the curtain is raised at press kit - quatrieme-mur.com philippe etchebest in ‘cauchemar en...
TRANSCRIPT
Press kit
The curtain is raised at
« Imagine a high wall standing along the edge of the stage separating you from the audience; act your part as though the curtain hadn’t been raised.»
— Denis Diderot, Discours sur la poésie dramatique (1758),Chap. 11, De l’intérêt.
Le Quatrième Mur, a brasserie set within the walls of the National Opera House in the heart of Bordeaux’s historic quarter, opened its doors to the public on 8th September. Within the sumptuous setting of one of Bordeaux’s finest heritage buildings, the Bordelais discovered a new chic,contemporary brasserie
Bordeaux was voted best European destination in 2015 and has undeniably been a showcase for French art de vivre for several years now. L’art de vivre à la française is both beautiful to contemplate and delicious to taste, as exemplified here in the cuisine of chef Philippe Etchebest, who remains true to his principles of sharing and generosity and offers uncomplicated dishes in which flavour plays theleading role.
Introduction
Les Piliers de Tutelle, a significant Gallo-Roman monu-ment built in the 3rd century during the Severan dynasty of the Roman Empire, is today buried under the Place de la Comédie. It was situated at the western end of the Grand Théâtre’s terrace, opposite rue Mautrec. Today only engravings and a road bearing its name remain.The building was already in poor condition before being definitively demolished under the orders of Louis XIV in February 1677. After civil disturbances during the Fronde and a bloody uprising of the people, he decided to remove the sloping buffer of Château Trompette in order to fire his canons more easily at the rebellious city.
16773ADAt the end of the One Hundred Years War and after the annexation of Guyenne by the kingdom of France in 1453, Charles VII decided to build Château Trompette and the Hâ fortress on the edges of the city. He did this both to protect the province of Gascony against any new attempted invasions by the English and to ensure that the people of Bordeaux obeyed the royal authorities. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the threat of invasion by England and Spain caused Louis XIV to further reinforce Bordeaux’s fortifications.By the end of the 18th century unrest in Bordeaux was on the wane and Château Trompette was perceived as an obstacle to urban development. Demolition work was carried out on certain parts of the fortress as from 1785, but systematic demolition only really began in 1812. The foundations and underground parts were buried and today make up the substructure of the Place des Quinconces.
1453 1816
Historical background
Louis-Nicolas Victoire Louis, aka Victor Louis (1731-1800)Having studied at the Royal Academy of Architecture, he was awarded in 1755 the equivalent of the Grand Prix. Throughout his career he enjoyed the protection of several powerful men, including the King of Poland, the Duke of Richelieu, who brought him to Bordeaux, the Duke of Orléans and the future Philippe Egalité. He created works in Warsaw, Paris (the galleries and theatre of the Palais-Royal), Besançon and the choir of Chartres cathedral. While many classic-style buildings are dubiously attributed to him in Bordeaux, there is no doubt that he was the architect of Hotel Saige, the Hotels Fonfrède and De Lamolère, also the Rolly (today the Grand Hotel de Bordeaux), as well as the Nairac and Gobineau hotels. What remained of his drawings after the city’s archives burnt in a fire, is todaykept in the Bordeaux Municipal Archives.
“L’ilôt Louis”(the quarter surrounding the theatre, attributed to Victor Louis) In 1756, the year in which fire destroyed a theatre in the street adjacent to the Town Hall (today’s cours Victor Hugo), Bordeaux no longer had a theatre. Despite great difficulties, three men, the Maréchal de Richelieu (the governor of the province), Dupré de Saint-Maur, (the Intendant de la Généralité), and the architect Victor Louis pooled their efforts to provide the capital of Guyenne with a monument worthy of the city. Plans were therefore drawn up and the building of the Grand-Théâtre began in 1773. The inauguration took place on 7th April 1780. Racine’s Athalie was performed, after a short piece by Blincourt called Le Jugement d’Apollon, in front of a packed house of 1,700 spectators.
1773 Present Day
The years 1990 and 1991 were a turning point in the histo-ry of the theatre. In order to erase the ravages of time and fulfil the demands of modern theatre, vast restoration work was carried out while ensuring that the soul of the theatre was carefully preserved. One such restoration was the theatre’s performance hall. To provide more light and clarity, the old gold and red colours imposed during the 19th century made way for the blue, white and gold décor of the original theatre. The Grand-Théâtre today with its pure ar-chitectural lines is one of the most beautiful monuments of a city which can justifiably be proud of possessing, among all the splen-dours with which the centuries have adorned it, a unique ensemble of 18th century art.
1990
Philippe Etchebest
Originating from the south-west of France (more pre-cisely the Basque country), he has lived in Bordeaux since 1978. His family ran a restaurant by the name of Le Chiperon in Bordeaux’s Cours de l’Yser, where they
served Basque specialities. Philippe Etchebest studied in Bordeaux at the Lycée Hotelier of Talence. He then worked his way around France honing his skills at the country’s top restaurants. With this experience added to his CV, he returned to his home region in 1995 where he was first taken on at Château Grand Barrail in Saint Emilion. While there he worked towards gaining the coveted title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France, which he was awarded in 2000. His next challenge was to run a
« I chose to settle in Bordeaux, because it’s my home and I wanted to contribute to the city’s vibrancy»
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restaurant himself. This was at Château des Reynats in the Dordogne, where he stayed over 2 years and got his first Michelin star. He then moved on to the Hostellerie de Plaisance in Saint Emilion, where he managed the restaurant for 10 years, gaining his second Michelin star. He left Saint Emilion in 2013. In 2011, he had begun a career in the media appearing in the TV programme ‘Cauchemar en Cuisine’, in which his role was to come to the rescue of failing restaurateurs. He then joined “Top Chef”, followed by ‘Objectif Top Chef ’, and also appeared in other programmes on France’s M6 channel. With the opening of the ‘le Quatrième Mur’ restaurant, Etchebest has set himself the challenge of creating high quality yet very simple and convivial food to be enjoyed in the plush surroundings of the National Opera House of Bordeaux.
In this very personal work, Etchebest chooses not to reveal the recipes of his favourite dishes but instead those which have helped him become the accomplished chef he is today. Though as a professional he is driven and dynamic, he alludes to his childhood, confiding private memories, and mentioning the people he has met and the challenges which have shaped his life. All through his career he has found the strength to bounce back from adversity and each time aim a little higher. Throughout his story he offers advice and encouragement to help everyone, whatever their level, to get more out of their lives. One’s private life and working life, he says, go hand in hand. You can only excel in your job if you are fulfilled in the rest of your life. The main driving force behind both one’s private life and one’s career, he adds, is pleasure, commitment and sharing. A tried and tested recipe, it would appear, that works!
On the roads of France to help the restaurant owners by revisiting local dishes, such is the challenge of the Chef Philippe Etchebest in ‘Cauchemar en cuisine’ french name for the famous show Nightmare in the kitchen.
Find the fruit of these outstanding experiences through a selection of the best recipes of the emission : veal ‘blanquette’, cannelloni of bruccio spinach, the fish burger or still the ‘pain perdu’. About forty generous, accessible and savourous recipes supported by chief ’s advice and tricks.
Le Concept
« Imagine a high wall standing along the edge of the stage separating you from the audience; act your part as though the curtain hadn’t been raised.»
These were the words of denis diderot in de la poésie dramatique. It was this quotation that the designer charles toulza And architect florent delbreil of the province agency used as inspiration for their concept of the quatrième mur. This 27-metre long wall creates new spaces that interlink with the dramatic arts. The only obligation laid down by the chef Was that the brasserie should offer several experiences. Three different ambiances can therefore be found at the quatrième Mur: a table d’hôtes, a classic lounge and a bench seating area. «The renovation of what used to be the café opéra now reveals a new scene. Both in the classic lines of the building designed By the architect victor louis and in the decoration created by burguet in 1830, the project has been completed without Disturbing any of the elements created by its predecessors.
« Our wish was to create a link with the world of theatre, and it was with this in mind that we de-veloped the concept and proposed this project to Chef Phi-lippe Etchebest»
All along the Quatrième Mur, successive scenes can be observed between the gold columns. On the other side, the long zinc counter stretches out towards the peristyle alongside the brasserie tables draped in white tablecloths.” And finally, above the stage lights shining over the constant movement of the waiters, the stage costumes enjoy a wellearned rest at the heart of the Place Comédie.
The chef set himself a real challenge in opening a brasserie, serving from breakfast to dinner with even a salon de thé included for afternoon tea. The watchword is imagination, to which a completely free rein has been given. The menu therefore changes every week and offers yummy, delicious-tasting food which is strictly democratic, so as not to serve exclusively top of the range cuisine. The chef uses all his know-how to create simple versions of dishes, always with fresh produce either sourced regionally or from further afar.
As for wine, head sommelier Claire Casciello proposes carefully chosen wines to pair with each of the chef ’s creations. The restaurant can seat 90 people, and 50 more in the peristyle during the warmer months.
To help develop the taste buds of children, there is a menu at 18 euros.
Breakfast• Hot drink, fresh fruit juice and homemade panettoneprices is 12 euros
Lunch (The menu is served only from Monday to Friday) • starter / main* dish or main dish / dessert* 29 euros• starter, main dish and dessert 34 eurosLunch menu changes every week according to season and inspiration of the chef and his team.
Salon de théfrom 3.30 pm to 6pm• prices are à la carte
Dinner(At weekends and on bank holidays)• single menu at 50 euros
*choice between 2 starters, 2 main dishes and 2 desserts**choice between 3 starters, 3 main dishes and 3 desserts
Cuisine
These are Philippe Etchebest’s words used by Fréderic Bernou when briefing the kitchen staff. “I have a very strong team. Firstly, there’s Frédéric Bernou, my assis-tant, who I’ve worked with for 20 years. He knows me off by heart and I trust him entirely. Teamwork and desire in my view are the two essential ingredients in making the Quatrième Mur a success. Without them, customers won’t be satisfied and that is something we can’t let happen.”
Team« You have to perform as a team. Individualism has no place in the kitchen.»
Fréderic BernouManager
Claire CascielloHead Sommelier
Matthieu RobinHead pastry chef
William Numa Director Restaurant Manager
Edition and Visual Identity : Charles Toulza - http ://charles-toulza.com - [email protected]
Architecture : Florent Delbreil - https://florent-delbreil.com - [email protected] Photography : Cyril Bernard - http ://cyril-bernard.fr - [email protected]
Stephen Mazoyer Head Chef
Crédits :
