Insider Special Edition 2015 | Page 49
H
aving
honed his expertise under the
hands of great chefs such as Robuchon, Faugeron and Kerever,
Pasteau has firmly created his own
contemporary styled restaurant on
straightforward, affordable and
relatively unpretentious principles, in what he aptly calls, a convivial ambiance.
He is a firm believer that providing value for money to his
customers is amongst one of the
essentials of running a sought after restaurant. Although it would
be inconceivable to compromise
on quality on any of his ingredients, this does not necessarily
signify the practice of exorbitant
pricing. Particularly in today's
world, he feels that a discerning
client always keeps an eye on the
value being offered, and reasonable pricing strongly breeds repeat
custom. This is a trend Pasteau
believes is here to stay.
His love of the sea and everything
marine started at a very young age,
when he spent many of his childhood holidays at the ocean's edge.
This had already allowed him to
sample and to appreciate the many
delicious and greatly varied fish
and seafood products, at a very
tender age, a love he has carried
with him until today. This has led
him to focus much of his energy and skills on dishes consisting
essentially of fresh local marine
produce, enabling him to base his
menu on its daily availability.
Although Pasteau excels in creating original fish and seafood
dishes, experimenting with their
exciting flavours and textures,
he is equally adept at combining
products from both the land and
sea, to produce sumptuous mixed
signature dishes.
INSIDER SPECIAL EDITION
But Pasteau is much more than a
master chef. He is also a renowned
activist in the conservation of marine resources.
Crépinette de queue de veau
croquette de polenta par François Pasteau
His ethos is centred on the promotion and the sustainable use and
preservation of marine resources,
as well as the development of sustainable practices within the industry. He utilises exclusively sustainable species in his cuisine, always
striving to avoid the depletion of
resources, by making environmentally informed choices.
Furthermore, he now also collects
bio waste at his restaurant, as part
of what he himself calls a daily battle to protect the planet. This must
necessarily include waste management, which plays a huge role in
the conservation of the environment. Pasteau convincingly advocates that we should gradually learn
how to eat better, but in smaller
quantities. This will also translate
into a higher food quality, resulting in healthier consumers, while
enabling farmers to earn a better
living through the production of
higher quality products. This will
bring about an overall more sustainable and less harmful scenario
for our fragile planet.
Pasteau
convincingly
advocates that we
should gradually
learn how to eat
better, but in
smaller quantities
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