Style de Cuisine

Not every place is equally suitable for a product-focused kitchen. However, the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the southeast of France seems perfect: South of Lake Geneva, west of the Mont Blanc, it offers the best of waters and mountains. In this region, more specifically in Annecy, Laurent Petit finally opened his own restaurant Le Clos de Sens in 1992 after various internships, among which working alongside Michel Guérard – one of the founders of ‘nouvelle cuisine’ and the inventor of ‘cuisine minceur’ – in his restaurant Les Prés d’Eugénie was probably the most influential for Laurent Petit’s further career. In 2009, he moved his restaurant including a boutique hotel to its current location in Annecy-le-Vieux (‘Old Annecy’) which overlooks the better-known picturesque centre of Annecy on the northeastern shore of Lake Annecy. At the end of 2022, Franck Derouet – Laurent Petit’s longtime sous-chef – took over Le Clos of Sens.

Objet d’Art

Reading the menu gives you a first impression of Laurent Petit’s culinary concept: The dishes circle around vegetables either grown in the restaurant’s own garden you can stroll through just down the hill or in the Haute-Savoie region. Fishes – the restaurant rarely uses meat – come from the three nearby lakes Lac Léman, Lac Annecy or Lac du Bourget. All suppliers are proudly mentioned by name. As Le Clos de Sens offers only Carte Blanche menus, you only have to choose the length of the menu. Part of a menu of any length is the signature dish Envolée de Champignons de Savoie: Wafer-thin sliced champignons conically rolled and piled up. As soon as you have conquered the top of the champignon mountain with a pair of tweezers, you will discover further textures of champignons beneath. To finish off, you will find a cappuccino of champignon as a side-dish. This dish is exemplary for the style of the kitchen: Light and puristic the product is in the spotlight. Considering the self-imposed restrictions, we feel that Laurent Petit makes the most of the ingredients locally available. Once in a while, we appreciate this concept as it honours local products and encourages creativity in dealing with it. Ironically, the concept is broken at the very end of the menu, when you are offered coffee.

Mis-en-Scène

The cooking style of connectedness with the region and nature continues in the Mis-en-Scène: The menu is presented in an artfully folded envelope which turns out – once unfolded – as a map of the region with Le Clos de Sens in its centre. Tables for 24 guests are well spaced in one large room with wooden walls which create a matching rustic atmosphere. Your view is directed towards the inviting terrace that is covered by two huge trees whose branches act as a natural awning. If you turn your view backwards, you can watch the chefs at work on the kitchen pass which fortunately causes neither unpleasant noise nor smells. The staff of 10 people – men in khaki chinos and blue blazers, ladies in blue overalls, both in brown shoes – serve you in an unobtrusive, yet attentive manner.

Our Appreciation of Performance