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The summer will be busy for Georgiana Viou who is releasing a book published by Alain Ducasse on May 5, 2021. The chef is also starting a residence in Nîmes in a 4-star hotel, the Margaret-hôtel Chouleur, the latest addition to the group. Allegrini social club. Charming hotel located in the heart of Vieux-Nîmes in a private mansion classified at the IMH (Inventory of historical monuments, Editor’s note), the hotel will open its doors on May 28 around a 4-star accommodation offer, a restaurant and bar.
It was Denis Allegrini, president of the ASC group (Allegrini social club) who had the idea of this “Lasting collaboration with the Beninese and Provençal chef Georgiana Viou” who will take over the restaurant and bar as soon as they open. “Sunny and bold, Georgiana will be inspired by both the Mediterranean and the tastes of Benin to offer a hearty, friendly and lively cuisine. In the warm decor of Rouge, she will add to these multiple influences, the colors and flavors of the territory of Nîmes, developing creations to discover every night at the bar or restaurant ” specifies the ASC group.
Original land color
Why did you call the bar and restaurant the word Red? “The choice of the name Rouge echoes the common color of our territories of origin: the Costières de Nîmes and the land of Benin. We also find red in the Nîmes coat of arms and the Beninese flag. This shade finally reflects the warmth and delicacy of the local and culinary heritage ” says Denis Allegrini.
“In Nîmes, I will do what I like and what I know how to do”
Georgiana Viou
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On the bar side, guests will peck on its gourmet and rascal cuisine (mimosa eggs with bottarga, Beninese pâtés, beef truffle cromesquis …) in a festive, warm and relaxed atmosphere, with a view of a bucolic wall sculpture inspired by flowers and local plants, made to measure by a Gard artist. For thirst, cocktails and a fine selection of wines will be on the menu.
On the restaurant side, a unique tasting menu in 3 or 5 steps, to be enjoyed at the table, at the counter or by candlelight under a starry sky, will fully reveal the mixed universe of the Marseille cook: crispy appetizers with brandade, focaccia with red palm oil embellished according to market findings, guardian twisted by a sabayon with capers and candied lemon, vacherin “Moorish” for the wink
Marseille, will appear on the menu over the days.
Several times a year, Georgiana is expected to invite chefs to the kitchens of Rouge for four-handed dinners: a concept that has been tried and tested over the past ten years and has been acclaimed by customers. “I admit that I am very touched that an entrepreneur like Denis Allegrini trusts me” explained Gerogiana Viou yesterday to the Grand Pastis. In addition, the cook admits to being “Happy to leave Marseille to do in Nîmes what I know how to do and what I love”.
Rouge, restaurant and festive bar, 6, rue Fresque, 30000 Nîmes; info on 04 48 27 08 01. Every evening from 7 pm (closed Sun and Mon). Tasting menu from 38 €.
Georgiana Viou, tribute to the tastes of Cotonou
Along with the installation in Nîmes, this month of May marks the release of Georgiana’s second opus, a vibrant tribute to her Beninese roots. Just as there is no European cuisine, there is no African cuisine: there are “some” cuisines in Africa and that of Benin turns out to be one of the richest. From Cotonou, a city turned towards the sea and at the crossroads of multiple influences, Georgiana Viou remembers the dishes served in her family and in the street. It is this extraordinary variety that the cook tells through simple and tasty recipes.
The pages are accompanied by superb photos taken in Benin by lifelong friend Maki Manoukian. By immersing us in the atmosphere of the streets and markets of the Beninese capital, Georgiana evokes her childhood through many anecdotes while referring to the culinary culture of West Africa. This book plunges us into the heart of the intimate with the cuisine of a grandmother, a mother (photo), an uncle and other atypical characters. We (re) discover a repertoire whose ingredients are both familiar and foreign to us: cassava, gari, corn, cowpea, okra, yam, sweet potato … Among the 67 recipes, you will love Amiwo (red paste), Ata (salted bean fritters), Dja (tomato sauce), Man gnan do kâmin (leaf sauce in the jar), Gari foto (gari garnished with Romaine), Blokoto (beef foot sauce), Gbota Nousounou (sheep’s head sauce). And to help us, an address book makes it easy to get all the ingredients in France.
“The taste of Cotonou – My cuisine from Benin” by Georgiana Viou, Alain Ducasse Ed., 256 pages, photos Maki Manoukian; € 28.90.
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