I met the DIMCO team for a working lunch at Le Quai 28, right on the harbour in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. From the dining room you can see the boats through the windows and look straight into the open kitchen. I kept glancing over at the pass, knowing we’d get a closer look after lunch.
The food was excellent. I had monkfish baked in a mille-feuille with a small salad on the side. It was light and full of flavour, exactly what I wanted with an afternoon of work ahead. There’s a relaxed pace to the place that makes it easy to linger a little longer than you planned. Even with a kitchen to talk about and another one to plan, I was in no hurry to get up. Le Quai 28
Tales by Jan · Restaurants · Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Le Quai 28 – Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
We got to see the kitchen from the other side of the pass, too. I was curious how they’d fitted prep, cooking and plating into such a compact space. When you’re planning your own restaurant, even over a good lunch you find yourself counting the steps between the stove and the pass.
Something good is taking shape in Beausoleil. I’m working on Culture of Health, a new restaurant built around the kind of food I want to eat more often. Fresh, nourishing dishes with plenty of flavour, the sort of lunch you’d look forward to in the middle of a busy day.
Right now, the walls are stripped back and the ductwork is still exposed. It takes a little imagination to see the place as a restaurant, but I’m already picturing the first plates going out and people settling in for lunch. There’s plenty to do before we get there, and I’ll be sharing more as the kitchen takes shape. I’m looking forward to showing you what we’ll be cooking.
the Culture of Health, our new project restaurant in Beausoleil, France.
What I appreciate about working with Xavier from DIMCO is that they start by asking how we want to cook. We talked about what we’ll prep ahead, what we’ll finish to order and how the team will move around each other when orders start coming in. Those details shape where the workstations go, what needs to be within reach and which equipment earns its place in the kitchen.
You can tell how many kitchens they’ve worked on by the questions they ask. They get you thinking about the things you’ll do a hundred times during a busy service, when even a few extra steps start to matter. And when we need a piece of kit that’s hard to come by, they know who to call. In a space we’re still rebuilding, that experience helps us make better decisions while we still have room to change things. DIMCO
Chef Jan · Online-Chef
