a world tour of gastronomy at Lucullus
Gourmets' corner
For the Montmorillonnais, lucullus is a institution since the 1970s. After being opened by the chefs, father and son, Jean and Louis Mercier, then managed by Gérard Alloyeau and his wife Marie-Thérèse, the restaurant and hotel were taken over in 2011 by another good food enthusiast, chef Alban Galpin. Meeting with this perfectionist in search of a balance of flavors.
We tell you the story of this traveling chef
Born in Britain, Alban Galpin is from a family of cooks for five generations. It is alongside his father, head of the Orée des Bois in St. Benoit that, with a scientific baccalaureate, he started in the kitchen. What follows is a journey through France and the world.
Thermal baths of Saint Malo alongside chef Henri Reverdy, Poitiers via Paris where he became second half-head of the party at the House of Denmark.
Passionate about travel, he visited numerous home ports before opening his first restaurant in Cameroon, the oval.
For 10 years, he promoted French gourmet cuisine with a Cameroonian touch. The call of the country being felt, it is in Poitou and with the family that he puts down his suitcases.
Le Lucullus, one brand, two formulas
A side bistro, another gastro. The two formulas, from the same kitchen, complement each other and meet everyone's desires! Those in a hurry will opt for the lunch formula where the menu of local products is reviewed every week. For those who like to enjoy the table, it is towards the gastronomic that you will need to orient yourself. Here, the map evolves in the respecting the seasons depending on arrivals and the ability of producers to supply the restaurant.
I discover LucullusPatience, again and again
When reading the menu, it is easy to realize that the chef has a penchant for Asian cuisine. Of soy sauces, poisson cru are regularly offered alongside other products « good from home " as the Limousin beef or foie gras Mitteault House.
It is in the fusion of terroirs that Alban Galpin likes to find new recipes to amaze the taste buds of his customers. For this, around his team, he concocts dishes according to deliveries from local producers with whom he works.
This quest for balance and connection between flavors takes time but allows us to offer dishes where land and sea are never far apart, like the recipe he shares with us: a tuna tataki with foie gras escalope from Maison Mitteault.
Tuna tataki and foie gras escalope from Maison Mitteault, black garlic and wild garlic in condiments:
Pour 4 personnes:
- Tuna loin. Remember to tell your fishmonger that it is for making tataki.
- 4 foie gras escalopes
- 4 or 5 wild garlic leaves
- 1 clove of black garlic
- A small jar of samphire
- Salty soy sauce
- Salt, pepper
- 25 cl of veal stock for the strong juice
- 3 cl of balsamic vinegar
On to the recipe!
- Marinate the tuna loin in soy sauce for 10 minutes on each side
- Sear the tuna loin for 1 minute on each side then leave to cool
- Fry the foie gras escalopes in a pan without fat, 1 minute on each side, no more!
- Cook the samphire in the English style for 3 minutes. This simply involves cooking the vegetables in a large volume of boiling salted water. When cooking stops, immerse them in a bath of ice water then drain them. This cooking technique preserves the color and crunch.
- Make the condiments: cook the wild garlic again in the English style. Then, mix them with a little olive oil. Add the previously peeled and blended black garlic.
- Passionate about travel, he visited numerous home ports before opening his first restaurant in Cameroon, l'Ovalie.
Put it all together and… enjoy!