Back by popular demand, Hélène Darroze’s famed gastronomic approach to the humble
Sunday roast returns this month. The new four-course roast chicken menu, Le Poulet du Dimanche, will
be served in her restaurant at The Connaught on weekends.
Hélène’s obsession with exceptional ingredients and culinary craft has elevated the humble roast to a
gourmet affair, with a unique menu designed to reveal the flavour of the classic dish. To start, guests will
be treated to a confit egg yolk served with Parmeggiano Reggiano cream, crispy skin and chicken liver
mousse and chicken oyster and jenniper. This is followed by chicken consommé, inspired by the classic
French Poule au Pot which includes ravioli of Bigorre ham, vegetables from the pot and roasted country
bread.
The main event of the menu is a roasted chicken, sourced from the Tauzin family farm in Les Landes, to
share between two. The chicken is stuffed under the skin according to the season, with foie gras in winter,
morels in spring and ceps in autumn served with “pommes soufflés”, green asparagus and black truffle
from Périgord. The final chicken course is a bitesize one, with a fresh corn-tortilla served with crispy
confit chicken leg, Haas avocado, cucumber, coriander and mint – an uplifting end to the menu.
Dessert is a show-stopping affair with a theatrical flair made with the freshest of eggs using a variation of
exotic fruits.
For Hélène Darroze, the tradition of sharing a roast chicken at the end of the week goes back as far as she
can remember, with her grandmother holding the ritual weekly at their family restaurant in Les Landes.
Once the traditional Sunday lunchtime in the restaurant was finished, the Darroze family would have their
own roast in the evening, and as a fourth-generation chef, Hélène grew up learning how to cook the
perfect chicken.
Of course here in England, the Sunday roast is also something of a national institution,
and the new menu pays tribute to the shared culinary passion connecting her two homes.
‘For me, Sunday is the day you spend with the ones you love. During my childhood in Les Landes, my
grandmother would cook a roast chicken for the whole family every Sunday, with chickens from my
grandfather’s farm. Roast chicken is a special sharing dish for me, and I hope that by bringing this very
personal menu to my restaurant at The Connaught, we will give our guests the opportunity to share some
treasured time with their family and friends.’
Le Poulet du Dimanche is available at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught every Saturday from 12-3pm
and Sunday from 12-3pm and 6.30-9pm and priced at £150 per couple. There is limited availability for
this menu, so booking is recommended. For further information, please visit the-connaught.co.uk. For
reservations, contact: + 44 (0) 20 3147 7200.
