Chateau Richeux, Cancale

In the crook of France’s coast where Brittany and Normandy meet, there’s the town of Cancale.  And just outside, at the end of a narrow country lane, is the fairytale house called Chateau Richeux.

It’s a small hotel now, just over a dozen rooms, and basically a dream destination for traveling eaters like D and me…

…Since it’s run by chef Olivier Roellinger, who famously gave back his three Michelin stars ten years ago.  He still cooks marvelous food in the dining room here, with spices that he imports like a modern day version of the Breton corsairs who ran spice routes in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Fittingly, every room in the house is named for one of those exotic spices.  Our room, Galangal, was furnished with pretty antiques and a very comfortable bed.  The three big windows overlooked the garden and the sea beyond, and we left them open day and night to enjoy the fresh air.

Dinners begin with an aperitif in the garden (or the library, if it’s cool or wet), along with a review of the evening’s menu.  There are three options – a tasting menu, a shared seafood platter, or à la carte.  I loved the map that laid out many of the purveyors of local ingredients, from seafood to vegetables.

There’s an amuse bouche of tiny tastes served in seashells:

On our first night, we chose the tasting menu, which unsurprisingly featured all sorts of seafood, fresh garden herbs, and Roellinger’s own spices.

We began with a seafood broth, then fresh cuttlefish from the bay, to be eaten with a utensil called “doigts celtiques” – they looked like long, flat chopsticks attached at the top, and I can’t find a single mention of them on google.  A mystery for another day.

Next, we had marinated prawns with rhubarb, Sancho pepper, and a showering of white petals.  Beautiful presentation and such a clean, delicate flavor.

My favorite dish was oysters swimming in camembert cream – one of those combinations that I would never have imagined, that makes perfect sense once you taste it.  I loved it so much that I asked for a larger serving as my main course the next night.

Other courses were spider crab with Assam pepper and egg yolk, morels with sorrel and a spice called Jeerakarimundi, lobster with cocoa and Sherry, then cheese and dessert.

By now we were stuffed, so retired to the library for the finale to our meal, a small glass of spiced grog described as “Land in View”.

Afterwards, we enjoyed the last of the fading light to walk down to the ocean and take in the view, before returning to our room for a happy sleep.

Before leaving, I bought a bottle of their cardamom-scented shampoo – and now whenever I open it at home, I’m transported back to Chateau Richeux.