An Oasis in France

When you need a place to rest, to cool down, a place to eat well, to quench your thirst and build up mentally and physically, it is easy to think of such a place as an oasis. The small town of La Napoule on the French Riviera has just such a place. It lies secluded in the quarter behind the beach promenade, and of course, it is called L'Oasis. And what an oasis it is!

By Terje Myklbost

But an oasis in the desert wouldn't have two stars in the Michelin Guide, but L'Oasis does - and that is two stars with upgrade! The restaurant aspires to three stars through it's "Espoir" in the guide. Stéphane Raimbault and his brother Francois L'Oasis have run the restaurant since 1991 and made improvements and progress year after year - Stéphane as chef and general manager, and Francois, as one of France's best dessert chefs. Together they are an unbeatable team, and a couple years ago they also had their younger brother Antoine in the kitchen. And in addition to that - Valerie, wife of Francois runs the little shop facing the street, with delicious cakes and pastries. So L'Oasis is like a wonderful French family.

A daily battle
"Yes, it is nice to do this together. It inspires me to continue, and to constantly keep improving. My two children, Stéphanie and Charles, will probably follow in their father's footsteps and hopefully take over the business when the time is ready", says Stéphane.

I've finally got him to sit down and enjoy a glass of cool white wine in the heat. It is not easy to get one of France's best chefs to take a moment out.

"There is little time to relax in this business. It is a rat race and hard work to stay on top. Any lack of attention to details and you are out of it. And I like to compete, so that is why I haven't got much time to sit and talk to you.

"So far this has been a difficult year for our industry in France. It is economically worrying times, and throughout Europe it is as if people are sitting quietly and waiting to see what will happen next. So, then a six-course dinner at a gourmet restaurant won't be their highest priority. But I know that things will get better, so I am working hard and steadily. However, I have been wise enough to put some money away during good times", smiles Stéphane. We are sitting in the lounge section slightly withdrawn from the restaurant.

Star after star
L'Oasis is located in an old brick building on a corner in the Rue Jean Honoré Carle, and it has done so since Louis Outhier established the restaurant in 1954. He had attended school with Fernand Point, and quickly built L'Oasis up to become a top gourmet restaurant. In 1970 he received his third Michelin Star. But without someone to take over the restaurant he returned his three stars, and closed it down in 1988, a first in French gourmet history. L'Oasis was closed for three years before Stéphane Raimbault took over and opened it again in 1991.

"I had lived in Osaka in Japan for nine years where I ran the gourmet restaurant, Le Rendez-Vous. Previously I ran the restaurant Gérard Pangaud in Paris".

Stéphane is modest enough to not mention that in Paris he had two stars in the Michelin Guide, and in Japan three in the local gourmet guide. But after he took over L'Oasis it wasn't long before the restaurant had been given back two of the Michelin stars.

"The third star is harder to reach", says Stéphane.
"I have had two stars for 15 years, been in the advancement group for three years and even voted the best two-star restaurant in France. But the question is whether time is running out for me. The new generation of chefs run completely different and modern types of restaurants that are about to take over hegemony. But I'm faithful to my concept and my regular clients, so we will see. It is a tough competition for every single star."

Three menus 
To an untrained eye nothing seems to be lacking at L'Oasis. But L'Oasis is of course part of the exclusive Relais & Chateaux chain, which places great demands on its members.

In the evening we are received like royalty in the pleasant reception area, get to meet Stéphane in his  shining and sparkling new kitchen with its 17 chefs, and are escorted to a table in the garden by the maitre d'. We will get dishes from the oriental menu tonight. L'Oasis has two types of menus - the Oriental, based on the years Stéphane lived in the East, and a Mediterranean menu based on its location and its Mediterranean neighbours.

"I believe that a menu should be based on a combination of personal experiences, which country you are from, the area and available raw materials as well as the time of year. I change part of the menu four times a year, which of course has to do with the four seasons. The time of year affects the taste and flavor of the truffles and this we must take advantage of, "says Stéphane.

First class
The meal is like a first class journey through the Far East. It all starts with a cool Kir based on wild strawberries, and home-baked bread in different variations with three delicious mousse of salmon, olives and caviar. This is followed by a small appetizer, a soup of chicken and shrimp with cilantro, and then marinated, raw swordfish in cilantro sauce with balsamico, olive oil with pepper and sesame, decorated with cress flowers. Both dishes absolutely beautiful, and perfect to a Pouilly-Fuissé 2003, Alliance Vergisson, Daniel Barraud, cool and fresh to the warm, oriental flavors. Stéphane offers a total of 450 different wines, from all the French regions, plus a small selection foreign. 20 of the wines can be ordered per glass.

The first main course is a sea bream in light teriyaki sauce cooked in butter, sake, garlic and Japanese noodles in lobster sauce. Fantastic combination!
We retune our taste buds with a very exciting sorbet made of grapefruit, green pepper and white wine - icy and deliciously fresh in the warm evening.
A Chateau de Roquefort 2001, Les Mures, De Villeneuve, at the perfect temperature from the wine cellar is tasted and made ready for the second main course - a breast of pigeon, lightly fried fois gras of duck and soft mango - a heavenly combination, as if created for the selected red wine - or vice versa.
As a transition to dessert Stéphane serves a fruit salad in lychee sauce and creamy almond milk.

This too is a heavenly experience of tastes.
Then follows the five-storey dessert trolly. And what to select - from among 20 different beautifully crafted cakes? Not easy. But everything I taste is just devine.

Good to be
In all - it is a sensual experience to eat at the three brothers on the corner of La Napoule. They put their soul in everything they do. L'Oasis is a true oasis, a soft and gentle green haven in the summer evening with scents of eucalyptus and lavender mixed with the fragrances from Stephan's kitchen. This is a great place to be!
www.oasis-raimbault.com

Any comments on this article, please post them on our forum page http://www.ipb-magazine.com/en/forum