The other day, my love and I celebrated our anniversary. He surprised me with dinner at a restaurant that I’ve been dying to try even before moving to Reims: Gabrielle! This luxurious restaurant not only boasts superbly executed dishes by Chef Vincent Borrossi and his team: it is located on a rooftop at the base of the majestic Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims. This blog post is my Review of Restaurant Gabrielle Reims.
First off, the decor is modern and chic. The restaurant is surrounded by windows, offering views of the town and the Cathedral. A terrace wraps around the restaurant, with olive trees providing greenery and parasols providing cover from the sun. We were seated on the “city view” side, which gave us a romantic view of the sunset. It was perfect for our special evening!
The service was friendly and timely. We ordered a bottle of Grégory Gérardin Tradition, a delectable champagne with flavours of white fruits and dried fig. Our meal started with a house-made tapenade (olive spread) and crostini as our hors d’oeuvre.
It was very hot outside so we wanted to eat light. We split the foie gras as our entrée. Unlike many places, Gabrielle kindly gave us two separate plates, both beautifully presented. It was a really thoughtful touch!
The foie was incredible: prepared with saffron, it was served with freshly baked brioche and spiced apricot compote. The flavours were impeccable! The Chef specializes in a seasonal menu. In fact, it changes every two weeks, depending on what is available from local farms and market gardeners.
We both ordered the same main dish, and shared different sides (which were served in different dishes). We had Saint-Jacques (giant scallops), marinated in a secret mixture of sweet Indian Roellinger spices. They were served on tomatoes cooked with anise. I thought the spice combination was delicious and inspiring. In addition, our plates included aromatic vegetables such as turnips, fennel, and carrot.
Our sides were polenta prepared with truffle (yum!) and leek fondue. They were both mouthwateringly good — I particularly liked the creaminess of the leeks. The plating was pretty and I thought that having the sides in separate dishes made the meal more convivial, as it easy to share and swap.
While all the desserts sounded fantastic, we were full at this point. Instead, we opted for espresso. Our cups arrived with tasty chocolate and pistachio morsels.
Overall, I had a wonderful experience at Gabrielle. I would recommend it as a “must visit” to anyone in the area! A big thank you to the team at Gabrielle for making our special day even more special. And thank you to my ❤️ for bringing me here!