There are many restaurants which lack competence and which simply try to copy all the genuinely great restaurants. Number one to actually succeed for all mediocre and bad restaurants should be to be as authentic as possible. A chef who cooks with both heart and brain raises the odds of making it considerably. Warm-hearted and talented Stéphan Bernhard is a perfect example of a chef who is authentic and cooks because he loves it. Of course, it helps that the Chef is both skilled and creative.

Chef Patron Stéphan Bernhard runs his Le Jardin de France together with his wife, Sophie, who is the Restaurant Manager and Sommelier. The restaurant is located in the heart of picturesque Baden-Baden in Germany close to the French border and the Black Forest. You will not see Le Jardin de France from the main street, just a small sign at the street shows the direction of the restaurant which you will find at a beautiful inner courtyard. The Bernhard couple has created an oasis in the centre of the Golden Kreuz building which was built in 1893. The setting of the restaurant is perfect, especially if there is sunshine since you can have your meal outside al fresco style. The natural light at the inner courtyard will follow you inside the dining room as well since part of it has a glass roof.

Stéphan and Sophie came to Baden-Baden from Alsace in 1998 and established the restaurant of their dreams. Chef Stéphan started his culinary career in 1987 at Alsatian Mittelbergheim am Lindenplatzel and later on proceeded to La Couronne in Baldenheim. After that Bernhard worked at several restaurants and never stayed at the same for more than two years before he opened his own venue, which gave him great experiences and developed his skills.

The food is clearly based on the French haute cuisine, but Chef Stéphan’s cooking is more modern than you might think by the first impression. There is mostly a creative and contemporary twist on the dishes like the crab meat on mango, rhubarb, radish, celery and wasabi mayonnaise, or the Irish beef fillet with ravioli with foie gras and pêle-mêle of spring vegetables.

Le Jardin de France is a pleasant discovery in the lovely Baden-Baden which you should not miss when you are in the area.

Written by Andy