The new “champagne bar and cookery” is located at the very chic address of 2 Grand-Rue and is jointly managed by a pair of connoisseurs--Vinoteca and Craft et Compagnie.
A few more finishing touches and Flûte Alors! will open during the week of 10 May. Photo: Romain Gamba / Maison Moderne
Although there are still a few finishing touches to be made to the interior, the two floors of the beautiful space that used to house the Alazio ready-to-wear shop--and which has been entirely redesigned by the Defact Studio office--were already showing unique potential on the evening of Tuesday 3 May, when Agnès Richer de Forges, Sébastien Rouillaux and Rodolphe Chevalier welcomed their first customers on the terrace for a small test session.
Double counter and open kitchen on the ground floor, contemporary lighting, comfortable seats in shades of powder pink and coral, and a “classified chapel” alcove on the first floor: Flûte Alors! aims to be sophisticated but friendly, for a clientele that loves good things and sharing them.
An impressive cast
To treat the customers of this new, central venue, there are some well-known faces in the kitchen and on duty. For example, former Scott’s Pub chef Hugo Maia--who took charge of the establishment’s incredible culinary turnaround in 2020--is helming the kitchens.
Hugo Maia turned the menu of Scott’s on its head in 2020, and he may succeed in surprising champagne lovers at Flûte Alors! Photo: Romain Gamba / Maison Moderne
Olivier Chocq, who has left the Japanese restaurant Ryôdô for this new adventure in the city centre, is in charge of recommending and serving the hundreds of champagnes and carefully selected wines, with the support of the experienced Nenad Jovanovic, who spent a few years at Chiggeri before moving to Brasserie Guillaume and elsewhere. It’s a team that knows what they’re talking about, just like the management of the place.
And what about the menu?
First and foremost, there is the champagne of artisan winemakers, or “grower champagne”--the core business of Craft et Compagnie, which now has no fewer than 25 prestigious names in its catalogue for Luxembourg. In all, lovers of bubbles have some 200 choices to discover. And there are no big houses like Ruinart or Dom Pérignon… rather, we have Frédéric Savart, Coessens, Bérêche & Fils, Dehours & Fils, Pierre Gerbais, Cédric Moussé, Veuve Fourny, JM Sélèque or even La Closerie, Égly-Ouriet, Chartogne-Taillet, Pierre Paillard. All of them are part of a new generation of true craftspeople who are in love with their terroirs and who have earned praise abroad.
As far as wines are concerned, the menu benefits from the best local (Henri Ruppert, Schmit-Fohl) and international recommendations of Vinoteca, for a good range of 60 or so bottles, without counting the famous “coteaux champenois”--rare still pinot noirs produced in small quantities by some of the winegrowers mentioned above.
On the plate, you can start with some appetising nibbles to share--oysters from the Maison Laugier, smoked salmon, pata negra or Kasnodar caviar from Madagascar. The menu goes on to offer a selection of starters or mains in a price range consistent with the champagne bar concept. A little teaser: “hot oysters and rocket cream with parmesan”; “bull tartar with red pepper, Sichuan pepper cream”; “duck breast with smoked eel, pinot noir sauce”… Hungry?
Kasnodar caviar is the little brother of Rova caviar, the true Hermes of Madagascan caviar, which we tasted with Cathy Noël last December. Photo: Guy Wolff / Maison Moderne
Each dish is offered à la carte with a suggestion of champagne to accompany it. A few desserts and pastries signed by Carole Lesquer, Pastry Chef of the Year 2021 at Gault & Millau Luxembourg, conclude the evening…
The bar opens next week; find updates on .
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This article in French in Paperjam. It has been translated and edited for Delano.