Lucas Carton was one of the iconic addresses in French gastronomy when the late Alain Sederens helmed the restaurant from 1985 to 2013 . He was the first chef to offer a wine pairing , he trained and influenced current 3 Michelin star icons Alain Passard and Christian Le Squer and late in his tenure he eschewed luxury ingredients instead preferring to make magic from humble produce , he was ground breaking in many respects .

These days Lucas Carton is owned by the Pommery champagne house and Chef Hugo Bourny is on the right track towards restoring the restaurant’s prestige standing .

The meal started with a bright and textural Langoustine carpaccio, smoked cream, bergamot gel , tapioca crisp and oscetra caviar . A nice dish where every ingredient played its role .

Leek was the star of the 2nd course , it appeared as caramelised, puréed and as a broth. Raw sea bream and a hint of ginger were the only complimentary additions.

Monkfish loin was lightly smoked then aged for 5 days before getting a quick sear , a moat of hawthorn and miso broth and a lively cabbage and horseradish slaw assured this was a light dish where once again every flavour profile stood out .

My favourite course was beef tenderloin which had been cured in Konbu and Bonito flakes , this semi cooked the protein and if only needed a little more heat to reach a rare but firm texture , akin to perfectly cooked pigeon . It was an intriguing and well executed preparation . Alongside was celeriac purée and sea bean bearnaise .

A dessert with various textures of grapefruit accented with kerala peppercorns rounded out a very pleasing lunch