La Machine à Coudes, a Caribbean-inspired gourmet restaurant in Boulogne (92)

La Machine à Coudes is a name that is probably familiar to the ears of Boulonnais. A veritable institution in the heart of the city, this restaurant located a stone's throw from the Parc des Glacières in Boulogne-Billancourt is turning a corner after more than ten years of existence. Behind the stoves of this gastronomic address, we now find Rémi Braflan. Having worked in top hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants, the Caribbean chef continues to surprise the palates of gourmets in search of bold, meticulous cuisine.

In this bright, uncluttered address opening onto an open kitchen, you can relax and enjoy this gastronomic experience. You can hear the staff chatting, chatting and joking, reflecting the good spirit that seems to animate La Machine à Coudes. In the dining room, Marlène, the owner of the premises, takes over and advises with pleasure and passion on the wines that go with the dishes.

They come one after the other, and never look alike. Because here at La Machine à Coudes, you don't have to hesitate to let yourself be carried away by the love of discovery. For example, there's a blind menu, adapted to the dietary restrictions of guests (to be indicated when booking), featuring seasonal produce sublimated by notes inspired by Caribbean flavors.

The first step is an appetizer to whet the appetite and set the tone! Rémi Braflan introduces us to a trio of dishes that will introduce us to the spirit of his cuisine: candied beet accompanied by a powerful smoked mayonnaise, a mini bokit (filled fried bread from Guadeloupe) with sage and hot pepper, which will make an impression without bringing a tear to your eye, and a sweet onion tart.

Plate after plate reveals Rémi Braflan's passionate and creative gastronomic style. Each dish is the fruit of masterful technical skills, designed to create aculinary experience without distorting complexity. Simple, almost modest titles let the tasting speak for itself. With no show-offs or window-dressing, diners have every opportunity to savor and appropriate this gourmet moment: this cuisine full of personality is presented with a desire to share, without pressure.

The same product is reworked in a variety of ways on the same plate, allowing us to appreciate it from different angles and textures, while the complicity of spices enhances its flavors. All in all, the right balance between technique and inventiveness makes sense.

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In turn, you'll be surprised by an aspic of poultry heart, accompanied by porcini mushrooms and a beurre nantais-style mushroom sauce, with a parsnip and green cardamom purée, a squash giraumonade with curcubitaceous flavors in both a paprika crush and a broth that won't leave a drop untouched, as well as a melt-in-the-mouth lamb shoulder confit with fig leaves, accompanied by a roasted fig, a fig sauce and a caramelized celery purée with smoky notes that add character to this plate full of sweetness.

Before moving on to dessert, we indulge in a cheese stopover with pieces of Abondance served with warm bread and watermelon jam. Not surprisingly, even at this moment the Machine à Coudes manages to showcase French terroir with an unexpected twist.

Then comes the moment of sweetness that brings the tasting to a close. For dessert, we end on a light note with an unctuous apple and muscovado cream, accompanied by a lemon balm and balm leaf sorbet, whose fresh lemony flavor adds a touch of pizzazz that might otherwise have been missing from this unstructured plate of regressive notes.

And it's not quite over yet! Before we leave, we're treated to one last treat. What is it ? A floukie" we're told with a touch of mischief. "What's a floukie? - "It's a cookie that's a bit fuzzy". It wasn't just a joke: cookie dough matched with blond and dark chocolate and peanut... we're not sure we can think of a better name to describe this cuteness. What we do know is that we love it, and that's what counts!

The 7-course tasting menu is available for dinner at 75€ per person (110€ with food and wine pairing). Saturday lunchtime features a more affordable 5-course menu (2 appetizers, 2 starters, a main course and 2 desserts) at 55€ per person (75€ with food and wine pairing). The rest of the week, La Machine à Coudes offers a dish of the day for €19, a starter, main course or main course and dessert for €28, and a complete starter, main course and dessert menu for €36 (€56 with food and wine pairing). There are also two children's menus: €25 for starters/main courses/desserts for children aged 6 to 12, and €19 for main courses and desserts for children under 6.