Vaud cuisine excels in the 2021 Gault&Millau

A hundred or so restaurants in the Canton of Vaud have received accolades in the 2021 edition of the Gault&Millau food guide, with special mentions for excellence for several chefs, too.

Despite the current situation, the food guide is publishing a new and almost normal edition. In 2021, 10 new establishments have joined the award-winning rankings of Vaud restaurants promoted in the Gault&Millau food guide. Among them, a new chapter has begun for the Fleur de Sel in Cossonay (formerly run by Carlo Crisci) with François Gautier and Romain Dercile at the helm. And while the dining room is as elegant as ever, a new feature is the show kitchen for a glimpse of the chefs at work. The establishment makes its debut in the guide with 17/20 points. La Sardine in Lausanne (12/20), l’Ulivo in Nyon (13/20), A la Demi-Lune in Chardonne (13/20), Ô Bistro de Lavaux at La Conversion (14/20), among others, have all made their entry in the guide.

11 establishments in the Canton of Vaud have improved their score compared with the 2020 edition. Among them are the Auberge de l’Abbaye de Montheron, located above Lausanne. Thanks to Chef Rafael Rodriguez’s ‘all home-made’ approach, it has gained an additional point for the second year running and now boasts 16/20. Likewise, Les Ateliers in Vevey, Au Gaulois in Romainmôtier, and the Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville in Avenches have all garnered an additional point.

Elsewhere, on a different note, the Lausanne brasserie La Bavaria (13/20) has picked up the ICOMOS prize for historic restaurant of 2021. The prize is in recognition of the renovation and restoration project as a whole and acknowledges the efforts undertaken to preserve the culinary traditions typical of the early 20th century.

The title for ‘Discovery of the Year’ and ‘Pastry Chef of the Year’ have both gone to establishments in the Canton of Vaud. The erstwhile Table d’Edgar at the Lausanne Palace has been renamed La Table. Franck Pelux and his partner are at the helm, serving a cuisine that transcends borders. They make their entry in the guide with 16/20 points and are named ‘Discovery of the Year’. As for the ‘Pastry Chef of the Year’ award, that goes to Christophe Loeffel at the Pont de Brent, working alongside Chef Stéphane Décotterd. Incidentally, the establishment has retained its 18/20 points by promoting only local produce.

Still at the top of the list are the Hôtel de Ville de Crissier near Lausanne and the Ermitage des Ravets in Vufflens-le-Château, both of which have retained their exceptional score of 19/20.

Overall, 94 establishments in the Canton of Vaud have scored 1,310 points in the 2021 edition of the Gault&Millau.