A 31-year-old new chef has taken charge of the Château Frontenac’s flagship restaurant Le Champlain, offering a bold menu where modern meets ancestral tradition.
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It’s a homecoming for Quebec native Gabrielle Molior Langevin, who has spent the past five years as executive chef at Mousso in Montreal.
Photo provided by André-Olivier Lyra
His track record is impressive and includes many work experiences abroad: at the Marcon restaurant (three Michelin stars in France), at Noma (in Copenhagen) – several times crowned best restaurant in the world – and at the famous Fäviken, in Sweden.
These stays abroad, as well as many other trips, enabled him to realize the importance of immersing himself in the surrounding nature of cooking.
Since arriving at Château Frontenac two months ago, the chef has established relationships with producers from Quebec, Ile d’Orléans, Charlevoix and even Camorsca.
The new menu, which launched last week, relies on local, seasonal ingredients: rhubarb, asparagus, morels, lamb, halibut, and more.
Have fun above all
The chef wants to have fun, and you can savor it on this discovery menu available in five or eight courses, which is also served in a vegetarian version – a first of its kind. Champlain.
The first appetizer, a foie gras dessert with a black currant glaze from Mona et Filles, is breathtaking.
Foie gras dessert with black currant glaze
Photo by Marian White
“I am delighted to have achieved such a result. It’s visually perfect, and it’s a morsel or two of indulgence,” the chef told me, sitting comfortably near a fireplace in the gorgeous restaurant decked out in woodwork, gilding, and tapestries.
The thirty-year-old stands out in this environment, with his ponytail and youthful air. But he feels like a fish in water, happy to play the role of an alchemist to develop his recipes.
His cuisine is very intuitive and thoughtful. “There’s a spontaneous side, with flashes that come from my experiences and that I collect,” he explains. I have elements, I see where I want to go in my flavors and instinctively put them together. I put in a little, I add more, and I play with the elements until I find a good balance.
From the cedar fence!
Take, for example, the case of the halibut served as a fourth course. It is not the fish that inspired the original idea. “I started with celeriac. I wanted to bring some bitterness to the bottom of the list,” he says. Marry halibut when in season, and make lemon-thyme butter and sunflower-and-dill oil dressing. The result iscrazyswears. And I give him reason, it’s a successful agreement!
Halibut with sunflower sauce
Photo by Marian White
For the sixth course, he baffles us with sour cherry kombucha served as ice cream and layered on tuya cream. The latter was made, believe it or not, from scraps of cedar cut down by a member of his brigade.
The chef wanted to upgrade, infuse and heat it to enhance the flavours. He says, “We can have fun, we are almost without limits. I like simple things with surprises.” It’s as amazing as it gets, but it goes well with the rest!
Another uniqueness, the chef infuses his Scandinavian experiences with a broke down Made with fractionated flour from baker François Bourderon. Its modified version of the old classic is served center table with a fluffy mushroom mousse.
Gastronomic capital
Back in Quebec after a 10-year hiatus, Chef Gabriel wants to help make the capital a gastronomic destination.
“I come back with a bag and a vision. To me, I’m in a new city. They’re no longer the same shops, the same restaurants. It’s evolved. I think we’re at a certain peak of Quebec gastronomy. I want to be part of that fizz!”
Here is Chef Gabriel Molleur-Langevin’s 8-course Discovery Menu
- Foie gras dessert with black currant glaze
- Lacquered raw scallops with miso masawibi
Miso glazed scallops
Photo by Marian White
- Chaga beef consommé, burnt hay oil and beef tongue
beef consommé
Photo by Marian White
- Halibut with sunflower dressing, celery, asparagus, morels and nasturtium
- Lamb with brown butter, oyster mushroom
Meat with brown butter
Photo by Marian White
- Morello Cherry Kombucha, Cream of Rice
- Candied rhubarb, aniseed honey ganache, chamomile
Candied rhubarb with honey ganache
Photo by Marian White
candies
Photo by Marian White
The eight-course menu is $189 and the five-course version is $119. It takes $159 or $105 respectively for a wine pairing.
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