Odette en Ville

It took no more than a month for Odette, country chic par excellence, to incarnate the last word in urban chic. Seamlessly and effortlessly, Odette swapped her Aigle boots for a pair of Jimmy Choo. From the guest house in the pasture at the bottom of the village, we now find ourselves beneath the gildings of a boutique hotel that would not be out of place in Paris or Madrid. The ambiance has been beautifully set, blending Marcel Wanders tables, Chesterfields, open fire and wallpaper from Bowness of London. The mix works perfectly: this is the place to be seen. You might think that surely decor such as this has ‘appetizers’ written all over it, a vain anorexic’s paradise. But no, the good news is that Roberto Zanusso has refined his cooking, inspired by both the humble cabbage from the field and the goat’s cheese in the salon. The starter of lentils or the poached egg and truffles are the guardians of this culinary temple, while the main dishes and side dishes are made of honest combinations of the best produce. And as for the ‘Paris-Bruxelles’ dessert, he has not been shy with the butter and cream...