Quentin Philippe, a starry road
The year 2024 will be remembered as a vintage one. In that year, Quentin Philippe gave birth to his son, Arakel was awarded a Gault & Millau rating of 15 and, above all, the establishment was awarded its first Michelin star. Originally conceived as a wine bar, the place has evolved into a full-fledged restaurant, in keeping with the ambitions it had from the outset. The chef confides: “In 2024, everything came together at breakneck speed, like a tidal wave. And if the restaurant is regularly fully booked, it has become a precious habit that we must maintain.”
Consistency
Today, Quentin Philippe sums up the past year in one word: consistency. A requirement dictated, on the one hand, by obtaining the star and, on the other, by a constant desire to improve. This involves attention to detail: a change of crockery for the cheese, a few jobs around the establishment, but also a refusal to rest on his laurels. With humility, however, the chef makes it clear that he is not in the race for the stars: “When the philosophy is clear and you take care to build on what you’ve learned, the path naturally leads to great things.
True to the spirit of his early days at Arakel, Quentin Philippe looks back on the genesis of the project: “For me, Arakel was the beginning of a culinary adventure in which I really took sides to defend my cuisine. Today, this cuisine is sincere, clear and fully assumed. After a period when technicality was paramount, the chef has refocused on the essentials: the product, gourmet delights and emotion. The dishes evolve with the seasons and the producers, without rigidity, with a single ambition: to hit the mark. Here, every dish counts, not to demonstrate savoir-faire, but to leave a lasting impression. Because beyond the star, what Quentin Philippe seeks above all is to create a memory: the precise moment that the customer will never forget, and which gives his profession its full meaning.
The future…
For the coming year, the chef is looking ahead without haste. Consolidating what already exists, developing Arakel in small steps and continuing to surprise without betraying himself: the ambition is there, discreet but very real. More than a destination, Arakel is part of a movement, that of a restaurant in constant maturation, driven by a sensitive cuisine and a chef who moves forward with precision.
