Tuna, Matter and recurring accuracy
Chef Freddy Garanjoud is a poet. This phrase already says a lot about his cuisine, which seeks neither to convince nor to demonstrate, but simply to touch. To slip into the moment, with precision and creativity. Around the chef, Marion and Lionel Schneider orchestrate Chez Matière a score of almost invisible precision. A sincere, deeply human service, where every gesture seems to flow from the source. We often speak of osmosis, but here it’s palpable. A mayonnaise that rises, yes – but without tension, without apparent effort. And yet, those familiar with the restoration know that this fluidity is a cleverly constructed illusion. A feat, in fact.
A long, quiet river
At Matière, everything seems to flow smoothly. But in the kitchen as in the dining room, every detail counts, every constraint exists, every service is a challenge. Perhaps this is where the beauty of the place lies: in its ability to make simple what is never simple. During this lunch – a special one, suspended, in the company of a leading figure we’ll soon be talking about in a new Bottle Talk – one dish stood out with an almost unsettling obviousness. Tuna.
A raw red tuna is seared in a homemade ponzu broth (soy, mirin and yuzu) to underline its sharpness. Underneath, a scallop coral condiment, assembled almost like a mayonnaise, delicately brings out the iodine. Above, a lightly fermented fennel, lively without being sharp, brings tension and relief. And then quinoa, discreet but essential, punctuates the whole with a subtly placed crunch. A dish that coaxes with its gourmandise and strikes with its precision.
The right place
Once again, Matière confirms what we already sensed. Not just another address. Just another place. An inhabited place. Perhaps this is what Freddy Garanjoud’s signature is all about: a cuisine that never imposes itself, but remains in the memory. One that registers. That touches without raising its voice.
