Cartes Blanches: A restaurant experience in the comfort of your own home
Every so often, an idea comes along that shakes things up in Luxembourg. Sometimes it's a concept, an establishment, or even a product. In this instance, it is a unique experience by the name of Cartes Blanches. Combining two of my favourite things, good food and home comforts. Cartes Blanches is the first dining experience in Luxembourg to bring the restaurant into your home. Offering you fine-dining which is prepared and plated in your kitchen, and we are told that one can expect restaurant-quality service at the table. I couldn't wait to try out Cartes Blanches, a great way to dine out with minimal Covid risk and the hassle of leaving the house.I e-mailed the company with the date that I had in mind and the number of guests and they promptly got back to me with menu options from two different restaurants. Drawn in by Clairefontaine's classic menu and longstanding Michelin Star reputation, I went for their 4-course menu; if we're going to try this experience, we may as well go all out.
The chef and sous chef arrive 2 hours prior to the start of your dinner time and you're asked to clear surfaces and the stove area for their convenience. They came with all ingredients and plates that were required for the evening, the cutlery and cooking utensils were my own.
A nice little touch from Cartes Blanches is that they send you a Spotify playlist to help create a restaurant vibe in your home. With the music playing to set the scene, we lit the candles, laid the table and couldn't wait for the evening to begin. Wanting to really make the most of the restaurant theme, we invited guests to come a little earlier for a drink before the dinner. It's worth noting that the 4-course menu (instead of the 3-course), meant that the first course of canapes really helped to get all the guests in the mood. We were served our canapes in the seating area and the remaining 3-courses were served at the table. Most of the food prep is done ahead of time so aside from a ladle and some pots and pans I wasn't required to have a very elaborate kitchen, so don't be put off if you don't think your kitchen can handle it - if you have a working stove and some pots, you're good to go.
Courses were brought to us at a laidback yet timely pace, the chef checked in with us to make sure we were happy with the pace too so if you're dining with guests that you'd like out the door quickly, feel free to drop a hint to the chef to keep things rolling quickly! In our case, we were in great company and the chef's pace complimented that. Each course is well introduced and explained and we were really impressed with how spotless the kitchen was after. I'm pretty sure they left it cleaner than they found it.
"The Cartes Blanches experience not only transforms the fine dining industry in Luxembourg and gives it a whole new dimension but it also gives customers who are intimidated by hosting a whole new way stress-free solution to host dinner guests. With all the food and service taken care of, all you need to worry about is who to invite and what to wear. This is your new solution to date nights, celebrations, business dinners and get togethers. It offers you all the best parts of dining out and eating in without any of the hassle or headache. Worth every penny (or euro)."
