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If there really was one bad moment to open a top restaurant in Luxembourg, it was this one. On March 9th, 2020 husband and wife team, Julien Lucas and Camille Tardif, signed the contract with their landlord for their new restaurant. On March 16th, Luxembourg went into COVID-19 lockdown. âWe redoubled our efforts and ideas in order to find solutions. If we survive the whole thing, we will be stronger than ever,â says Julien Lucas.
During its first twelve months, the âVilla de Camille et Julienâ in the Rue de PulvermĂŒhl was open for just about five and a half months. âWe entered into all of our obligations before the lockdown â naturally without knowing what was to come,â says Camille Tardif. They did not receive anything from the first batch of lockdown aids because the restaurant had not existed long enough. Later, when the Luxembourgish government provided aid, it came with month-long delays.
Opening a restaurant always means a lot of work on the horizon. But the going really gets tough when you canât be very visible in a city that does not know you yet. Yet, the gastronomy couple from France brings the very best requirements with them. Julien Lucas (35), a fourth generation cook from Forbach near SaarbrĂŒcken, learnt from the legendary JoĂ«l Robuchon following his hotel management education in Sarreguemines, and also worked for him in Paris. âAfter the first week with Robuchon I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do.â He cooked for Alain Ducasse in London and in the Eiffel tower. He achieved his first Michelin star as the Chef of the Jeu de Paume in Chantilly.
And now Luxembourg. A large dining room, spacious, modern but still comfy and decorated in an almost familiar style, now awaits its guests. This is Camille Tardifâs work whose training and career path have been in the hotel industry, between the luxurious Four Seasons group and the emblematic Relais & ChĂąteaux chain. Luxembourg is an attempt to be closer to their parents after years of moving around, and to create a home for their daughter. âIt is time to find some more stability,â Julien Lucas says.
For the couple, âthe challenge is great. This establishment has a long history. âIt is up to us to write a new page. It is now our house and we try every day to make it a little more like who we are,â says the young chef. âWe want people to come to meet us. They should have the feeling of eating at home.â The French art of living in a relaxed manner is the particularity that he wishes to highlight. On the first floor there is a Fumoir. âThe terrace on three levels houses a vegetable garden at the foot of the rock, then the 1st and 2nd terraces are available for aperitifs and digestifs. The meal is served inside. The idea is to offer different settings to customers.
âWe want people to come to meet us. They should have the feeling of eating at home.â
When they were finally able to open, on June 9th, 2020, everything started out in a promising way. The kitchen team, that had accompanied the couple, could finally make a start on dishes such as lobster with sorrel, rabbit Ă la Robuchon, or Coquilles St. Jacques with Williams pears in wild ginger. Julien Lucas talks of a âkitchen with French savoir-faire. French lifestyle is our identity.â
Similar to what the entire gastronomy experienced, things went well until the beginning of the second lockdown. âWe have been forced to close our restaurant, with no visibility of reopening, which is difficult to accept,â he explains with a mixture of sadness, anxiousness and anger. âBut we are fighting for not being forgottenâ.
But Camille and Julien canât afford to and donât want to give up. âThis closure was forced on us. But we will see if something good will not also come of this.â The containment showed that takeaway is not just for pizzerias and sushi bars. It has also developed a great sense of solidarity between chefs. Thus, Chef Julien Lucas, surrounded by Chefs Ilario Mosconi, Arnaud Magnier and Cyril Molard, proposed a starred takeaway box in which each dish was prepared by one of them.
âThe restaurant remains our priority, but we will have to reinvent ourselves once this second confinement is overâ, Julien continues. The couple agree that a new way of consuming has emerged from these repeated confinements, and are thinking of offering a box for weekends, even after the confinement has ended. Why shouldnât a couple who canât find a babysitter simply order food? Why should someone who is stuck at home with flu have to give up a good meal? Whatâs more, a bottle of champagne can be opened at home in a bathrobe to accompany the meal. âWe have never done this before, but now we know how to do it.
VILLA DE CAMILLE ET JULIEN
5, Rue de PulvermĂŒhl â L-2356 Luxembourg
Tel. +352 / 28 99 39 93
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