Superstar chef Crenn to launch in Melbourne

Dominique Crenn, one of the highest-profile chefs in the world, is to open a restaurant in Melbourne.

French-born Crenn will open Petit Crenn in partnership with Australian hospitality operators Salter Brothers next month in the Rialto building at 495 Collins St.

Petit Crenn will bring together French hospitality and Melbourne's vibrant dining culture, Salter Brothers said in a media release.

"Petit Crenn comes from my own life, from the cafes in France where you can sit for five minutes or five hours and always feel welcome," Crenn said. 

"I've wanted to bring that feeling to Australia for a long time." 

As the chef behind the three-Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, Crenn was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2024. Her portfolio also includes Bar Crenn, Café Dior by Dominique Crenn in Dallas and Monsieur Dior by Dominique Crenn in Beverly Hills.

The new eatery will offer everything from morning coffees to late-night gatherings.

Crenn says the restaurant will reflect her approach to everyday French bistro cooking; drawn from her childhood memories, shaped by place and community, and guided by seasonality and simplicity.

The intimate 40-seat venue has been designed by Crenn herself in partnership with Salter Brothers’ design team. It draws on the landscapes and coastline of Brittany, her home region in France.

On the menu, guests can expect signatures including steak tartare with egg yolk jam and sauce au poivre, alongside a croque madame with jambon and gruyère. Seasonal tartines, composed salads, and daily French classics will complete an all-day menu.

Matthew Butcher, director of culinary at Salter Brothers, said “This is a landmark moment for Australian dining. Dominique Crenn is one of the world’s most celebrated culinary voices and to bring her vision to Australia for the first time is incredibly special.

"Petit Crenn reflects exactly the type of partnership we are focused on building; globally recognised talent, a distinctive hospitality concept, and a city with the energy and appetite to embrace it. Melbourne is the right place, and this is the right moment.”

See www.petitcrenn.com.au

Walking in sunshine: Nantes offers an artistic voyage

 

Often overlooked, Nantes is one of my favourite cities in France.

I have very fond memories of plates piled high with local seafood and bottles of chilled Muscadet at the delightful and historic La Cigale.

From July 4 to September 6, the Brittany city will host the 15th edition of  Le Voyage à Nantes, its summer arts expo. 

The voyage comprises a 20km open-air gallery with over 100 artworks, exhibitions and experiences
to be discovered on a route traversing streets, gardens and historic landmarks.

For this year’s event, organisers promise, visitors will see new artworks integrated into both iconic sites and hidden locations.

The event showcases Nantes as offering one of Europe’s most walkable cultural experiences.

"This year, Le Voyage à Nantes begins a new cycle of events devoted to the elements," says event director general Sophie Lévy.

"If urban space can be said to be a deeply reconstructed form of nature - one moulded to our scale and offering a backdrop to our modern cacophony - in Nantes, it is founded on the sensorial, fluid character of the elements: earth, water, air, and fire that surround our fair city and shape us in ways both intangible and imperious."

The city is located on the Loire River in Upper Brittany in western France.

It is home to the restored, medieval Château des Ducs de Bretagne, where the Dukes of Brittany once
lived, and is now a history museum.

The city also offers a food scene shaped by its maritime heritage, and the remarkable Galerie des Machines (check it out).

See https://www.levoyageanantes.fr/en/events/the-summer-journey/ 

How to enjoy the Brest of France

Taking roads less travelled can be extremely rewarding. Nowhere more so than in France, where there are dozens of beautiful towns and villages that remain largely undiscovered.

One such destination is Brest in Brittany - and leisure airline easyJet is launching a new summer route from London Gatwick to Brest.

Flights start on June 25 and will operate twice weekly on Wednesdays and Sundays throughout the summer season, news portal Travel Mole reports.

Seats are now on sale at easyJet.com and via the mobile app.

The port city of Brest is a listed City of Art and History and boasts a strong maritime heritage.

Its unique attractions include an open-air aquarium, and the city is known for its Breton cuisine, including savoury pancakes known as galletes. The local soccer team this year made its debut in the European Champions League.  

Brest has a population of over 140,000 and its history has since the 17th century been linked to the sea. The Académie de Marine (Naval Academy) was founded in 1752 in the city.

Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager, said: “As London Gatwick’s largest airline, we are delighted to be launching yet another new route from London Gatwick, offering more choice and connectivity through our unrivalled short haul leisure network.”

Last year, easyjet celebrated carrying 250 million passengers to and from London Gatwick since launching its first flights in December 1999.

French activists block cruise ship

It is not just Venice and Amsterdam where locals are heartily sick of cruise ships.

Environmental activists in Brittany, France, recently prevented passengers from a cruise ship from entering the port of Concarneau in Finistère, news portal Travel Mole reported.

Activist groups including Stop Croisiè, res BZH and Extinction Rebellion prevented the Seven Seas Voyager ship from tendering guests ashore.

Some protestors even took to the water brandishing a banner reading ‘We are the iceberg’ - a nod to the Titanic disaster,

The Seven Sea Voyager can accommodate almost 700 guests, who some locals did want to see.

“We think they’re an ecological absurdity and a symbol of social inequality,” one activist told local newspaper Ouest France.

Opposition against cruise ship visits has been growing.

Last year residents of the nearby port of Douarnenez jeered cruise passengers with shouts of "you are not welcome" and "shame on you".

That was directed at guests of the Atlas Ocean Voyages ship World Traveller, which only accommodates about 100 passengers.

In southern France, Marseille mayor Benoît Payan has openly criticized large cruise ships which he called "floating cities".

A 2023 study revealed Marseille and Channel port Le Havre were among Europe’s most polluted ports.