Chef Jérôme Banctel’s hunting menu at Le Gabriel

The shell white plates at Le Gabriel hold the season’s most prized catch. Chef Jérôme Banctel’s hunting menu unfolds with the measured precision of a man who understands that game demands respect: the protein seared to a burnished crust, the sauce delivering layers of depth and subtle wood smoke, the vegetables cut and arranged with the clarity of purpose that separates craft from mere cooking.

Brittany runs through his work like a thread through linen. The sauces carry the refinement of classical French technique, yet there is something wilder at their heart, something that speaks to the forests and moorlands of his childhood. Each dish builds on the last, moving from delicate preparations through to more robust celebrations of venison and game bird, the richness deepening with each course.

The plating itself becomes part of the narrative. A single piece of game sits in its own amber reduction, accompanied by a glossy green mousse and burnt orange geometries of carrot, all contained within the sculptural white vessel that frames the composition. The light catches the sauce as it pools; there is movement even in stillness.

At Le Gabriel, which sits within La Réserve Paris, Chef Banctel has created a menu that does not merely serve game but rather conducts a conversation between nature and tradition, between the wild and the refined. The hunting season here becomes a celebration of exceptional craftsmanship, where every ingredient speaks to the seasons and every plate demonstrates the weight of understanding what lands on it.

Imagery courtesy of La Réserve Paris (@lareserveparis).