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Lunch at Restaurant Le Pressoir, Vannes, Brittany, France

One of the gastronomic highlights of our trip to Brittany was lunch at Vincent David’s Le Pressoir, just north of Vannes. This restaurant has received many accolades and much recognition, including one Michelin star and three Gault et Millau toques. It is located in an attractive building on Rue de l’Hôpital, among residential properties in Saint-Avé, and about a 10-minute drive from the centre of Vannes. The interior is equally attractive – high-backed chairs, tables adorned with crisp white linen tablecloths and napkins, and walls decorated with brightly coloured artwork. We were warmly welcomed with an aperitif and sat down to some tasty morsels – pictured from left to right: tomatoes with sesame and black seed; ham, mustard and Parmesan; duck foie gras with lime, and smoked mackerel. This was followed by a ‘black stone’ amuse bouche. In short, this was a delicious combination of salmon and cream enveloped in a black potato casing. Visually it was rather striking and the lightness of the salmon was an interesting contrast with the potato. We then had a starter of warm foie gras Dariole with a light blue cheese mousse and beetroot coulis, enhanced with raspberry and lime. The mousse in particular was very light and delicious, and the foie gras not too overpowering. Then came the highlight of the lunch: monkfish crunch with smoked bacon cooked at 45°C, with an asparagus risotto, hint of tarragon and morel mushroom emulsion. The monkfish was exceptionally tender – a real melt-in-the-mouth dish full of interesting flavours which alone makes Le Pressoir well worth a visit! We then had an interesting pre-dessert, layered with strawberry marmalade, yuzu and basilic foam. We finished our lunch with a red fruit Saint-Honoré gateau with a twist: raspberry cream, pistachio nut ice cream and whipped cream jelly. As you can see, another dish that excels when it comes to presentation, the plate decorated with choux pastry, chantilly cream, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, redcurrants and basilic sponge. There were some petit fours also brought to the table although, to be honest, we’d had our fill by this point. The staff had been delightful throughout – welcoming, yet discreet – courteous and happy to help us with translations of the menu, but without being over-bearing. It was a pleasure also to meet the chef on departure – I just wish my French had been better in order to properly convey how much we had enjoyed the lunch. Without reservation, we heartily recommend you give this restaurant a try if you are ever in southern Brittany. Disclosure: Our trip was sponsored by Brittany Ferries and Brittany Tourism.

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.

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6 Comments

  1. Wow I love the exterior of the restaurant, so quaint and has so much character. This looks like a lovely place to come for lunch, I reckon my mother would really enjoy this – perhaps I can convince her to take this trip together! It’s a shame that they sell foie gras though…

  2. Lovely review of what seems like a wonderful restaurant. The review was marred, however, by the editor failing to correct “discrete” to “discreet,” as in skilled and unobtrusive waitstaff.

  3. This restaurant looks very lovely, the photos are beautiful. I’m very impressed by the pudding it looks amazing. Very interesting read, if I’m in that area I’ll have to check this place out.

  4. Everything sounds great except the main course. I just don’t find the combination of mushrooms, fish and asparagus convincig. I don’t think those things can match.

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