
Äponem, an enchanting restaurant in an 18th-century rectory overlooking the lake at the Barrage des Olivettes, received its first Michelin star only six months after opening in July 2018. Since then, Gaby Benicio and her team dedicate their lives to this magical place. Everything they do is with respect to the surrounding nature. Therefore, besides the work in the kitchen, the team also maintains seven permaculture plots to provide vegetables and herbs for their sustainable and responsible gastronomy.
Surprises
The sun had already set when Chéri and I arrived after a charming ride through the rural countryside. Therefore, we missed the breathtaking view of the Lac de Vailhan. However, we didn’t need the view for Äponem’s team of young enthusiasts to amaze us. The restaurant’s name- Äponem- comes from the Pataxó language, an Amazonian dialect, and means happiness. Once Gaby Benicio herself had warmly welcomed us into the tastefully decorated dining room, we opened the menu. It simply said that they serve only one menu for 165 euros, which ‘walks you through the seasons’. No details about the dishes whatsoever, only extra additions like a cheese platter (18 euros) and micro-filtered water (5 euros per person). So, after ordering the beautiful welcome cocktail and the biodynamic, living wine (vin vivant) menu (80 euros) for Chéri (I was driving), we waited for the surprises to come.

Pieces of art
Gaby explained how the evening would proceed, starting with the ‘prelude’. This consisted of twelve appetisers placed on each table like a painting. All guests were asked to wake up their taste buds and guess the ingredients by writing them on a white sheet of paper. As Gaby and the staff serve all tables simultaneously, it might take a little while before you can start. But having dinner at Äponem means taking your time and savouring every moment. The team started preparing the food early in the morning, and each of the twelve amuse-bouches was a piece of art in itself. It was harder than I thought to describe what we were eating. However, we played the game and wrote (and drew) our finds on the piece of paper. Luckily, we received the details afterwards. It is too much to describe here, but we felt the love in every bite.

Happiness
By this time, Chéri had already enjoyed some wines from the pairing menu, mostly local ones, which tasted so different from the wines we are used to drinking and went perfectly with the authentic dishes we were savouring. After the overwhelming start, we moved on to raw and grilled cepes with a lemon sabayon and some divine homemade bread. A ‘plat paysan’ (peasant dish) completed the main course with a piece of guinea fowl covered with a high-on-taste bouillon made with their homemade bread. By this time, we had lost count of the dishes. But there was more to come! A cube of frosted yuzu and coffee stabilised our palettes before we continued with the dessert selection. A smaller painting of five desserts each arrived at our table and left us in awe. It was undeniably an evening to remember. What we tasted there was definitely pure happiness!
