Small gesture
MANON FLEURY • Datil
WORK • Friday Routine
MANON FLEURY • head chef • Datil
Neighborhood you work in: Marais
Neighborhood you live in: République
It’s Friday afternoon. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’ve just finished lunch service, which went really well. We’re lucky to have a full restaurant and a team that knows the place well, so we take a lot of pleasure in this silent game where everyone adds their touch to the dish and passes it along like a ball until the final goal: the table where it will be enjoyed.
I’m taking a short break before a meeting to prepare the next Datil newsletters, and at 5p, we have the Friday tasting. One team member takes turns choosing a drink from the menu and presents it, with help from our sommeliers. It allows everyone to step into each other’s shoes, discover aromas and pairings, and train their palate.
And tonight, I’m lucky not to be working because Laurène Barjhoux and I operate as a duo of chefs, which allows us not to do every service. Overall, both the dining room and kitchen teams work in pairs, which has allowed us to reduce the number of “split shifts” (that forced break between lunch and dinner where you’re not working but can’t really do anything else either) to a maximum of two per week per person.
Last night Laurène was off, so as I speak, I’m already on my weekend!
What’s on the agenda for today?
This morning, I worked on my France Inter column for Sunday. The show, On Va Déguster, will be dedicated to lasagna. I reflected on this traditional dish built on layering, but proposed a more contemporary, spring-inspired interpretation.
In the recipe I finalized this morning, I move away from the classic Italian version, rich in pasta and béchamel, and keep only the gesture — the layering — transposed into a plant-based version with kohlrabi, celery, chard, and a sauce made with spinach, lentils, mushrooms, and walnuts from Périgord. Pauline Gouablin, the photographer I work with, came into the Datil kitchen to photograph the plated dish, and at the same time I practiced presenting it.
Then came lunch service, and after a short break, I had a meeting with part of my team to think about upcoming Datil newsletters. Until now we did one per season, but now we’re moving toward a series based on our five senses. The next one will focus on colors and how we perceive them.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Patine, the restaurant in the 11th my friend Julien Chevallier opened with Emma Rajaud, where he cooks with Victoria Mekkoui. I already know I’ll have the warm apple tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. It’s always on the menu — I really like the idea of a dish that stays. We have something similar at Datil with rice porridge, which evolves with micro-seasons. The next version will include peas and strawberries.
How about a little leisure or culture?
The team and I are going to visit Elise Bougy in Champagne. Elise is a winemaker that Valentine Roustit, Datil’s head sommelier, introduced me to (she knows me so well). I love Elise’s work, her approach, her sensitivity. We share the same values, and her Champagnes are very refined. I’m really happy we’re taking the time for this collective meeting between our two worlds that coexist without really seeing each other.
Any weekend getaways?
This weekend I’m staying in Paris, but last weekend I was in Rome! Laurène and I were invited to cook at Villa Medici for the traditional Lemon Dinners. We went with part of the team, and Valentine Desmoulins, the chef in residence at the Villa, welcomed us into her kitchen. It was an extraordinary experience, spending a weekend in this 7-hectare park with 300 varieties of citrus fruits, right in the heart of Rome… like a waking dream. And next weekend I’m going to Marseille with my closest friends to celebrate my 35th birthday! So this weekend, I’m taking it easy.
What was your last great vacation?
Last summer I was in Puglia with my friend Pauline Gouablin. We spent a few days at Giorgia Goggi’s place, where I had the chance to cook. She later came for a “four-hands” dinner at Datil. It was so nice to be in the role of a guest. It’s a very restorative place, with incredibly high-quality produce from the garden. Eating, reading, smelling the scents of summer: that’s my definition of happiness.
Where are you donating your time or money?
At Datil, we donate €1 from every bill to the Ernest Association, which produces 25,000 meals annually for food aid in Paris. This year I’ll also be co-patron, alongside actress and director Aïssa Maïga, of the Refugee Food Festival, which takes place in 12 cities across France from June 6 to 28.