At the Château du Domaine de Maffliers, nature in all its splendor

A place in the heart of nature

After crossing the picturesque little village of Monsault and its alleyways lined with stately cottages, the gateway to the Domaine de Mavilliers appears.
The magic really works thanks to the shaded paths in the middle of the forest that we cross that give dimension to the place.
35 hectares of greenery await you, where there is a hotel with 99 rooms, a horseback riding center and 7 lodges where you can relax with your family. Since May, the palace has reopened after a complete renovation.
It features 8 rooms and suites, an Augustine table where young and talented chef Ulysse Merigaud, who worked at Frédéric Vardon 39 V, handles, as well as a brasserie run by Benjamin.
Luxe Magazine had already enjoyed living for the weekend, an arc in one of the estate’s seven lodges.

A 16th-century residence rising from its ruins

This former residence, built in the mid-16th century, has been recreated from its ashes after two years of reconstruction – after a fire – thanks to the magic wand of interior designer Stella Cadente. She knew how to breathe a unique atmosphere into this house, linked to its traditions and reputation.
An exceptional bourgeois home that exudes a charismatic living space with a timeless and romantic atmosphere.
Thus, we plunge into another era in which history and personalities from the 16th to the 18th centuries (Claude de la Fayette, Marquis de Brequeville, Georges Provost, etc.) rub shoulders, permeate the building.
In front of the Château, Fanfan’s signature recycled metal horse stands. A sculpture by François Soyer sets the tone!
Places like an elegant and friendly country house
Between the rather contemporary bar and the mixed place is elevated thanks to William Pilliod, who welcomes us at the entrance with his colorful stools, and where a beautiful staircase with its wrought-iron balustrade leads to the bedrooms, next to which is the billiards room where the table is displayed on a very British carpet with Green, blue and filigree stripes, tweed style, accompanied by a few tables and armchairs in a shade of duck green, water green or aqua blue and on the other hand an Augustinian table.
This variety of colors is found in the Table d’Augustine, a cozy cocoon where the same blue duck finds refuge on the walls and chairs. On the ceiling, matte gold unfolds its gently evening brilliance.

Bedrooms with a dreamlike world

The rooms open to a changing decor according to the room’s theme: ‘mysterious’, with its duck-blue walls, its antique furniture and screen where a bathtub is hidden on its claws, and its very quiet ambiance with its dark curtains. “Lunar”, in shades of soft grey, two large windows looking out to the rear and an antique cupboard.
Each infuses a fantasy created by Stella Cadente, worked in different color notes and carefully chosen objects.

Chatelaine breakfast

Breakfast will be taken at the Salon des Fresques, a little gem of the era with its library of period woodwork and views of the garden as well as frescoes composed of medallions on the ceiling, including a copy of The Apotheosis of Hercules. Jean-François Lemoine in Versailles.
Sitting facing the window overlooking the forest, the early morning scent of happiness and chlorophyll envelops you.
The table is already set, with its pots adorned with different types of savory ham, thick smoked salmon, homemade dill vinaigrette, bowls of fruit, basket of bread and pastries, seasonal fruit platter, farm yogurt and a choice of homemade eggs, the view pleases with this promising gastronomic interest. that whets your appetite!
The Salon des Châtaigniers with its imposing wine cellar, velvet armchairs and benches with warm notes of saffron awaits you for tasting exquisite wines.
Finally, the brasserie run by Benjamin, a chef from Lille, treats you to products from the northern regions and especially the famous Tarte Maruel in a friendly and warm atmosphere.

La Spice d’Augustin as seen by Ulysse Merigod, chef

Here, Ulysses sets the tone by reviving bourgeois cuisine, both generous and communal. This is how he defines his menu, signed by Frédéric Vardon, chef of his restaurant 39V in Paris in the 8th arrondissement.
Sharing spirit is the key word at Ulysses. “I want to be received in a bourgeois house, which presents not only its art of table, with its old crockery, brassware and silverware, its atmosphere and its warm and cordial welcome, but above all abundance, thanks to my dishes served on two plates of generosity and the flavors of yesteryear.
It is haute cuisine worked with Frédéric Vardon that sets the tone, but also takes on the codes of the bourgeois cuisine of the time, with local produce. So Bass in Puff Pastry, Homemade Crout Pie, Our Signature Beef Wellington, Perigord Sauce, a beautiful mushroom-crusted piece (stuffed with vegetables) wrapped in a thin pancake to keep the beef moist and prevent the puff pastry from getting soggy and losing its bounce. A dish won by our customers and soon we’ll be offering a reconsidered joyful dish every Sunday to share with the family, chicken-o-pot style or otherwise, that will change every week.

Innate taste for cooking

He acquired his taste for cooking when he was young, and his father really liked good food. He advised her when she left college
To go to Ferrandi School.
He went to the game and found out himself that he has a sense of cooking. After starting his first Frenchie stint with Gregory Marchand, then at Georges Blanc, he ended up with Frédéric Vardon at 39V and moved up the ranks, also becoming more of a good sauce.
After a sabbatical of 3 and a half years where he left for Japan, he was called back by Frédéric Vardon to take up the position of chef at the Château du Domaine de Maffliers.
This evening we enjoyed ourselves, testing his stripped cod on a bed of eggplant, his stuffed pancakes of course, his sauteed mushrooms, porcini mushrooms this day, duck with figs and of course his beef wellington, big moment!
The night was nevertheless soft and quiet in the castle rooms, a veritable cocoon of sweetness where dreams took precedence over gluttony.

Katya Pellegrino